A Despairing Sight on a Summers Day - Burngreave Cemetery Sheffield Sunday 11th September 2016

As I walked around the Burngreave Cemetery last Sunday, my eye was drawn to the War Memorial that stands on a mound towards the Scott Road Entrance.

For those that are not familiar with the Memorial, this is what the Commonwealth War Graves Commission state

"During the First World War there were two substantial war hospitals in Sheffield, the Wharncliffe, in the Wadsley Asylum, and the 3rd Northern General, housed in 15 separate buildings. The city, a centre for war industry during the Second World War, suffered heavy enemy air-raids during the Blitz with 600 people killed in a single raid in December 1940.

Sheffield (Burngreave) Cemetery contains scattered war graves of both wars. Behind the Cross of Sacrifice in plot JJ is a Screen Wall commemorating those First World War casualties whose graves could not be marked by headstones, most of them buried in the plot of ground immediately in front of it. In front of the Screen Wall are a number of Special Memorial headstones for Second World War casualties buried elsewhere in the cemetery whose graves could not be marked".

In all, the cemetery contains 235 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 57 from the Second."

And so what has happened - some idiot(s) have put their tags in black aerosol paint on the memorial. It is on the side of the plinth and is nothing short of desecration. They should be ashamed of themselves but somehow I think that is unlikely. You do despair at times.

A Sad Sight on a Summers Day - Burngreave Cemetery Sheffield Sunday 11th September 2016

There was an Exhibition and Walk on Sunday 11th September at Sheffield's Burngreave Cemetery. The theme was the Zeppelin attack on Sheffield on 25th/26th September 1916 that led to 29 civilians losing their lives. 25 of those victims are buried in the Cemetery

The raid and its aftermath was one of the first articles that I wrote for the site many years agoand I have kept adding to it since

One of the high explosive bombs landed in Corby Street (now Fred Mulley Road) demolishing No 142 killing Selina (41) and Joseph Tyler (45) and their five children Joseph Henry (14),Ernest (11), Albert (8), Amelia (5) and John (2). The same bomb also killed 11 year old Richard Brewington of 134 Corby Street and fatally injured Martha Shakespeare of 143 Corby Street, who died later in the day in the Royal Infirmary, Infirmary Road.

The seven members of the Tyler family were buried together on Saturday 30th September 1915 in Burngreave Cemetery - the grave reference is E3 093 (Gen) and this is their grave. The names are just initials and the inscription states that they were killed in the air raid on 26th September 1916. The (empty) flower holder to the side states "a token of respect from Bar Mill E.S.C." The inference is that the memorial was funded by the employees of E.S.C. - there was no-one left of the Tyler family to pay for one.

A very sobering sight

 

Crookes Chapel Crookes Cemetery Sheffield

Photos taken Spring 2009 

I have just received this information from Bereavement Services at Sheffield City Council regarding Crookes Chapel. Until a couple of months ago I was unaware that the Chapel was closed for services and as it is one of the few Grade 11 listed buildings in Crookes I decided to find out the reason(s) why.

"We can confirm that, unfortunately, Crookes Cemetery chapel has been closed now for a number of years as the building became unfit for use due to damp and dry rot issues.

The building was surveyed for renovation but funding has not been forthcoming as other priorities such as schools have taken priority for the funding that has been available.

If you need any further information, please let us know".


It is very much as I feared - the building will now be allowed to deteriorate and I suppose eventually it will be deemed a "dangerous structure" and be demolished. It has happened elsewhere and I fear it will happen here. Grade 11 listed buildings are not very high on Sheffield City Council's list of priorities!