The story of Didsbury in just twenty objects, chosen at random and delivered in a paragraph or more.
There are a number of war memorials in Didsbury, but the most prominent is the one beside the library.
It was unveiled on July 2nd 1921, and was dedicated to “The memory of the sacred dead of this village who, having left all that was dear to them endured hardships, faced dangers, and finally paid the supreme sacrifice in defence of our King and Country”.
The fourteen men responsible its erection were listed in the order of service, and they were, John T Seale, Rupert C Samuels, James Clayton Chorlton, James Frederick Motorhead, Thomas William Evans, Frank Taylor, G. Biddle, F. Merrill, C. B. Owen, J Davenport, Councilor E. D. Simon, George Edward Crowe, T Malloy and R Bramwell
Of the fourteen, eight have come out of the shadows, and their backgrounds throw an interesting light on how such committees were constituted.
One was a doctor, one a surveyor, one was employed by Manchester Corporation and the remaining five were manufacturers, and all by 1921 were in their late 50s and into their sixties.
George Biddle and Frank Taylor both had sons who died in the war and were commemorated on the memorial, and interestingly of the eight, these were the two men who were not professionals or manufacturers.
The order of service consisted of 10 pages, detailing the address, the hymns and men commemorated, and begins with a dedication that “The memory of the sacred dead of this village who, having left all that was dear to them endured hardships, faced dangers, and finally paid the supreme sacrifice in defence of our King and Country”.
Location; Didsbury
Picture; Order of Service, 1921, courtesy of David Harrop
It was unveiled on July 2nd 1921, and was dedicated to “The memory of the sacred dead of this village who, having left all that was dear to them endured hardships, faced dangers, and finally paid the supreme sacrifice in defence of our King and Country”.
The fourteen men responsible its erection were listed in the order of service, and they were, John T Seale, Rupert C Samuels, James Clayton Chorlton, James Frederick Motorhead, Thomas William Evans, Frank Taylor, G. Biddle, F. Merrill, C. B. Owen, J Davenport, Councilor E. D. Simon, George Edward Crowe, T Malloy and R Bramwell
Of the fourteen, eight have come out of the shadows, and their backgrounds throw an interesting light on how such committees were constituted.
One was a doctor, one a surveyor, one was employed by Manchester Corporation and the remaining five were manufacturers, and all by 1921 were in their late 50s and into their sixties.
George Biddle and Frank Taylor both had sons who died in the war and were commemorated on the memorial, and interestingly of the eight, these were the two men who were not professionals or manufacturers.
The order of service consisted of 10 pages, detailing the address, the hymns and men commemorated, and begins with a dedication that “The memory of the sacred dead of this village who, having left all that was dear to them endured hardships, faced dangers, and finally paid the supreme sacrifice in defence of our King and Country”.
Location; Didsbury
Picture; Order of Service, 1921, courtesy of David Harrop
Hi Andrew, I think Dr George Crowe led the fundraising , he built our former house at 8 Barlow Moor Road. Might be timely to find out more about him as the war memorial is being renovated. I bet he had a committee of three and they wined and dined the manufacturers to donate.
ReplyDeleteWell Janine with your permission that seems a project!
DeleteJanine Watson here by the way, sorry I didn’t mean to be anonymous , hope all good
ReplyDelete