Fred Dawson (1897 - 1915) Gallipoli and Crookes

This headstone appears in Crookes Cemetery Sheffield and relates to the last resting place of the Dawson Family.

These photographs were taken on 27th January 2018 and what is unusual about them is that they show a replacement memorial. 

The original memorial is shown below  

Photo courtesy of Dean Hill

My interest was in their younger son Fred

"Also of FRED the youngest son of the above named HENRY & ANNIE DAWSON who died on active service Oct 20th 1915 in his 18th year."

A check on the GWGC database gave the following information

Lance Corporal DAWSON, FRED

Service Number 17510

Died 20/10/1915

Aged 18

6th Bn - York and Lancaster Regiment

Buried PORTIANOS MILITARY CEMETERY IV. B. 212.

Son of Mrs. Annie Dawson, of 42, Vernon Terrace, Manchester Rd., Sheffield.

6th Bn - York and Lancaster Regiment

Aug 1914 Formed at Pontefract as part of the First New Army (K1) and then moved to Grantham as part of the 32nd Brigade in the 11th Division and then moved to Witley by April 1915.

03.07.1915 Mobilised for war and embarked for Gallipoli from Liverpool via Mudros.

0.08.1915 Landed at Sulvla Bay and engaged in various actions against the Ottoman Empire including; The Battle of Scimitar Hill and attack on Hill 60.

Dec 1915 Evacuated to Mudros due to serve casualties from combat and disease.

And so it appears that Fred died from his wounds or disease in Greece after service with his regiment in Gallipoli

He is remembered as well on 

Sheffield Council Official Roll of Honour

Ranmoor War Memorial

St John The Evangelist Church Ranmoor Roll of Honour

The original headstone must have been erected circa 1939  - the first burial in the grave was that of Fred's father Henry. You can clearly see the effects of 80 years of Crookes weather on the stone but it is refreshing to see that they are not forgotten after all these years. Someone still cares

DAWSON, Annie (Widow, age 98).

     Died at 42 Vernon Terrace; Buried on January 19, 1953 in Consecrated ground; 

     Grave Number 313, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

     Plot Owner: of ~. Page No 201 

DAWSON, Henry (Retired, age 81).

     Died at 42 Vernon Terrace; Buried on December 30, 1959 in Consecrated ground; 

     Grave Number 313, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

     Plot Owner: of . Page No 294 

DAWSON, Henry (Retired, age 91).

     Died at 42 Vernon Terrace; Buried on January 4, 1939 in Consecrated ground; 

     Grave Number 313, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

     Plot Owner: of ~. Page No 327 

     

DAWSON, Kate (Spinster, age 92).

     Died at Lodge Moor Hospital; Buried on August 4, 1967 in Consecrated ground; 

     Grave Number 313, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

     Plot Owner: of . Page No 16 

     

HARRISON, May (~, age 91).

     Died at 3 Barncliffe Road; Buried on April 11, 1983 in Consecrated ground; cremated. 

     Grave Number 313, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

     Remarks: Cremated remains removed from City Rd No 312633.

     Plot Owner: of ~. Page No 122 

     

HARRISON, Victor (~, age 72).

     Died at 3 Barncliffe Road; Buried on January 31, 1973 in Consecrated ground; cremated. 

     Grave Number 313, Section AA of Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

     Remarks: Cremated remains removed from City Rd No.95849.

     Plot Owner: of . Page No 58 

Crookesmoor Junior School (1874 - 1994) - Crookesmoor Sheffield

I came across this cutting from the Yorkshire Post dated Wednesday 28th December 1994

I vaguely remember the occupation of the school but what I cannot understand is how and why Sheffield Education Authority permitted the school to be vandalised after it was closed in the summer of 1994. They were the legal owners of the school, as they reminded readers of the newspaper, but they had permitted "vandals" to smash toilets and windows, strip lead off the roof  and destroy the fabric of the building. And it begs the question of what the police were doing to apprehend the miscreants. Very little by all accounts

The squatters appear from the report to be doing the opposite!. Over the last few decades this type of vandalism has happened time and time again in publicly-owned properties in Sheffield, but the custodians of the properties (Sheffield City Council) are never held at least partly responsible for the destruction of their assets.

Perhaps responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of such buildings should be transferred to organisations that can fulfil that role.     

The Funeral of John Firth - Ecclesall Church Sheffield May 1869

I was going to post an article to the site based on this report  that appeared in the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent newspaper on 8th May 1869. A classic Victorian funeral

But when I came to research it I found that there was an excellent summary of John's working life in Graces Guide to British Industrial History

John Firth (c 1824-1869) Merchant and steel manufacturer

c.1824 Born son of Thomas Firth, Senior in Sheffield

1841 Living in Sheffield: Thomas Firth (age c52), steel refiner, with Mary (age c48), Mark (age c220 a clerk, Thomas (age c190 a steel refiner, John (age c17) a clerk, Edward (age c11), Mary (age c9), Elizabeth (age c6), and Charles (age c4)[1]

1850 Thomas Firth Snr died. John joined his brothers in their business, Thomas Firth and Sons.

1856 Married Charlotte Harding

1861 A steel and iron manufacturer, living in Chesterfield with Charlotte 31, Charles H Firth 4, Lewis John Firth 2, Mary Alice Firth 10 months[2]

1869 Died at sea[3], whilst on holiday with his wife in the Mediterranean[4]  

Holt House also appears on my website - I spent a couple of years there as a pupil!

As a footnote the arrangements for the funeral was made by Mr Skelton Cole, one of the Cole Brothers