Remembering them ...... 100 years after the Battle of the Somme part 3 a single flower on the war memorial*

Now I don’t pretend this photograph would pass muster in a competition.

It was taken quickly on a camera phone in between a stream of commuters coming in and out of Victoria Station.

Given the volume of people and the speed with which they were passing through it is a wonder that I was able to get it at all.

And what was remarkable was that none of them gave it a second glance.

To be fair on a different day with a tram to catch or a train to meet I might not have clocked it.

But last Sunday I did and it set me thinking who put it there.

The figure is part of the huge war memorial to the staff of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway who participated in the Great War.

I often stop and pause for a minute in front of it and will often then look at the other memorial which records the men who left Victoria Railway Station for the Front and those who returned in ambulance trains.

Just a fortnight earlier I had been in the same spot and the flower was not there nor are there any others.

It might have a very personal significance or be occasioned by the centenary of the Somme which will be upon us in July 1.

If it is the latter it will fit with the events planned across the city.

Picture; at the war memorial in Victoria Railway Station, 2016, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Remembering them ...... 100 years after the Battle of the Somme, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/remembering-them-100-years-after-battle.html

Remembering them ...... 100 years after the Battle of the Somme part 2 Heaton Park, living history groups and a concert

Now I like the way that seemingly unrelated bits of history come together.

Cap badge of Manchester Regiment

So here is a cap badge of the Manchester Regiment which I have chosen to sit beside the centenary events linked to the Battle of the Somme which will be going off in Heaton Park.

These are part of a bigger set of events across the city.*

Not that there is anything odd in that. Some of the City or Pals’ Battalions of the Manchester’s were based at Heaton Park during 1914 and 1915 and there was also a hospital there.

Added to which all eight participated in the Somme with some taking very heavy casualties.

But what marks the cap badge off as a little different is that it was sent to me by Paul Wright from New Zealand.

Paul is one of a growing number of historians and collectors who I am coming to know from around the world.

In the case of Paul it was after I had posted a series of stories about the men of the Canadian and ANZAC forces who are buried in Southern Cemetery.

1st City Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, Heaton Park, 1914

And as part of my own personal connection to the Somme I want to track all 26 of the men of the CEF and their Australian and New Zealand comrades.

Not all died during the Somme offensive but it will be chime in with the events in Southern Cemetery linked to that battle.

But Southern Cemetery is not the only place where events are occurring.

According to the official programme from the City Council there will be a “series of events ranging from drop in activities, exhibitions, scheduled talks and mini performances.

These will include performances from folk trio Harp and A Monkey, Threadbare Theatre, A Soldier’s Tale and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. “

The ‘talks in the tents’ will offer the opportunity to listen to  the “importance of animals, the development of artificial limbs, the Salford and Barnsley Pals, conscientious objectors, how the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission came into being and the ‘wild women’ of the First World War.

In addition to all this there will be “living history groups running a field kitchen, a Salvation Army unit and recreations of basic training with Manchester’s inside Heaton Hospital and life for nurses working at Casualty Clearing Stations.” The events stretch out over July 1 and 2.

Thomas Chorlton, died in 1916

There will also be a concert “Starting at 7.30pm in the evening, the concert features soldier’s songs from the time performed by a national children's choir, interwoven with archive film.

A dance piece inspired by the Pals Battalions will then be followed at approx. 8.30pm by the Hallé Orchestra, who will play several well known pieces linked to the First World War, including a piece by George Butterworth, a young English composer who died at the Somme.

The concert will also feature a range of letters, poems and diary entries depicting the lives of those affected by the Somme, including a specially commissioned poem read by author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay. It will finish at sundown at 9.45pm.

The events stretch out over July 1 and 2 and it suggested you allow 1-2 hours for your visit within the Experience Field. Food and drink will be available and you are welcome to bring a picnic. The park also has a café and other activities.

Tickets are available and details are online.**

Pictures; Manchester cap badge courtesy of Paul Wright, and 1st City Battalion in Heaton Park in 1914 and Thomas Chorlton killed in in 1916 from the collection of David Harrop

*Remembering them ...... 100 years after the Battle of the Somme, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/remembering-them-100-years-after-battle.html

** A National Commemoration of the Battle of the Somme Evening Concert, https://www.quaytickets.com/sommeheatonpark/Online/default.asp

“A few more in near perfect light” .............. out by Pomona with Andy Robertson

Earlier in the year Andy was back out on Pomona land and took these which are two in a series that will feature over the next few days.

They were taken in "near perfect light" on a May day in 2015.

Pictures; Pomona land, May 2015 from the collection of Andy Robertson

Ready for publication .......... stories behind the book nu 28 sending down to the publisher

An occasional series on the stories behind the new book on Manchester and the Great War*

Now I say ready but it would be more accurate to say the text is complete the images have been assembled and all the fiddily bits like an index, acknowledgements and bibliography are done, and later today it will go the old fashioned way down to the publishers.

Of course there will be a degree of editing and just possibly they won’t like it which I suppose will mean a shed load of blog stories based on bits of the book.

Already new projects are crowding in but as you do before I clear the desk and carefully save everything to several external hard drives it is worth a bit of reflection on how it was all made possible.

Back in 2013 I had the commission and arrogantly thought what could be simpler.  But the images proved elusive on the scale I needed them and I realised my knowledge base on what actually was going on in Manchester during the Great War was not actually very much.

After all you can’t base a book on a few general histories, a couple of pictures of munitions workers and a Zeppelin, especially as to my knowledge no enemy airship flew over Chorlton.

But things have a habit of turning out right in the end.

The research was painful but at least the images proved easy because just over a year and a bit ago I met David Harrop whose collection of memorabilia from two world wars is huge.

Now the story of that collection has, does and will appear on the blog so I shall just say that David has supplied all but six of the 80 images I needed, allowed me to crawl over his collection and even went out looking for new material for the book.

And that really is pretty much it, although it would be churlish not to also mention Liz Sykes,Sally Dervan, Tricia Lesley, Lawrence Beedle, Ken Fisher, Andy Robertson, Bob Jones and Bill Sumner and plenty of others who have  made contributions, suggestions as well as giving encouragement.

Picture; cover of book, adapted from the original for the series Great War Britain, the History Press by Peter Topping

*A new book on Manchester and the Great War, 
 http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20Manchester%20and%20the%20Great%20War

Remembering those from New Zealand buried in Manchester and an appeal for help

New Zealand at the Front

Yesterday and for most of the rest of June I will be reflecting on those men of the Commonwealth forces who are buried in Southern Cemetery in south Manchester.

All of which has a special significance as we head towards the centenary of the Somme which will be marked with a ceremony to commemorate the event.

This year the High Commissioner of Canada will be present along with the Lord Mayor, in recognition of the 26 members of the CEF who are buried here.

But there are also members of the ANZAC forces who died in Manchester and rest not far from their Canadian comrades.*

Some of these have already featured on the blog but I want to research the rest and in the process also share some stories of those soldiers from New Zealand and it is good to have had offers of help and encouragement from Paul Wright and Alan Dobson.

Southern Cemetery

Those buried here will have died of their wounds in one of the military hospitals under the command of the 2nd General Hospital.

Some may even have been in the Nell Lane Hospital which which stood close by the cemetery.

Many of the war records of British servicemen from the Great War were lost to enemy action in 1940, but the Canadian archives are intact and through the Library and Archives of Canada  are being digitlized.

And with Paul's help I also now know that a similar excercise is being undertaken in New Zealand at  www.archway.archives.govt.nz 

Location; Southern Cemetery

Picture; New Zealand at the Front, courtesy of Paul Wright, and Southern Cemetery, 2015 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*New Zealand, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/New%20Zealand

**Library and Archives Canada, http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/search.aspx

Remembering them ...... 100 years after the Battle of the Somme part 1 Southern Cemetery and Claude Alsop

As we approach the centenary of the Somme preparations across the city are well in hand to mark the Battle which began on July 1 1916.

Claude Simpson Alsop, 1890-1916

There will be a service in the Cathedral, events at Heaton Park and an act of remembrance in Southern Cemetery attended by Major David Charron of the Royal Canadian Army.

And it is the ceremony in Southern Cemetery which will be the first of a series of events I want to feature.

July 1 is also Canada Day and there are twenty-six men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force buried in the cemetery.

Recently I wrote about one of these men, and today I am looking at another.*

By chance I chose the grave of C S Alsop.  I was drawn to his grave because of the small Canadian flag someone had left beside it.
Claude Simpson Alsop had been born in 1890 in Bristol, enlisted in the CEF in May 1915 and left for Europe the following March.

He was wounded in June and died of those wounds at 8.15 pm on July 25 in the Royal Infirmary in Manchester.

Just before he died he made his will leaving everything to his half sister who lived in Balham in London.  The house which is still there is a fine late 19th century end terrace.  His his father’s home at Claremont Crescent, Weston super Mare has also survived although now a little run down it was once a very impressive property.

Canada in Khaki, 1917

I had wondered if Claude Simpson Alsop was a British Home Child like Thomas John Loveland, who is also one of the twenty six.*

But not so. In 1911 he was 21 years old still living at home with his parents and six siblings.  He described himself as a “Drapery assistant” and his father ran a business making furniture.

I haven’t yet found any records of when he left for Canada but it will be after the April of 1911.

I do know that before enlisted he was working as a salesmen and lived at 298 Grey street, London Ontario.

The house or its successor is still there and is a typical timber clad building.

The probate details of his will confirms that he left everything to Almira Dorothy Alsop which amounted to £1417.

At the time she was 23 years old and had moved to Balham, and there the trail stops, although if she didn’t marry there may be a record of her on the electoral register somewhere but as she doesn’t appear on the registration of deaths I can only assume she changed her name by marriage.

J William Montgomery, 1892-1918

All perhaps a long way from Southern Cemetery and even further from Ontario. In time I will try looking for their siblings and there is a descendant listed on ancestry who I will contact.

In the meantime I will be there on July 1 in the cemetery.

The service starts at 10 in front of the memorial and afterwards I will join David Harrop in the Remembrance Lodge with his exhibition commemorating the Somme which to mark Canada Day he has included memorabilia from the CEF.

It will be a special day for me.  Not that I think there is a direct family connection between me and Claude Simpson Alsop, but more because as many know my great uncle was a British Home Child who also enlisted in the CEF in 1915 and saw action on the Western Front.

His sister later migrated to Canada and that side of our family still live not that far from Grey Street, in London.

So despite a century and another continent there will be something which connects me to that young Canadian soldier.

Location; Southern Cemetery

Pictures; graves of some of the twenty-six men of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Southern Cemetery, 2016 from the collection of David Harrop

*Discovering the story of one British Home Child, born in London, migrated to Ontario and buried in Manchester, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/discovering-story-of-one-british-home.html

The Holly Hotel on Palatine Road ........... once a family home and now just a big space waiting for Dennis the developer

Here is a building I always passed by without a second glance.

The Peace Inn, 2014

It is the Peace Hotel, which was the Holly Hotel and before that just Holly House and it is on Palatine Road.

I say is because Andy Robertson’s picture was taken in March 2014 and when he recently drove past it had gone and prompting him to wonder “I’m sure there used to be a hotel here.”

Now as these pictures show there is just a huge gaping space with just that sign as a forlorn reminder of what once was here.

Holly House, 1974

And that led Andy to begin to dig deep into the history of the building.

There is a listing for it as Holly House in 1969 and “during the seventies it seems to have been run by the council to house homeless families.”

He has also uncovered some very unflattering reviews of the place when it was a hotel some of which I have to say are very amusing, but are perhaps now left in the shadows.

Its history before 1969 is as yet a closed book but I know that in 1911 it was the home of Mrs Albertina Christinia who was a widow, had been born in Denmark in 1837 and shared the 10 roomed house with her sister, two children, a “lady companion” and the cook.

A sign but no hotel, 2016

I will in time go back and visit the lady companion who was a Mrs Fanny Luis from Manchester who was also a widow and aged 45.

But for now I am more interested in the two children who were Susanna Maria aged 35 and George Peter who was 41.  Both had been born in Manchester Miss Raundrup in West Didsbury and Mr Raundrup in Withington.

He gave his occupation as an iron merchant and in 1911 he was listed in Salter’s Directory as Raundrup & Co, merchants and shippers with offices at 41 Grosvenor chambers 16 Deansgate.

And for those with a really nerdy interest Mr Raundrup conducted his business from the fourth floor of Grosvenor chambers which is on that stretch of Deansgate currently occupied by Harvey Nichols.

I have no idea how he made his way from home to work and back.

It may have been by tram or perhaps by train from the railway station on Lapwing Lane which would have taken him into Central Station.

This was the family business which may have been established by his father who was already living in Albert Park in Withington by 1870.

That big space, 2016

And that is about it.

I know that Mrs Albertina Christinia Raundrup died in 1920 and her son George Peter in 1945.

A search of the directories in Central Ref should reveal who owned or lived in Holly House in the years after 1911 which will I bet offer up more stories and these will sit beside the memories of the place as a hotel.

And once the memories come flooding in I will go and look up the future of that space at the Corporation’s online Planning site.

Location; Palatine Road.

Pictures, Holly House at various times in its history, 2014-2016 from the collection of Andy Robertson, and in 1974, m43454, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass