Sydney Bone ….. a story linking Withington with Salford and the Great War

I doubt we will ever be able to identify which of these men of the 5th Platoon of B Company, the 22nd Manchester’s is young Sidney Bone.

5th Platoon, B Company Seventh City Battalion

I know he will have been roughly 20 years old when the picture was taken, and he will have enlisted in late November 1914 in the Seventh City Battalion which was one of the Manchester Pals Regiments.

He lived on Hill Street in Withington and three years earlier gave his occupation as an office boy in a Bleach Works.

Now there were quite a few bleach works with offices in the city and the chances of identifying which one he worked for is slim.

Bronze Plaque, Private Sidney Bone, 1919

But I have seen Private Bone’s bronze Memorial plaque, which was one of 1,355,000 issued to commemorate those men and women who died of their wounds during the conflict.  It measures 122mm in diameter and depicts an image of Britannia holding a trident and standing beside a lion.  

Two dolphins swim around Britannia and a second lion appears at the bottom.

Each plaque carried the name of the dead servicemen, omitting any reference to rank, and with the inscription “He died for Freedom and Honour” which was changed to “She died for Freedom and Honour" for the 600 issued to commemorate women.

In all 1, 355,000 were made and they continued to be made into the 1930s.

And this is the clue that all did not go well for Private Bone.  The records show that he was discharged from the army on October 12th, 1917, and died in Broughton House of his wounds on November 2nd, 1920.

Just what those wounds were is impossible at this point to know, but Broughton House had been opened in 1916 to care for disabled servicemen who “through paralysis, wounds and amputations will never be able to follow any trade or occupation.  They must receive special care and constant attention which could not always be provided in their own home.  Most of these men will be entirely dependent on the ministrations of others, even more so than the ordinary home for incurables”*

It was hoped to be one of a number of homes for  “totally disabled soldiers and sailors belonging to the industrial districts of Lancashire and to be known as the East Lancashire Disabled Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Homes”.*

Broughton House, 1894

In response to an appeal made in Manchester in the September of 1916 a sum of £28,400 had been obtained towards the £100, 000 required, with plans for a series of Flag Days In December of that year to raise more money as well as an appeal through the churches..**

Broughton House was in Park Lane, Broughton Park and was set in 2½ acres of gardens. It was the former  home of the Sutton family, and consisted of 24 rooms along with extensive cellars.

It still exists today, continuing the work it began over a century ago evolving into “a dedicated charity and nursing home for veterans living their remaining years amongst friends and a team committed to serving all those who served us”.***

And that I thought was pretty much all there was, other than to record that Private Bone is buried in St Paul’s Church on Wilmlsow Road, along with three other servicemen.

Private Sidney Bone, 2020

But then I decided to ask Daniel Daly who lives in Withington to visit the church yard and locate and photograph the grave.

This he did adding that he "searched one side of the cemetery near St Paul's School, on the south east side of the Graveyard, and then started searching the north east side and sure enough there he was.

I cleared the foliage away from the grave and that of the air cadet and said a prayer and took photos
the grave headstone which sits against the boundary wall dividing the Rectory from church.

The other Airman is located on the South East back boundary wall in the church yard".

And I have to thank Daniel for turning out on a day when the weather was iffy, and returning with not one but three war graves.

All of which is a fitting end to the story and has brought Private Sidney Bone out of the shadows.

Location; Salford and Withington

Pictures; 5th Platoon of B Company, 7th City Battalion, the 22nd Manchester’s circa 1916 from Manchester City Battalions Book of Honour, 1916, the Bronze plaque of Private S Bone, from the collection of David Harrop, and Broughton House, Broughton Park, 1894, from the OS map of South Lancashire, 1894, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/ and the gravestone of Private Bone, 2020, from the collection of Daniel Daly.

*Disabled Soldiers Progress of the East Lancashire Scheme, the Manchester Guardian, October 20, 1916

** Disabled Soldiers Homes for East Lancashire Men A Beginning at Broughton, Manchester Guardian October 12th, 1916

***Broughton House, https://www.broughtonhouse.com/about-us/