Boy Decapitated - Leaning Over Shafting To Turn Off Tap - Sheffield March 1925

 This report appeared in the Manchester Guardian dated 4th March 1925. It is an inquest into the death of 14 year old John Wilson at Vickers Steelworks in Sheffield

An horrendous end to such a young life. An accidental death was the verdict of the jury which the coroner concurred with but reading the report I get the impression that this accident could so easily have been prevented, If only the chief engineer had "considered earlier" John may not have been decapitated

It took a bit of finding but John is buried in Sheffield's Tinsley Park Cemetery

WILSON John 5 Mar 1925 14 son of James 51 Yarmouth St Sheffield KB50gp

The Smallpox epidemic in Sheffield 1887 - An update

 Many years ago I posted an article to the site relating to the the Smallpox epidemic in Sheffield 1887 

Since then I have added additional information. In January 2026 I was approached by a reporter from BBC Radio Sheffield asking if I would make a contribution to BBC Sounds  - Secret South Yorkshire.

They wanted the contribution to be centred on the smallpox epidemic in Sheffield in 1887. And so a cold Monday afternoon on Barber Place Sheffield the contribution was made 

Secrets of Sheffield's plague-struck past

  Barber Place Sheffield

Darnall Cricket Ground Sheffield - An Update

 Ten years ago I posted an article to the site concerning the cricket ground at Darnall and a tragedy that occurred there on 27th August 1822 when scaffolding collapsed injuring 23 people. 

Last week I received additional information in the form of newspaper reports including one for the sale of the land and facilities.

Sheffield Independent dated 8th March 1928

The notice of sale referred to the passing of Mr George Steer who occupied the premises and so I tried to find out what caused Mr Steers death. I did find out and such was the nature of his death and the aftermath I posted a separate article to the site under the title

The Strange Death of Mr George Steer Sheffield November 1827

Civilian War Dead - Crookes and Walkley (Sheffield) 1939-1945

 I have just posted an article to the site that I had "mislaid" for a number of years. It relates to the Civilian War Dead of Crookes and Walkley (Sheffield) 1939-1945 

A check through West Yorkshire Index of the Civilian War Dead reveals that both the districts of Crookes and Walkley did sustain casualties.  I have identified TWENTY fatalities in total, all of which occurred on the night of 12th-13th December 1940. Whilst it is thankfully low when compared to other areas of the city, it is still twenty deaths.

 

The Death of Leonard Tingle July 1955 Royal Ascot - An update

 I received an email this week from the reader of the site who had come across the article on the death of Leonard Tingle in July 1955.

I had not added any additional information to the article since 2018 and so I took the opportunity to update the content.

"My mum has recently passed, and before doing so (with the normal protracted decline of an 88 year old), she talked about how many times she should have died (aneurism in the early 90s and given a life expectancy of 2 days in March 2025 - she died 4th December 2025).  But she mentioned 3 occasions, so I questioned her.  She lived in Ascot at the time, attending Windsor Grammar school.  Because the race meets went across the road into the town/village, she and her friends were dropped outside the racecourse.  They went to watch and were holding onto the railings in the rain. waiting for the race to begin.  Just before the lightning struck they moved away from the railings and she recalled the lightning hitting the railings before travelling around the track and moving underneath the grass to strike those in the tea tent.  I have no idea how truthful this account is and I didn't really believe her until I looked it up.  

She was born in Welling, Kent, but spent her early years living on the outskirts of Sheffield, firstly as an evacuee and later with her parents and siblings, before moving back down South." 

Her mothers recollections tie in with a report in the Weather Eye section of The Times newspaper

"In the UK, one of the worst lightning strikes in a sports arena was at Royal Ascot on July 14, 1955. On a hot and muggy day, a thunderstorm broke during the afternoon and sent crowds rushing for shelter as rain pelted down. Soon afterwards lightning struck a metal fence and, even though no one was struck, the voltage gradient from the lightning ripped through the ground and scythed down crowds packed in and around a nearby marquee. The aftermath looked like a battlefield, as the injured lay on the ground and others wandered around dazed and shocked. Two spectators died and 48 others were injured." 

Manchester Evening News dated 18th July 1955

Sheffield Casualties "Greatly Exaggerated" - December 1940 Sheffield

This report is from The Scotsman dated 20th December 1940.  Bearing in mind That the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 was in full force, I still find this disconcerting.

It is riddled with falsehoods and is in effect, a propaganda exercise on behalf of the local and national authorities.

By the time the official statement was issued, the authorities would have had an accurate estimate of the casualties which were 602 fatalities, 513 seriously injured and 1058 minor injuries. The so called "fantastic rumours were not exaggerated - it was one of the worst air raids inn all of the Second World War and Sheffield suffered.

This report was purely for Nazi consumption but I wonder what effect this would have had on civilian morale now that 40000 people in the city were homeless. It may have been more appropriate not to have issued a statement that bore no relation to the facts.  

   

Brian Cawley - Winchester Hampshire 14th December 1959

 I was researching for some information relating to one of the many articles on my website and I came upon the murder of one Rupert Poole Steed in Basingstoke Hampshire on 2nd August 1959.,

4th August 1959

5th August 1959

21st August 1959

The trial took place on 14th December 1959 at the Winchester Assizes and was the the shortest murder trial in British legal history  - the proceedings take just 30 seconds.

Brian Cawley pleaded and was found guilty of the murder of Rupert Poole Steed and was later sentenced to life imprisonment

From the press reports Cawley, a 30-year-old council worker lived, along with his wife and three children, rent free in a house owned by Rupert Steed, in New Road, Basingstoke. Rupert Steed was a 67-year-old retired grocer’s manager and bachelor who had befriended the family by helping them out financially.

However, Cawley started to drink and as a consequence lost his job. To compound his problems his wife left him, taking their children with her. One night Cawley returned home and this is what happened

Evening News 14th December 1959

View From A Hill - 31st December 2025

 Well this year I have only posted 20 items which is the lowest total since I started the blog back in 2010. And this post in the first in over two months. 

I have been trying to tie up matters regarding my family tree which I have neglected for the last few years and in doing so I have uncovered more information which is pleasing to say the least. I am also addressing an issue that is more difficult to resolve - what to do with all the information and material I have collected over the years. 

I have also assisted a couple of friends with their family history which as also been a pleasure 

Anyway a big thanks to the many readers who have contacted me in the last year, I have been able to update a few of the earlier articles on the site with new information and content

And so all that remains is to wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2026

   

 

An Outing in the Peak District, Derbyshire - early twentieth century

 

I came across this photograph that was mounted and features a large group of men sat on a rock formation. There is no caption or date to the photograph but I estimate that it was taken prior to the First World War. The clothing seems to indicate that this was an excursion rather than a sporting endeavour,

Excursions to the Peak District from Sheffield were popular in the early twentieth century as witnessed by this photograph

If anyone could throw more light on the photograph please let me know

  

 

Walkley Heritage Open Day, Saturday 20th September 2025

 Heritage Open Days Saturday 20th September 2025

 Walkley 1920

On Saturday 20th September 2025 six local historic buildings in Walkley will be open to the public. One of those buildings will be St Mary's Church, which will be open from 10am to 4pm. We will be present with information, stories, maps and images of Walkley Cemetery, the burial ground for this parish.

 Here is a note of the other buildings and their open hours (entrance is free for all of them)

Sheffield Buddhist Centre, Howard Road 10am-4:00pm

The former St Mary's School, South Road (times tbc)

Walkley Community Centre, Fir Street 12:30pm-4:00pm

Ebenezer Methodist Church Schoolroom, Greenhow Street 1:30pm-5:00pm

Walkley Carnegie Library, South Road 10:00am-2:00pm

APPALLING DISASTER AT SHEFFIELD - Matthew Street, Sheffield - 25th August 1886 - An Update

Many years ago I posted an article to the site recalling a terrible disaster that occurred in Sheffield in August 1886

It was titled "APPALLING DISASTER AT SHEFFIELD - Eight children killed Matthew Street, Sheffield - 25th August 1886"

The Friends of Wardsend Cemetery have organised a series of events on Sunday 28th September 2025 in the Cemetery to commemorate this tragic episode in Sheffield's history,  

'In August 1886, a wall on the grounds of Messrs, Daniel Doncaster and Sons, supporting 200 tonnes of steel, collapsed on a number of children playing below on Matthews Street. Eight children lost their lives. Despite the failure to consider the impact of the weight and the insufficiency of the wall to carry it, no one was held responsible, and the story of the children and their families has been lost.

Of the eight children, four are buried in unmarked graves in Wardsend Cemetery, with the remaining children buried across our city, in Burngreave and Sheffield General Cemetery.

On Sunday 28th September, between 12pm - 3:30pm, Wardsend Cemetery will be hosting a memorial event, to honour the lives of the children, their families, and the often forgotten deaths of working-class people in our area during a celebrated period of industrial progress.

• Tour the graves of four children buried in Wardsend.

• Learn about the disaster, the aftermath and lives of the children lost.

The event will also feature a performance of ‘The Children of Furnace Park’, a piece dedicated to the Matthews Street Disaster, written by  Alice Collins, at 2:30pm on the Chapel Ground.

We hope to see as many of you there as possible. For any enquiries, please contact us by email (wardsendcem@gmail.com)'