Eliza Grant

Eliza is another casualty of The Great War who rests within yards of where we sit today. Eliza was not in the military, a nursing profession, or an aid worker. Yet her death was as a direct result of war.

.Eliza Hammond was born into a mining family in Castleford in 1876.

.Eliza, aged 23, married widower Clayton Dixon Grant in this church on 22 May 1899, 126 years ago.

In 1911, the Grant family lived on William Street, off Lock Lane, Castleford, in one of the many rows of houses occupied by local miners. Eliza looked after her children and at least two step-children.#

Sometime in 1916, Eliza went to work at Barnbow, Crossgates.

Map of Barnbow

The declaration of war with Germany on 3 August 1914 created an urgent need for large volumes of arms/ammunition. However, few establishments, apart from Woolwich Arsenal, were involved in this work, especially by mass production. An early initiative was taken by Leeds commerce and the city’s major firms, with the newly formed Leeds Munitions Committee quickly promoting the production of shells at Leeds Forge Company, Armley. Works at Hunslet and Newlay (Horsforth) followed suit. A directing board comprising six Leeds citizens, charged with constructing the First National Shell Filling Factory, met in August 1915. A site between Crossgates and Garforth, part of the Gascoigne estate, was selected at Barnbow between Crossgates and Garforth.

.The leading site, initially some 313 acres (later increased to 400 acres), extended along the eastern part of Manston Lane, embracing two farms at Shippen and Lazencroft. The North Eastern Railway was along the southern boundary. Possessions cleared away from the site were sold by auction, and the construction plant and materials were quickly transported from Leeds. The site soon increased electricity and quickly added water and wastewater facilities.

.The site also had a farm that produced milk for the factory workers.

The Ministry of Munitions’ decision to install an AMATOL factory at Barnbow instead of Otley began the erection of the melting house building—AMATOL ‘B’—in March 1916. In April, the first batch of thirty 4.5 shells was filled, and the output quickly increased to 6000 shells a day when the number of shifts was increased from two to three.

In the AMATOL factory, 12,000 tons of tri-nitro-toluene (TNT) was mixed with 26,350 tons of ammonium nitrate to produce the highly explosive ‘AMATOL’ compound. In the cartridge factory, 61,000 tons of propellant were made into breech-loading charges made up of NCT and cordite, the material having been weighed out in ounces and parts of an ounce. Working with cordite for long periods caused the skin of the operatives to turn yellow; the cure for this was drinking plenty of milk.

.To recruit a large workforce, an employment bureau was opened at the Wellesley Building in Leeds, and the first batch of employees received one month’s training at Woolwich. Training was subsequently undertaken at Barnbow, and after preliminary trials in December 1915, filling operations began, continuing thereafter without a break. One-third of the workers came from Leeds, others from Castleford, Wakefield, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Selby, York, Tadcaster, Wetherby and many outlying villages. Three 8-hour shifts were adopted: 6.00 – 2.00 pm, 2.00 – 10.00 pm and 10.00 – 6.00 am. Work was usually done 6 days a week, with Saturday off every 3 weeks; no holidays were taken. In October 1916, with a workforce of some 16,000, a new production bonus scheme was introduced, which identified ineffective operations. Thereafter, the number of workers declined to about 9,000, although 9 months later, production increased. A typical munition worker’s earnings for a full week averaged £3.0s.0d, and the girls who swept up waste for recycling (droppings after shell assembly) earned £1.17s.0d a week. Workers in the danger/powder room received extra pay. At one period, wages totalled £24,000 per week, and it was claimed that the cost of producing munitions at Barnbow compared favourably with any other similar factory in the country.

.The first explosion (there were two further explosions) took place in one of the fusing rooms on the night of 5 December 1916, where it is said that 35 women lost their lives. Some of these 35 women died as a result of their injuries later.

Due to censorship, no account of the accidents was made public; however, Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, in a special order of the day issued from the British HQ in France, paid tribute to the devotion and sacrifice of the munitions workers. A Roll of Honour, ‘They Died Serving’, records the names of all factory workers who lost their lives in the three explosions. The name of Ethel Agnes Jackson, who was killed in the blast in December 1916, heads the list of wartime casualties on the roll of honour in the Colton Methodist Church.

.Eliza, along with Jane Few, Edith Levitt and Olive Yeates, died in Leeds Infirmary on 6 December 1916; some of the girls and ladies who did not die at Barnbow.

.Some of the death certificates of the casualties give their cause of death as ‘Shock due to injuries to vital organs caused accidentally by an explosion in a shell factory’. This shows that although there were many mutilated bodies, the force of the explosion caused catastrophic trauma.

Sources:
Ancestry; British Newspaper Archive; The Great War Forum;

Anne Batchelor from her book ‘The Barnbow Canaries’.

http://www.barwickinelmethistoricalsociety.com/4746.html

Allerton Bywater churchyard

Only a short distance from where the congregation sit rests the remains of Henry Prescott.

Henry served in the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own), 2nd/6th Bn—service number 6026. The source, UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919, shows that he was born at Shipley and enlisted in Pontefract.

According to the CWGC, Henry died ‘at home’ on February 8, 1917, at 40. Henry’s mother, Susan Rennard, was responsible for distributing any money owed to Henry.

Henry’s parents were George Prescott and Susan, nee Wood. When George died, Susan remarried widower John Rennard in Bradford in the winter of 1886. In the census of 1891, both the Rennard and Prescott families were living on Dawson Street, Shipley. Susan’s husband, John Rennard, died in Shipley in 1911; a few years later, in 1913, Susan joined her daughter and husband in Canada, who had been there since 1907. By the end of the war, Susan was living in Winnipeg.

One last look for anything relating to Henry was to search the Pension Records – I used Fold3, where I found the cause of Henry’s demise – he accidentally drowned, and his mother was refused a pension. The reason – Entitlement not admitted.

St Mary the Less burial record entry for Henry. End column, which the incumbent added, reads: Accidentally drowned Private in W Yorks

The West Riding Regiment, 2^nd/6^th War Diary

Extract – 11 September 1917
At Zero plus 3, the leading line advanced straight to the front trench. During the advance, one man was seriously injured and another slightly wounded by machine gun fire from the flank.

Two enemy were found by 2/lieut. O (?) E Brooksbank, who was leading the party, at the junction of the front line with OSTERICH AVENUE. One was inclined to show fight and was killed, and the other was taken prisoner. Two other prisoners were captured from the top of a dugout. About 50 yds West of the trench junction. There were other Germans inside, who refused to come out and the dugout was burned with P Bombs

There was a little fighting in the neighbourhood of this point, and several Germans were killed.

In the meanwhile, 2/lieut J R Allett, who was leading the party detailed for the support trench, passed through, and found no difficulty in reaching his objective. One German was observed to be making for REINCOURT, and was shot. One dugout was found and destroyed by P Bombs, its occupants, if any, refusing to come out. Another German was wounded not far from STAR CROSS ROADS, while endeavouring to escape, and was brought in. Five other Germans are believed to have been killed in this trench. At the STAR CROSS ROADS there was no sign of the enemy nor of dugouts.

The operation, as a whole, was carried out very successfully, 3 wounded and 1 wounded prisoner being taken, 2 (?) dugout being destroyed and 90 of the enemy being killed. Some documents were also captured and sent down.

Our own losses amounted to one man severely and two men slightly wounded.

The success was very largely due to the very careful reconnaissances carried out on five separate nights by 2/lieut Brooksbank and 2/lieut J R Allott, and on at least two occasions by the two sergeants and all section leaders who took part in the raid.

Names and ranks of the men involved in the events mentioned in the diary.

Extract – possibility 13 September 1917

At 4 am this morning, after a very quiet night, the enemy put down a heavy barrage of all calibres up to 8 inch on the Battalion Front Line, and on PUDSEY SUPPORT. On the right Company front, this continued unitl 5-15 am: on the left Company front it lifted about 5 am, and the enemy attack the line in considerable strength – approximately 160 men. The attack commenced between the left post of the right front Company and the right post of the left front Company. Every man in the right part was either killed or wounded. They put up a very find fight and bayoneted 1 German Officer and 2 man.

Some of the enemy forced their way through towards the old Company H Q in LONDON SUPPRT, occupied by 1 Officer, 2/lieut Hodgson * and 4 men. The enemy threw stick bombs at his stromboe horn, which apparently they mistook for a sentry. 2/lieut Hodgson met them and drove them back, and they left the line near the old No.11 Post of the left front Company, which had been entirely destroyed by consecutive bombardments two days ago. Several Germans were killed and wounded in front of Nos. 1 & 2 Posts.

My approximate casualties are 1 Officer killed Captain G C Turner, killed, 10 other ranks killed ad 30 wounded, 1 NCO and 1 man, who were not in a post, missing. All wounded were evacuated from Battalion HQ by 10 am.

Captain Turner did magnificently before receiving a direct hit by a medium trench mortar, and is reported to have himself accounted for 5 Germans.

I forward herewith 100 marks, some silver, letter and ribbons taken from the dead Officer, and shoulder straps taken from the dead man. Also some papers and nose(?) caps. I shall be glad if the latter can be returned for verification of calibre.

Lieut. Colonel, Comdng, 2/6^th West Yorkshire Regt.

Source – Free download from the National Archives

Captain G C Turner, mentioned in the above extract, was killed instantaneously by a shell at Riencourt on 13 September 1917; this information confirms the diary entry. George Corrall Turner was 32 years old when he died and rests in Favreuil British Cemetery, 2km north of Bapaume.

Rock Climbing Club Memorial

George, the son of John and Sabina Turner, lived in Ilkley—in 1901 at Red Gables and later at Newlands. He was educated at Ilkley Grammar School, Sedburgh, and Leeds University. He was a civil engineer and had spent three years in Canada and British Columbia. At the outbreak of war, he joined the Leeds University OTC and obtained a commission in the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1915.

George is one of 20 Fell and Rock Climbing Club members who died during WW1 and are remembered on a memorial at Great Gable. George is also remembered at Ilkley Grammar School, Sedburgh and Leeds University memorials. Sedburgh School also has a memorial to four Victoria Cross or George Cross recipients ( 1 Boer War and 3 WW2).

From the Westmorland Gazette, 27 October 1917 – His Colonel in a letter to his home at Ilkley spoke in high terms of the courage, perseverance and endurance of Capt. Turner. The writer added “His company was holding the front line, and the enemy placed an intense barrage on the battalion front. Your son did magnificent work, as he always has done, and went from post to post for nearly an hour under very severe fire. A little before 5 a.m. the enemy attacked in force, and it was very greatly due to the splendid example your son has always set and to the perfect courage and coolness shown by him last night, that his company successfully repelled the attack and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. He was killed instantaneously by a shell, just after leaving a post where he had been leading a hand to hand fight. Your son was mentioned the other day in divisional orders for gallantry and devotion to duty.”

Sources – De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour 1914-1919; The Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Craven’s Part in the Great War; Find a Grave; Regimental War Diary, and various newspapers.

A Soldier, Hunter, Conservationist and Explorer

If you have ever been to the Natural History Museum in London, you may have been distracted by the relatively large skeleton of a blue whale or the carved decorative columns and missed the memorial to Frederick Selous on the right wall of the left staircase.

Unveiling of the memorial to Selous in 1920. source acknowledged

Frederick Courteney Selous, DSO, was born in 1851. His exploits are said to have inspired Sir Henry Rider Haggard’s Allan Quartermain. He was a friend of Theodore th January Roosevelt and Cecil Rhodes.

Born at Regent’s Park, London, he was one of five children of an upper-middle-class family and the third generation of Huguenot immigrants. His father was Chairman of the London Stock Exchange, and his mother was a published poet.

Aged 15, Selous was one of the survivors of the Regent’s Park skating disaster. When the ice broke, over 200 skaters were enjoying winter fun. Selous managed to escape by crawling onto slabs of broken ice. Many were not as lucky, and 40 died that day by drowning and freezing.  

The Kentish Express of Saturday, 19th January 1867, is one of the newspapers that tells of the events and does not mince its words. The Disaster in Regent’s Park. ‘The Star believes that the radical evil is that skating is permitted where life or death depends upon the thoughtless exercising a rare amount of good sense, or, it may be, upon the prudence or stupidity of some half-witted official. The mischief appears to have been wrought by the park keepers breaking away the ice around the island that the water-fowl might have the means of disporting in their favourite element.  If all those officials had been subordinated to one central authority – if the park-keepers and the Royal Humane Society’s men had received their instructions from the same source – this, probably, would not have happened.  But be this as it may, there is no reason in the world why the skating ponds of London should cover move than two or three feet depth of water.

The Telegraph declares it is idle to say that nobody expected the melancholy occurrence.  Two things were known – the state of the ice and the temper of the crowd; and the knowledge of these things ought to have been sufficent warning‘.  And the article continues but ends with ‘and if the blame for not having prevented this disaster is to be laid anywhere, it must be at the door of the Commissioner of Works’.

In his late teens, he travelled to Africa. He collected specimens for museums, hunted, and explored many rarely seen areas. He was the first white man to be seen by many.

He fought and was wounded in the First Matabele War. During the Second Matabele War, he led the Bulawayo Field Force and wrote about the campaign. During this period in his life, he met and fought alongside Baden-Powell.

Fred Selous via Wikipedia

Selous, initially rejected for service in WWI due to his age (64), joined as a subaltern and saw service fighting against German colonial forces in East Africa. In August 1915, he was promoted to captain in the 25th (Frontiersmen) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. In September of the following year, he was awarded the DSO, with the citation reading: Capt Frederick Courtney Selous, Royal Fusiliers. For conspicuous gallantry, resource and endurance. He has set a magnificent example to all ranks, and the value of his services with his battalion cannot be over-estimated.

On 4th January 1917, he was fighting in the bush war on the banks of the Rufiji River against German colonel Schutztruppen with his troops outnumbered five to one. While crawling forward during combat, he raised his head and binoculars to locate the enemy and was shot in the head by a German sniper, killing him instantly.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote of his close friend: He led a singularly adventurous and fascinating life, with just the right alternations between the wilderness and civilization. He helped spread the borders of his people’s land. He added much to the sum of human knowledge and interest. He closed his life exactly as such a life ought to be closed, by dying in battle for his country while rendering her valiant and effective service. Who could wish a better life or a better death, or desire to leave a more honorable heritage to his family and his nation?

His old school published a book, ‘Memorials of Rugbeians Who Fell in The Great War,’ which includes two pages dedicated to Frederick Selous. The book covers his life, education, explorations, and service as a soldier. It is available to view on Fold3’s subscription website.

Sources:
Memorials of Rugbeians Who Fell in The Great War, Volume IV
https://roadstothegreatwar-ww1.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-last-british-square-was-formed-in.html
Western Front Association
The British Newspaper Archive

Snippets taken from other sources acknowledged

Bardsey War Memorial

While writing another article for a family history society, I remembered visiting Bardsey Church a few years ago. While clicking and searching through some pictures I had taken that morning, I found one: a photo of a memorial plaque.

What do we know about this young man from the plaque on the church’s wall?

Someone called William Harold Ryder, the third son of Charles Foster and Anna Ryder. Another question arises: who are they, as there is also a memorial for them?

But back to William, he served during WW1 as a lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps and fell whilst serving in France on July 6th, 1917, at age 20. He rests in Warloy Baillon some 21km north east of Amiens. The cemetery is an extension to the local cemetery. The first Commonwealth burial took place in the communal cemetery in October 1915 and the last on 1 July 1916. By that date, field ambulances had come to the village in readiness for the attack on the German front line eight kilometres away, and the extension was begun on the eastern side of the cemetery. The fighting from July to November 1916 on the northern part of the Somme front accounts for the majority of the burials in the extension, but some are from the German attack in the spring of 1918. The extension contains 1,331 First World War Commonwealth burials and two from the Second World War. There are also 18 German war graves in the extension. The communal cemetery contains 46 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 158 French war graves.

William’s memorial plaque C Sklinar 2007

The information on the memorial inside the church gives a good start to finding out more about William.

William, as we know, was the son of Charles Foster Ryder and his wife Anna. Anna died in 1907, and a memorial in the church informs everyone that Charles Foster had the church floor restored to its original level in 1914 in memory of his wife.

Charles F Ryder married Anna Potter on February 7th 1888, at Christ Church, Lancaster Gate. Charles was aged 32, a bachelor of Chapel Allerton, and the son of Charles Ryder was a brewer. While his new wife was aged 25, a spinster with no occupation living at 48 Cleveland Square, the son of William Potter (deceased), a merchant. Witness to this joyful event was Anna(?) L Ross and W Henderson.

In the census of 1881, Anna was living with her father, William, and mother, Agnes (both from Manchester), at 48 Cleveland Square. William described his occupation as an East India Merchant. The household also included the parents, Anna and her brother, and seven servants.

In the census of 1901, Charles F, a brewer, is living on Leeds Road, Scarcroft, with his children – Daniel G, aged 8, Agnes L, aged 6, and Wm H, aged 4, Rosamund aged two and Marion E, Harrison a visitor – Anna is not with her husband in the census. But a search for Anna, born in 1863 in Little Missenden, finds an Anna Ryder living as the married Head of The Hall, Little Thurlow, Suffolk. With Anna is Georgina M Bryant, a 25-year-old trained hospital nurse, and other staff – could Anna have been sickly and lived in the country for her health?

By 1911, Charles is a Brewery Director, more than likely Tetley’s Brewery, and living at The Grange, Scarcroft. On the census for The Grange are Charles F, Agnes Louisa, Rosamund Daphne and 7 servants. The Grange was a 20-roomed property with 10 people living within its walls. William, now aged 14, was a boarder at Uppingham, one of England’s Public Schools. The school sees many people pass through its doors who have now become well known including:- 5 Victoria Cross recipients; Richard Thorp, actor; John Suchet, journalist and broadcaster; Phil Spencer, property expert; C R W Nevison, Official War Artist in both World Wars; Sir Donald Campbell; Sir Malcolm Campbell and William Henry Pratt aka Boris Karloff to name just a few.

William served in the RFC, and his medal card states that he had served as a lieutenant in the Yorks Hussars. However, there is no mention of any medals awarded in his name, but his date of death is recorded in the remarks section.

William died on July 6th 1917, and Probate was granted in London on June 8th, 1918, to Charles Foster Ryder, a gentleman.

Did you know about the International Brigade?

While reading a book, the Kindle version of M K Jones’s genealogical mystery ‘Line of Descent’ prompted me to ask questions about my area and surnames connected to my family. In a few words, the story is about a genealogical investigation team searching for information about a British man who left home and fought in the Spanish Civil War in the latter part of the 1930s.

One question immediately arose: Did any RIACH (my One-Name Study) family go to Spain? I was surprised to find one—a woman. I will tell you more about her later. I quickly asked if any Wilkinson or Siddle people were on the list. Yes, a couple of Wilkinsons—not connected—and not a Siddle in sight.

The second question followed very closely on the heels of the first—did anyone who lived in the Wakefield area go?

I then did a great deal of Googling and found quite a few interesting websites and snippets of information on a Facebook group.

Over half a dozen men from Wakefield and surrounding areas were linked to the Spanish Civil War. That information was a little surprising, but what was unexpected was how many men from the Leeds area fought. The names of those who fought for what they believed are listed on the International Brigade Memorial Trust website. I learned that over 2,500 British and Irish fought in Spain, where they joined 35,000+ volunteers from 53 other countries.

These volunteers were mainly working-class and included writers, poets, and intellectuals. Initially, many of the volunteers were members of the Communist Party. However, they were soon joined by socialists, members of trade unions, and other left-wing groups. The conditions were harsh, and pay was poor, if any.

Why did they go?
https://international-brigades.org.uk/education-slide/why-they-went/

One source goes on to say that one in five of the British and Irish who went to fight lost their lives, while very few came out unscathed.

Many of those who did go and returned home became soldiers during WWII, leading trade union figures and politicians of their day—some had even fought during WWI.

Who were the women?
May Riach, an American doctor, was in Spain in February 1937 and repatriated later that month. Such a short stay—why? As I said earlier, more about May at a later date. As for the British women, Nan Green and Winifred Bates took on administrative tasks, while Felicia Brown, a British artist and sculptor, was killed while fighting with the Spanish militia in the summer of 1936.

At the end, I’ll include a few links to local volunteers and, for those of us with family history, links overseas links to Canada, America and Australia.

The men from the Wakefield area –
Robert Brown – lived in Normanton
Robert Reasey – lived in Ossett
Peter O’Day
John Spencer – lived on Walnut Avenue, Wakefield
Samuel Taylor – lived on Bridge Street, Wakefield
Charles ‘Yorky’ Hart – Pontefract
George Bennett – lived on Spa Lane, Ossett

A bit more about May
Dr May Riach was born May Turner in West Virginia in 1886. Her second husband was Scottish-born Col. William Riach (1877-1942).

She attended Harvard University, among other well-known educational establishments in America. In her career, she was a renowned surgeon and eye specialist. Her passport application states that she was offered the position of Professor of Anatomy at Constantinople Woman’s College (incorporating The American College of Girls at Constantinople in Turkey) in 1921. May passed through France, Switzerland, Jugo-Slavia, Bulgaria, and Greece.

She was also an ophthalmic surgeon affiliated with the British and Egyptian governments in Cairo.

I wonder if the highlight of her career had been operating on King Prajadhipok of Siam to save his failing sight.

If you have a missing relative or have heard family rumours about someone leaving the country in the 1930s, look at the websites below—you may find some interesting information.

Wakefield area men
https://international-brigades.org.uk/?s=wakefield&id=7981&post_type=volunteer

Pontefract men
https://international-brigades.org.uk/?s=pontefract&id=7981&post_type=volunteer

Leeds men
https://international-brigades.org.uk/?s=leeds&id=7981&post_type=volunteer

Memorial map
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1_XBoFQHZpoYGDjpAoZtcP2JzQ5djq-I&ll=55.06653231482943%2C-3.648019317812876&z=6

Canada – https://www.macpapbattalion.ca/volunteers/
https://spanishcivilwar.ca/volunteers/browse

America – https://alba-valb.org/volunteer-database/

Australia – https://archives.anu.edu.au/exhibitions/australia-spanish-civil-war-activism-reaction/serving-spain-international-brigades

Another Walk around Sugar Lane – Aspdin

Among the myriad of photographs of headstones in Sugar Lane in my collection, each with its own unique story, I often find myself pondering over whose narrative to delve into. Sugar Lane, a cemetery steeped in history, is the final resting place of many notable individuals, including the Aspdin family. Who were these individuals? What were their lives like? What led them to rest in this hallowed ground? Exploring the narratives of those buried in Sugar Lane not only provides insights into their lives but also offers a window into the rich heritage of Wakefield.

Aspin grave marker, Sugar Lane Cemetery © C Sklinar 2014

Aspdin. It’s a name deeply rooted in Wakefield’s history. You may be familiar with Joseph Aspdin, a bricklayer, inventor, and stonemason who held a patent for Portland Cement. His groundbreaking invention transformed the construction industry, and his influence can still be seen in Wakefield Arms, Monk Street, one of the first buildings to be constructed using Portland Cement. This building, which was granted a Grade II listing in 1992, stands as a testament to Joseph’s ingenuity despite its current state of disrepair. The connection to Joseph Aspdin makes the Aspdin family buried in Sugar Lane even more intriguing, as they are part of the fabric of Wakefield’s heritage.

But who is this Aspdin in our issue of Kinsman? Could they be a relative of Joseph, the renowned bricklayer and inventor?

The grave covering, a testament to the lives of James and Louisa Aspdin, is not just a marker but a symbol of their existence. Carved from solid granite, it bears the essential details of their lives. James, born on 23 August 1813, departed on 21 December 1873. On the other side, Louisa, his widow, was born on 6 February 1820 and died on 12 April 1903. Their simple yet profound memorial invites us to reflect on their lives and the history they were a part of.

I usually find information chronologically, but this time, I am going straight to the money! Probate.

In 1874, Probate was granted on the Estate of James Aspdin. The initial amount was sworn at under £25,000, later re-sworn at under £30,000. This legal process, overseen by Jonathan Haigh Wice, a pharmaceutical chemist and the surviving Executor, offers a glimpse into the financial and legal aspects of James’ life. It reveals his wealth, his business dealings as a cement manufacturer, and the individuals he entrusted with his estate. This information adds another layer to our understanding of the Aspdin family’s history, shedding light on their economic and social standing in Wakefield.

James and Louisa were married under Licence in the Parish Church, Leeds, on 14 August 1838. James, a bookkeeper of Park Lane, Leeds, was the son of Joseph Aspdin, a renowned cement manufacturer. Joseph Walker, a cloth manufacturer of Armley, was the bride’s father. This marriage not only united two prominent families in the area but also marked the continuation of the Aspdin legacy in the cement industry, which was pioneered by James’ father, Joseph.

Joseph was James’ father.

James was baptised on April 12, 1816, in St Peter’s Church, Leeds, at the same time as his younger brother, William.

Statue made by James Aspin from Portland Cement. Source BNA

Joseph moved his family to Wakefield around 1825 and set up a business in Kirkgate. The business was later moved to another location in Kirkgate after the Manchester and Leeds Railway Company compulsory purchased the site. Following another move to Ings Road, the company continued the process until 1900.

By 1861, James, Louisa, two relatives, a visitor, and one servant lived in St John’s.

James served on various committees during his life and mixed with the town’s great and good – Mr Tew, Mr Mackie and Mr Clayton, to name a few. In 1863, James attended a dinner to celebrate the extension and re-opening of Clayton Hospital and Wakefield Dispensary, where the tickets cost five shillings. Others who attended the evening were Sir John C D Hay, Bart., MP; Colonel Smyth, MP; Thomas Walker, Esq.; J L Fernandes, Jun., Esq.; three members of the Mackie family, including Captain Mackie; Edward Green; Colonel Holdsworth and John Barff Charlesworth, Esq., to name a few. In 1866, James was secretary to Wakefield’s Benevolent Society and received a cheque for £5 from Mr Clayton. James’s benevolence was not just for the immediate locale, as in 1857, he gave one guinea to the Lund Hill Colliery Fund following an explosion where 189 men and boys aged between 10 and 69 died. Wakefield was not elevated to city status until 1888 and became a county borough in 1913, taking it out of the jurisdiction of the West Riding County Council.

William, James’ brother, is considered the pioneer of modern Portland Cement. William initially worked for his father but was dismissed and moved to London. His father at the time, according to Wikipedia, stated,  “I think it right to give notice that my late agent, William Aspdin, is not now in my employment and that he is not authorised to receive any money, nor contract any debts on my behalf or on behalf of the new firm.” The new ‘firm’ was set up with James continued to do business in Wakefield.

After James’ death, Louisa lived at 16 St John’s Square with two servants. The Probate for Louisa was to Henry Richardson’s bank cashier and widow, Isabella Connor, for £4444 13s 8d.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission War Week – Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission celebrates its work during War Graves Week, which this year, 2024, took place from May 11 to Sunday, 19th. Similar events take place in France, Belgium, Italy, and Malta. There is something for everyone, and the cemetery tours are free. 

Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds (part) © C Sklinar 2024

After being reminded of the events via the CWGC Facebook group, I booked a guided walk around Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds (plan)  for Sunday morning. Suitable footwear and clothing were recommended at most of the events, as it was a lovely sunny day; a thin fleece and trainers, along with my camera, were all that was needed. 

Our guide for the walk was Chris, who usually worked out of Stonefall CWGC cemetery, Harrogate. He told us how the CWGC began and described how the familiar headstones came to fruition. He then gave us numbers of how many people died in WWI, how many headstones and memorials are cared for by the CWGC worldwide, and how many people care for the cemeteries and memorials. These numbers are staggering.

In our 90 minutes in Lawnswood Cemetery, we walked past many memorials of soldiers remembered on family headstones and scattered familiar CWGC headstones. Stopping at one of the scattered headstones, Chris told our group what information was on the headstones – the usual name, rank, serial number, a regimental cap badge insignia, and, in most cases, a religious symbol, e.g., a cross or star. No matter the rank or background, the headstones were all the same.  

As we walked on to our next stop, with Chris in the lead, there was chatter about soldiers in our families and the cemeteries and memorials we had visited.  

We stopped at the clean, white private headstone, remembering the Stewart family – a family that had lost five sons. 

Pte W A Stewart KIA (killed in action) at Gallipoli in 1915, aged 29.

Sec. Lieut C E Stewart DoW (Died of Wounds) in France in 1917 aged 32.

Pte L Stewart died from illness following wounds in 1917, aged 21.

Pte Alfred Stewart KIA in France in 1919 aged 29.

Pte Walter Stewart died from illness in British West Africa in 1919, aged 27, while onboard a troop ship and was subsequently buried at sea.

We continued to the burial plot of over 90 soldiers who died while in a local military hospital. The men have no markers, as their names are on a memorial.

Family headstone in Lawnswood Cemetery, Leeds, to the Stewart Family © C Sklinar 2024

The Stewart family plot is well-kept and a fitting tribute to the sons of James Federick Stewart and his wife, Ada nee Mears. James Frederick died in 1896, and by the spring of 1900, Ada had married James William Cooke in the Leeds Registration District.

During the walk, I photographed a few family headstones; one in particular, a relatively large solid memorial, was for Norman Wilson, who died at age 26 in 1916. Norman died on July 14th during the conflict at Thiepval, and he rests at Authuile Military Cemetery.  

Norman served as Lieutenant in the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own) 7th Bn – with no service number as officers had no numbers back then.  

Norman was the son of Andrew Wilson and Jane Wilcock. Andrew was born in Ossett in 1856 and married Jane in St

Headstone for Andrew Wilson and his son, who was a casualty of WW1. © C Sklinar 2024

Wilfred’s, Calverley, in 1884. The Wilcock family had lived in Ossett for a few generations, so why did Andrew move to Leeds and when? In 1861, the family was living in Ossett, and by 1871, they were established in Leeds. Andrew’s father, Joshua, was a woollen manufacturer. Did he move his family to Leeds to expand his business, or were there more opportunities there? In 1881, Andrew and his parents lived at Balks House, Wortly, a rather grand Georgian house. Andrew, at this time, was a wool comber – was he learning the trade from the bottom up? 

In 1891, still working as a wool comber, Andrew was now a married man with two children and three servants living at Woodfield House, Potternewton, Leeds.

Andrew died on November 26, 1896, at 40, leaving over £14,000.  

Jane married Harry Nickerson Cooke in the summer of 1901, and according to the 1911 census, Harry moved into Woodfield House. Harry was the manager of general printers (?). At this time, Norman was a student in the textile industry, while one of his brothers was an army student, and his eldest brother was an engineering apprentice. Three servants were still in the house to take care of the family. The census document has the information on Harry and Jane struck through – why? Were they not there on the night of the census?

In the 1939 Register, Jane is living independently in York Place, Harrogate. She is not alone; having outlived a husband, a son, and another husband, she is now with a son and daughter from her first marriage and a servant.  

When Harry died in 1935, his Probate Calendar entry shows he left nearly £45,000.

When Jane died in 1943, over £43,000 was mentioned in the Probate Calendar, along with the names of Muriel Wilson and Edward Duncan Taylor, chartered accountant.  

Finally, regarding Norman, our soldier, his service records are held at the National Archives, Kew. As Norman was an officer, his service records do not form part of the ‘The Burnt Records’ archive, but they have survived. The burnt records are service records of WW1 soldiers that were damaged during WW2 by enemy action and, as a result, damaged by either fire or water. Accessing these records means visiting in person, asking a fellow researcher, or hiring a researcher. By the 1st of July 1916, the 7th Bn of the West Riding Regiment were in the Somme region of France and, by the middle of the month, were in the Authuile area where Norman died on the 14th.

Norman’s Medal Card states that he entered the French Theatre of War in April 1915 and was eligible for the 1915 Star plus the British and Victory Medals. In August 1922, his mother, Mrs. Cooke, applied for her son’s medals.  At some time, probably after the 1939 Register was taken, Jane Cooke moved to 8 Esplanade Crescent, South Cliff, Scarborough.  It appears that according to the Register of Electors, Harry and Jane were at 8 Esplanade, Scarborough, in 1919 – did they have a second home, they could have.

As I have done for other members of his family, a look at the Probate Calendar shows that he left just over £5,500 to his mother, now Jane Cooke.  

With an engraved block of stone, two names and two dates, so much can be learnt about a family.

George Edward Spindler, R.A.F

Most people will be familiar with the surname Spindler. Nellie Spindler, a QAIMNS nurse during WWI, is a name that resonates with many. However, her brother, George Edward Spindler, is a lesser-known figure whose story awaits discovery.

George Edward and Nellie were the children of George Kealey Spindler, a police inspector, and Elizabeth nee Snowden. The family lived at 104 Stanley Road in the parish of St Andrew’s.

We know about Nellie’s time as a nurse, training in Wakefield, then moving to train in Leeds at what is now St James’s Hospital and her time as a military nurse. But her brother George Edward seems to have been overshadowed by his sister.

George was born in June 1901, too late to be included in the 1901 census. However, he was there as an 8-year-old student in the 1911 census. George attended the Cathedral School and, according to the Wakefield and West Riding Herald of 12th March 1910, received a prize from Vicar and Mrs Welch along with many other students.

Following his education, George worked as a general fitter. His place of work is still being determined.

In September 1919, the 18-year-old, 5′ 2″, George Edward, joined the RAF. It is relatively short in height for an 18-year-old to join the services, but there may have been no objection after the last few year’s events.

George Edward had dark brown hair, grey eyes, a pale complexion, and no wounds, scars, or marks. In 1923, according to his record sheet on Fold3, a subsite of Ancestry, he was transferred to the RAF Reserve.

What happened to George Edward?

In 1924, George Edward was living at 35 Prospect Street, Rothwell.

Yorkshire Post August 1928

The Yorkshire Post of 14th August 1928 has a small piece of information. ‘Motor Cyclist to Blame – After a lengthy hearing at the West Riding Court, today, a charge of driving a motor-lorry negligently against William Rex Dodsworth, of Woodlesford, was dismissed, the Chairman remarking that in the opinion of the Bench, the fault lay with the motor-cyclist, whose machine collided with the lorry. The evidence showed that the lorry came out of a side road at Cranberry Hill, Swillington. George Edward Spindler, an electrician of Wakefield, was coming along the main road on a sports model motorcycle. He was thrown off and received injuries to his left leg.’

When George Edward enlisted, he said his address was 104 Stanley Road, Wakefield and that his mother, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Spindler, was to be informed if anything happened to him.

336746, Leading Aircraftsman Spindler was Discharged from service in May 1930 after nearly ten and a half years of service.

The years passed, and on 8th April 1936, George Edward married Annabella Roberts (a spinster) in Wakefield. The same record that gives information of George Edward’s discharge also includes, written on the border, information on two children – George Laurence, born on 24th June 1931, and Margaret Rose, born on 30th October 1934.

The dates of his marriage and his children’s births are not consistent. That doesn’t always matter, but in this case, it might. George had been married previously to Hilda Davies, who died in 1935. With two young children, what should George Edward do? So, in the summer of 1936, he married Hannah Bella (Annabella) Roberts, who, in April, had been living at 403 Aberford Road, Rothwell. Two short years later, he enlisted in Section II, Class ‘E’ Reserves, for four years from the 29th March 1938 at Thornaby. Hence, the reason his service record had been updated. However, one child should be mentioned on the updated record and isn’t.

I did one last search for George Edward and his family. I suspected that as he was now back on the reserve list, and we were talking early 1939, George Edward would not be on the Register – he wasn’t. His family, well at least his wife, would not be redacted. Hannah Bella Spindler. I looked for her in various search formats – her full name, birth year and Wakefield; her surname plus birth year. I had spent quite a while looking for her, and she was nowhere to be found. After a short break, I decided on one last look for Hannah Bella. The search criteria were just ‘Hannah Bella’, ‘1903’, and ‘Yorkshire’. I’d even widened the city search to a county search. I was ready for another long and fruitless search. Then, there she was, ‘Hannah Bella Skindler’. Hannah Bella lived close to 104 Stanley Road, at 11 Tavora Street. There were, as I thought, two redacted entries. At least I found her.

After the war, family life regained some form of normality for George Edward, Hannah Bella and their children.

George’s father. George Kealy Spindler died in June 1940. His wife, Elizabeth, nee Snowden, followed shortly after in December 1941.

George Edward died in 1983, and Hannah Bella died in 1995. The couple and one of their sons rest in what is locally known as Sugar Lane Cemetery.

A Wedding in Barbados

Alice Jackson married James Wigglesworth, a soap maker, in the Parish Church, Wakefield, on August 12 1884. James was 28 years old, and Alice was 20. James was the son of James, a Gentleman, while Alice of Guisley on the Hill (?) was the daughter of Hugh William Jackson, also a Gentleman.

Alice gave birth to a daughter, Violet, in 1888.

Before her marriage to James and children, Alice, aged seven (1871), lived in St John’s. A governess is one of the inhabitants. Was Ellen E Turner the governess of Alice and her two siblings? By 1891, and now a married woman, Alice lived at 25 Market Street; in 1901, the family and a servant lived at Holme Field, Denby Dale Road.

June 28, 1888, was a memorable day for the Wigglesworth couple, as Alice gave birth to a baby girl, Violet. James Alice and probably family and friends attended Violet’s baptism on September 9, 1888, in All Saints Church, now Wakefield Cathedral.

James died in 1907.

1910, Alice and Violet set sail from England. They arrived in Barbados just in time for Violet’s marriage (later the same day) to Commander William Heron Coombs, widower, in the Cathedral and Parish Church of St Michael, Barbados.

Marriage in newspaper

William was born in 1851 in Stoke, Devon, the son of James Martin Coombs, a banker, and Frances Augustus Evans Griffiths. At the time of his marriage, he was living at “Short Hall”, S Anns.

Entry in Parish Register

In 1916, William was living at The Little House, Waltham St Lawrence, and a newspaper article detailing his career was published in honour of his 65th birthday. “He entered the Royal Navy in 1866, and from 1876 to 1884 served under the Government of India as Assistant Superintendent of Marine Surveys, being principally employed on the harbours of Madras, Colombo, and Goa. He retired from the naval service in 1894 with the rank of commander, but afterwards held the office of Protector of Immigrants in the colony of Trinidad and Tobago, where he was also a member of the Legislative Council and a J.P. Mr Coombs is an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical and Astronomical Societies.” Extracted from Reading Mercury, Oxford Gazette, Newbury Herald, and Berks County Paper April 1 1916.

During WWI, William was a Shipping Intelligence Officer. In August 1918, an application was made for his appointment as Companion of Imperial Service Order—the request was refused even though he had served the required time on Overseas Duty.

He died in Pension Leighton, West Park, Jersey, on April 28 1931. Probate was granted a few months later.

Pension Leigh, West Park, Jersey, after 1931, was a small hotel

A few lines in a newspaper with a couple of names and dates now tell a short story of a couple. Both had been married before and came from good families. One travelled the world, while the other stayed in Wakefield. How did William and Alice meet? Did they have a friend in common? Did their parents know each other? Were they penpals?

Can anyone fill in the gaps?