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| Firemen parading in Piccadilly in memory of Blitz casualties 1941 |
As I referred to in a recent post their names are honoured by inclusion in a separate section of the memorial to Manchester’s civilian war dead located in that Cemetery.
All five men died on the two nights of heavy bombing on 23rd and 24th December, 1940 known as the “Christmas Blitz”.
Thomas was born on11th April, 1901 and lived at 1, Salisbury Street, Moss Side, Manchester. The 1939 Register gives his occupation as a “general labourer” and indicates that he was married but was living alone – suggesting that he was in casual employment possibly in the building trade.
Other than these rather bald facts I could find no more definite information about his life. However from his surname he was likely to have been of Irish origins and was possibly born in Ireland. (1)
He died on 23rd December, 1940 at Mosely Street, Piccadilly, Manchester.
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| Section of memorial tree in Piccadilly, Manchester, 2019 |
William was born on 4th October, 1896. He was christened at St. Gabriel’s, Hulme, Manchester. His father was also a William Henry and his mother’s name was Annie (née Tapster).
William married Bertha Hughes in the June quarter of 1927 at Bolton’s Emmanuel church and their son Derrick was born in the March quarter of 1931. His occupation in 1939 was a cutter and winder and he resided at 10, Russell Street, Hulme, Manchester.
William also died on the first night of “The Christmas Blitz” the 23rd December, 1940.
His Fireman’s Number was 2068
Joseph Scollick Hopwood:-
Joseph was born in the Ardwick area of Manchester on 22nd May, 1906. His father, also named Joseph Scollick, a grinder had married his mother Elizabeth Anne (née Whalen) in Manchester during the December quarter of 1904.
In 1939 Joseph was living at 84, Rusholme Grove, Rusholme and working as a furniture porter. He married Elizabeth (née Court) at St. Luke’s Church Chorlton-on-Medlock in the June quarter of 1928 and had two sons: Joseph born on 2nd October, 1929 and Norman born in 1934 (June quarter).
Joseph died on 24th December, 1940 at George Street / Parker Street in the
William Hector Varah:-
William was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester on 20th February, 1910. His parents were John Edward Varah, a very prosperous grocer and Elizabeth Annie Ellams; however the exact details of his birth and infant years are unclear. John Edward Varah died on 28th November, 1937 at the County Mental Hospital while residing at 103c, Cambridge Road, Southport, Lancashire. It is safe to assume William Hector also lived in this town and that he was the William Varah who married Violet Grace, née Roskell, (in Southport Methodist Church on July 1st, 1932) This union ended in divorce on Monday 2nd December, 1935 due to William’s infidelity with a woman in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester.(2)
In 1939, William Hector is recorded as a manager of an outfitters, “Miller’s Stores”, living at 8, Willoughby Avenue, Didsbury with his wife Doris (née Harrison)(3)who he married in South Manchester in the September quarter of 1937. His son Barry D. was born in the same quarter!
William Hector was killed instantly on 22nd December, 1940 when a High Explosive bomb fell on the Unitarian Church, Shrewsbury Road, Old Trafford, Stretford, Nr. Manchester. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records give his address as 44, Poplar Grove, Brooklands, Sale, Cheshire.
Charles Henry Smith, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website, was aged 44 and residing at 26, Prescot Street, Hulme, Manchester when he was killed by German bombing on Monday 23rd December, 1940 at Mosely Street / Piccadilly, Manchester.
Unfortunately the 1939 register does not record Charles Henry at this address Which circumstance combined with his exceptionally common surname results in his story being mostly untold.(4)
Tony Goulding © 2019
Location; Manchester
Pictures; Firemen parading in Piccadilly, Manchester, in memory of Blitz casualties 1941
m 09510, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass section of memorial tree in Piccadilly, Manchester, and other images, 2019, from the collection of Tony Goulding
NOTES:-
1) The surname “Killeen” is normally spelt with two “L”s and I found only one record of a Thomas Kileen with a single letter “L” of the correct age in the censuses of 1911 either of England and Wales or of Ireland. This was of a pupil at St. Patrick’s Industrial School in Kilkenny, Ireland who was born in Wexford, Ireland.
2) The divorce was reported in “The Lancashire Evening Post”. Also around this time there was a case of fraud brought against a William Varah, in Southport the details of which, as reported in the “Liverpool Echo” on 2nd March, 1933, are strong indications that it was William Hector.
3) Doris Harrison was also previously married (rather neatly) in Ormskirk, Lancashire in the December quarter of 1928 to a Mr. Roland Pugh.
4) There is a record of a Charles H. Smith born on 4th November, 1896 (and therefore the correct age) living at 468, Stretford Road, Manchester with 15, year old Thomas and another minor : presumably his children. As this man is the only instance of such an entry of the right name and age in the Register for Manchester it is possible that he is “our man’ but that is pure conjecture.
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