The Few - July 1939

On the front page of the Sheffield Star & Telegraph was this small article featuring the views of Flight Lieutenant C E Reynolds, the Officer Commanding the North East area. He was responding to reports that recruitment to the R.A.F. had halved in recent weeks, and that the current figures were nearly the lowest in the last twelve months.

The Officer Commanding the North East area was not alarmed though and referred to a number of factors that caused the drop in recruitment such as paid holidays etc. 

What Flight Lieutenant C E Reynolds did not know at the time is that this report appeared on the 11th July 1939 and in 7 weeks time the country would be at war with Germany. I wonder if he was alarmed then!

Mr Thomas Wardley receives an intimation - Clun Street Pitsmoor Sheffield - October 1906

The following cutting is from the Yorkshire Telegraph dated 6th October 1906 and refers to death in service of a 16 year old signalman Leonard Wardley. Leonard was drowned off Portland when the HMS Landrail capsized.

I was contemplating posting a full article on the circumstances of Leonard's but whilst researching content I came across this information on a Dorset diving site. It appears that Leonard was the only casualty of the incident and that it was not possible to recover his body.

As for Thomas he is buried alongside 19 others in a public grave in Sheffield's Burngreave Cemetery. He died in 1912 in the Sheffield Union Workhouse. Also in the grave are his wife Elizabeth (52) who is referred to in the article and three of their children who died in childhood. They were certainly no strangers to tragedy,

WARDLEY, Agnes (Dau of S. Wardley, age 14). Died at 43 Clun Street; Buried on October 5, 1898 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 90, Section K1 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield. 40277 Attending Minister: Arthur Sykes.

WARDLEY, Albert (Dau of Thos Wardley, age 5 months). Died at Clun Street; Buried on November 5, 1886 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 90, Section K1 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.

WARDLEY, Beatrice (Dau of Thos Wardley, age 4).Died at Clun Street; Buried on November 5, 1886 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 90, Section K1 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.

WARDLEY, Elizabeth (wife of E Wardley, age 52).Died at 43 Clun Street; Buried on September 18, 1906 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 90, Section K1 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield. Officiating Minister, Edw D Dannatt.

WARDLEY, Thomas (Night Watchman, age 60). Died at Sheffield Union; Buried on June 27, 1912 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 90, Section K1 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield. Officiating Minister, Thos Torrens : Removed from St Cuthberts.

  

Denise Marsden (1935 - 2008) Sheffield Family History Society

I was digging ouy some information the other day relating to family history, In one of the books I consulted a bookmark "flew out"

I had never seem the bookmark before and so it came as a bit of a shock when the bookmark was in fact a memorial. I believe Denise was a founder member of the Sheffield and District Family History Society and was very active in their activities

Mr Charles Roberts - the Founder of Robert Brothers The Moor Sheffield

I came across this obituary dated 11th July 1939

The store was on The Moor in Sheffield. The first photograph was taken in the aftermath of the Second World War and gives a hint of the devastation that was inflicted on the city in December 1940 by the German Luftwaffe. The second was taken in 2008. The original store was demolished and was rebuilt in the 1950's. But it only had a limited lifespan. Robert Brothers ceased trading and was occupied by a series of firms and was eventually boarded up.

The Hammonds of Fold Farm Hollow Meadows Sheffield circa 1907 - The Moscar Tragedy

Many years ago I posted an article to the site about the tragedy that occurred at Moscar near Sheffield on 25th August 1907

In the interim I also posted updates on this blog concerning the fate of the charabanc W671 and  The Funeral of "the boy Harrison" - Sheffield Friday 30th August 1907, one of the victims of the crash 

But this weekend a reader of the article sent me these photographs

 "After the accident, the vehicle was moved to the yard of Fold Farm, Hollow Meadows, where the photos were taken.  At the time, it belonged to my great grandfather, George Hammond.  In the photo with spectators, front and centre are a small girl and boy.  These were his daughter, Elsie, and son Harold, who was my grandfather.(see first photograph)

The second photograph was taken at the other side of the yard, as if looking directly at the wrecked vehicle.  Obviously, this wasn't taken at the same time.  George Hammond is centre, with his wife Anne.  Elsie, the little girl in the wreck photo, is left.  Middle is Alice and right, young George.  Family legend has it that Harold didn't want his photo taken, so hide in the cow shed, sadly.

The last photograph is of Harold in later life, the boy who did not want his photograph taken. Looks quite a character!

View From A Hill - 31st December 2020

This blog is the 55th I've posted in 2020 which is an increase of 11 on the previous year. I have also managed to post a few articles to the website but not as many as I would have liked. 

I have just received a e-mail from the company that has hosted my website for the best part of 20 years

"Please read the important announcement at https://www.wiserhosting.com

It is with regret that we have to announce that WiserHosting is winding the business down over the next year due to a change of personal circumstances affecting the business owner.

 

We have been unable to negotiate satisfactory terms for the sale of the business such that disruption to our clients’ hosting services would be minimised. Therefore we have opted to wind the business down over the next year, allowing our hosting clients to migrate existing hosting accounts to another hosting provider in their own time, but before the deadline of 30 November 2021, at which time WiserHosting will cease all web and email hosting services." 

It is a shame as I have never had a problem with the company or its services which counts for a lot nowadays.

But I think that the winding down may have something to do with this event that occurred in September 

"You may be aware that WiserHosting has been under Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS) since Tuesday 8 September and we are having to take emergency measures to migrate all of our client sites to a safer datacentre location. We would certainly prefer to give our clients much longer notice but this is not viable in this case."

It must have been a stressful time for the company and one that may have contributed to it's ceasing operations. It is a shame that the UK government is ill-equipped to deal with the perpetrators of such attacks! 

Of course it means that I am going to have to find another hosting company in the spring which should prove to be an interesting experience!  

But on a more upbeat note, 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 which always helps. .  

And so all that remains is to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year with the fervent hope that it is a tad better than this one has been

See Below

Crookes Brass Band - circa 1890 Sheffield

 The two photographs below appeared on a well-known internet auction site. It is the first time I have seen the photo and I was totally unaware that Crookes was at the one time playing host to what appears a sizeable brass band.

The seller put a spoiler across the photograph and also placed a minimum price of £30.00GBP for the photo which definitely ended any interest I had in bidding for it. The seller placed the card as circa 1890 which is correct   

Xmas Day - 25th December 1879 Sheffield

 Attached is a report from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent dated 27th December 1879. The reporters detailed the events that occurred in Sheffield on Xmas Day

One hundred and forty-one years later in 2020 I can report that nothing occurred in Sheffield on Xmas Day 2020. 

Cut Finger Causes the Death of George Revill - August 1925 Royal Hospital Sheffield

The following is from the Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated Saturday 29th August 1925 and refers to the inquest that took place the previous day into the death of George Revill, an employee of Messrs. Walker and Hall, a prominent cutlery firm in Sheffield.

The verdict was a formality but Dr. Holmes of the Royal Hospital who was present at the inquest made the pointed observation that if George Revill had received proper treatment at the time of the accident, the septicaemia would not probably not have developed. And George would be still alive.

George was buried two days later at Sheffield's City Road cemetery

REVILL, George (, age 27). Died at Royal Hospital; Buried on August 31, 1925 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 24241, Section II1 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ ~ of ~. Page No 18   

But what made George's death even more tragic was that five days later, his ten-month old son also called George would be laid to rest alongside his father 

REVILL, George (Son of late George, age 10mths). Died at 2 Red hill; Buried on September 5, 1925 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 24241, Section II1 of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield. Plot Owner: ~ ~ of ~. Page No 18

I believe that George's wife was called Elizabeth

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page 

Marriages Dec 1921   

Reid Elizabeth Revill Sheffield 9c 1149   

Revill George Reid Sheffield 9c 1149

I wonder how she and her young daughter Dorothy coped with this double tragedy   

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page 

Births Dec 1922   

Revill Dorothy Reid Sheffield 9c 855   

Births Dec 1924   

Revill George Reid Ecclesall B. 9c 742

From the 1939 National Register it looks as though Elizabeth re-married as her surname is given as Norton. I did find the record of the marriage

Surname First name(s) Spouse District      Vol Page 

Marriages Dec 1928   

NORTON Walter H Revill Ecclesall B. 9c 778  

REVILL Elizabeth Norton Ecclesall B. 9c 778 

and also a death eight years later

Deaths Jun 1936  Norton Walter H  age 65 Sheffield Volume 9c Page 464

Elizabeth is listed as a widow in the 1939 Register living with her daughter Dorothy at 130 Cuthbert Bank Road

Dorothy married in 1953

Surname First name(s) Spouse         District Vol Page 

Marriages Mar 1953   

REVILL Dorothy WOOFFITT Scunthorpe 3b 1035

WOOFFITT Charles F REVILL      Scunthorpe 3b 1035

Dorothy died at at the age of  61 in April 1983 

   

The Inquest of James Hynes alias Dunn aka "The Mystery" - Saturday 30th December 1899 St Giles London

The following cutting is from The Daily Telegraph dated Monday 1st January 1900, the first day of the twentieth century and refers to the inquest that took place two days earlier on the body of James Hynes alias Dunn aka "The Mystery."

The verdict was in accordance with the evidence - James had succumbed to what is now known as tuberculosis which was exacerbated by the debilitating effects of old age.  

What was surprising was that James had on his person when he died £125.00 (about £10,700 in today's money) and was in receipt of pensions amounting to £27.00 per annum (£2,300  in today's money. From the report it looks as though James had no known relatives and so after a period of three months, the monies would be sent to the Treasury "to help fight the Boers". Why this pronouncement provoked merriment and laughter at the inquest is difficult to fathom but so is the fact that a army pensioner with substantial monetary assets die a lonely and painful death at a "common lodging-house" in London    

 

Dolphin Street Darnall Sheffield

 In April 2016 I posted a couple of blogs that related to an article on the site entitled "Death at Woodburn Junction" and the tragic accident that befell Richard Undy on 26th January 1884. At the time of his death Richard was living with his young family at 41 Dolphin Street, Darnall.

The street no longer exists but a researcher has kindly sent me three elevated photographs of the street. The photographs are undated but I believe that they were taken circa 1955

    

Cyril John Hyde (1920-1935) - "The boy who did not like school" - Sheffield January 1935

The following newspaper report is from The Manchester Guardian dated 18th January 1935 and refers to an inquest that was held in the death of a 14 year old boy Cyril Hyde. He attended the Sheffield Junior Technical College at Broomgrove Crescent, Sheffield. According to the Head Master's records Cyril had been a persistent absentee during the autumn term of 1934, recording a figure of 34 missed attendances.    

Cyril clearly resented having to go to school so much so that his father had to personally deliver him to the school on the first day of term. Strange for a 14 year old schoolboy!

Cyril obviously thought better of this, returned home in the afternoon, and promptly gassed himself in the bathroom. The coroner's verdict was a formality.

I have had great difficulty getting a handle on this family due to the closure of the Local Studies Library in Sheffield. However I have managed to obtain the following information from the BMD Registers.

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page 

Marriages Jun 1919  Hyde Cyril L  Aline Short Sheffield 9c 1254  

Births Dec 1920 Hyde Cyril J Short Ecclesall B. 9c 887

Deaths Mar 1935 Hyde Cyril J 14 Ecclesall B.     9c 484

Deaths Dec 1931 Hyde Aline M 37 Ecclesall B.     9c 414  

From this information two points arise - it looks as though Cyril was the only child of the marriage and that his mother Aline died in 1931 when Cyril was only 11 years old. 

Did these two events have a bearing on Cyril's tragic death?

 

    

The Execution of George Ainley (1898 – 1918) - An Update

I received this information earlier this week which related to an article I placed on the site many years ago

"We were unaware of this tragic story. My husband  and I visited the National Memorial Arboretum a few years ago. Whilst visiting the 'Shot at Dawn memorial we noticed a plaque with a familiar surname- Ainley. We looked through my late father-in-laws family tree paperwork when we got home and discovered that this was indeed a relative. We have since returned to lay flowers by the memorial."

I also received a few weeks earlier this information that relates to George and his family

"Another addendum to this is the sad case of Arthur Loversidge a newspaper article dated 19 Oct 1910 in the Sheffield Evening Telegraph titled "Sheffield Tragedy Ivory fluter killed on the railway". Arthur was the brother of Alice Mary Ainley nee Loversidge 1875-1922"

Arthur Loversidge was George's uncle and the brother of George's mother Alice Mary

Unfortunately I have been unable to access the newspaper report that relates to the accident. The Sheffield Local Studies Library hase been closed since March this year and it is anyone's guess when it will re-open