Another postcard that is simply entitled "Broomhill, Sheffield"
I came across this old postcard of "Old Crookes." The only information on the postcard was that it is a photograph of Alsop's Farm.
It is difficult to believe nowadays but the district of Crookes in Sheffield was predominantly a farming community up until the late C19th
This report appeared in the local press dated 17th October 1916 and related to a case that was conducted the previous day at Sheffield's Police Court.
The Chairman of the bench was Sir Frank Mappin, one of Sheffield's most prominent industrialists and from his comnents he was clearly incensed by the conduct of Herbert Hargreaves on the night of 25th September 1916. The fine of £20 is the equivalent of over £1200 in todays money which is nothing short of draconian. The usual fine for a breach of the regulations was between 10s and £1
But Sir Frank had every right to be incensed because Hargreaves flagrant disregard of the blackout regulations occurred on the night of Sheffield's first ever air-raid, a raid that led to the loss of 29 lives.It is no wonder that his neighbours were bitterly complaining about his conduct and some even accused him of signalling to the enemy.
There is no doubt about it Herbert Hargreaves got a lenient sentence that day in the Police Court
Last week a reader of my article on the Beighton Doodlebug (German V1 rocket) contacted me and asked the following question -
My response was as follows
"Well first of all I am not an expert in flying bomb technology and so I am not much help in that respect, But as you may have gathered from my article readers have informed me that by
December 1944 the Germans were increasingly cannibalising parts from their rapidly diminishing U-Boat fleets, and I wonder if the part your father rescued, was from a German naval torpedo This may explain the complexity of the machining".
If anyone can assist me further on this item. please contact me and I will pass it on
I posted an article to the site a few years ago relating to the Phoenix Theatre in Sheffield.
Last week a reader of this article contacted me with information that related to his late grandfather, and his appearance at the Phoenix in 1924
"My grandfather, Albert Emmanuel Nicholson was a member of ‘The Strolling Players’ theatre group who appeared at The Phoenix Theatre, Hillsborough and other local venues in the 1920s. The attached poster from I believe 1924 lists him under his stage name of ‘Bert Nichols, Light Comedian’. He lived at that time with his family in Minto Road (where I also lived up until three-years old) opposite Hillsborough Park and worked as a manager with the Brightside & Carbrook Co-operative Association. Interestingly, along with the poster I also have a photograph of The Strolling Players together with a letter to him from the BBC requesting details of fees for The Players to perform.
A lovely well-liked man he was also an active local lay-preacher. I also recall that he was aboard for the very last cruise of the original Queen Elizabeth Cunard liner in 1968. He passed away in 1977 aged 85 and is most-fondly
remembered"
He also kindly supplied me with a scan of the poster that advertised the show.
In 2017 - 2018 I posted a couple of blogs on the life and career of John Lewis Womersley. John was City Architect for Sheffield from 1953 - 1963 and led the team that planned and designed the mixed high-density housing developments, Park Hill (1957-1961) and the Gleadless Valley estate (1955-1962). He was also involved in the building of the now demolished Castle Market.
I had was archived the cutting and but when I retrieved it I found this cutting that was adjacent to it. It was from the Sheffield Star dated April 1967
Times certainly have changed, and in this instance, for the better
Notes
Births Sep 1897 Nutbrown Harold Sheffield 9c 668
Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Marriages Sep 1931
Nutbrown Harold Pipe Sheffield 9c 1185
Pipe Florence B Nutbrown Sheffield 9c 1185
Deaths Sep 1967 Nutbrown Harold 69 Sheffield 2d 281
Deaths Sep 1967 Nutbrown Florence B 58 Sheffield 2d 281
In the 1939 National Register Harold and Florence were still at Greenwood Drive Sheffield (no 36).
My only aunt and uncle are buried in Sheffield's Intake Cemetery which is located just off Mansfield Road, Sheffield. I have visited the grave a few times since their deaths and when returning to the cemetery entrance, I passed the follwing family grave of Sarah Ann and Robert Porter
I resolved that I would find out a bit more about the memorial and after a gap of nine years I have!
Frank Antony Porter
Date of Death 9/10/17 France & Flanders
Age 24
Service Number 203028 Rank Lance Corporal
Army Regiment West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own) Batallion 1/5th Battalion
Attachments / Former Regiment 21953 York & Lancaster Regiment
Memorial / Roll of Honour Information
Sheffield Council Official Roll of Honour
Gleadless War Memorial
Gleadless Valley Methodist Church Roll of Honour
Sheffield Gas Co Roll of Honour Now at Transco House Effingham St/Sussex St
Where Born Ranmoor Where Enlisted Sheffield Where Resided Sheffield
CWGC Additional Information
Son of Robert and Sarah Porter. of 44 Seagrave Rd.. Gleadless. Sheffield.
CWGC Grave / Memorial Tyne Cot Memorial Panel 42 to 47.
Frank does not have a kown grave in Flanders for he is one of the many thousannds who are listed on the Tyne Cot memorial. And yet that is not to say he is not "buried in Passchendaele". He may well have been buried there but they have not been able to locate Frank's body.
And at least "his loving mother Sarah Ann" was spared the agony and misery of losing her son -she died in April 1913, four and a half years before her son Frank
For anyone who is not familiar with Lord Haw-Haw - Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English accent.
There is a lot of content relating to the life and death of William Joyce both in print and on-line but there is nothing about his dog. But the Western Morning News dated Tuesday 15th May 1945 did reveal that Joyce abandoned the puppy to its fate.But as the report demonstartaes the puppy dog fared condsiderably bettter than its previous owner did!
I have just posted a full report of the committal proceedings for Rose Artcliff who was arrested and charged for the murder of a nurse, Ada Bradley in April 1923.
The detailed report of the tragedy and its aftermath appeared in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 19th April 1923 and occupied nearly two full columns in the newspaper.
At the end of the report which at times was rather gruesome, was another report of a funeral that took place the day before at Sheffield's City Road Cemetery
It was for a Robert William Tebbutt who died at Birley East Pit in an accident earlier that month. Robert was only 24 when he died but he was awarded full military honours which seems to indicate that he was held in high esteem. At the time of his death he was a member of the Hallamshire Territorials.
From the report it looks as though Robert did not have much luck in life - gassed twice in the Great War, and then killed in a pit accident four years after his discharge,
His burial record is as follows
Tebbutt, Robert William (Collier, age 24). Died at 123 Fitzwilliam St; Buried on April 18, 1923 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 23298, Section II of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
MorrellL, Harriet o/w Arnold (Widow, age 51). Died at Royal Infirmary; Buried on October 6, 1926 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 23298, Section II of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
Tebbutt, Alice (Widow, age 77).Died at 80 Lancing Road; Buried on March 10, 1952 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 23298, Section II of City Road Cemetery, Sheffield.
I came across this case in the Evening Telegraph and Star dated 19th Novemeber 1897 . It concerns a Mary Riddal and her husband (not named) who were summoned and convicted for selling adulterated milk in the Park.
The adulteration was one of the worst the inspector had seen yet - in fact the samples taken were adulterated with 30% water. But the defendent explained that he had had bad luck with his cows and that he had to buy milk off other people. He had received assuarances that the milk was pure but it appears he did not check it or receive any guarantee to this effect.
Not surprisingly the magistrate was unconvinced with this explanation and fined the defendent £4 plus costs (circa £370 in current value)
This cutting is from the liverpool Times dated Septermber 1842 and refers to the "melancholy death" of the incumbent at Stanningtion Church and his recently married wife who is not named.
In May 2020 I posted a blog that related to Fred Hunter (1887-1916) who died on the Somme in 1916 and is remembered on a memorial in Crookes Cemetery (Sheffield).
The researcher who so kindly supplied me with the information has contacted me again with information relating to Fred's nephew, Douglas Harry Rawson who served in the British Army Service Corps in World War 1
Douglas was the first child of Ann Hunter, Fred's elder sister. He was born on 11th May 1893 at 72 Burns Road Crookesmoor Sheffield and baptised on 2nd June 1893 at St George Church Brook Hill Sheffield
His father - Henry Anthony Rawson b 1868 (Sheffield) - died 1904 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
His mother - Ann Hunter born 30th Jan 1872, baptised 1st Oct 1879 at St Luke, Hollis Croft, , Ann's parents William and Elizabeth and sister Kate are buried in the grave that is Fred Hunter's (her brother) memorial in Crookes Cemetery. Henry Anthony, died in 1904 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Ann married a Joshua Almond St John church, Blackpool 26th June 1907 and she is a widow on the register. They had a daughter Margaret Almond in 1909 who would have been Douglas,s half sisiter
Ann died about May 1924, in Fylde, Lancs, England
Henry and Ann married 30 July 1892 at St Georges, Brook Hill
They had three children
Douglas Harry,
Winifred b 17th September 1894, baptised St Georges 12th Oct 1894. Winifred died in Blackpool in 1975
Dorothy who is an enigma on the 1911 census as she was born in 1904 in Cape Town South Africa. She died in Blackpool in 1950
Father Henry is not with the family on the 1901 census, Ann and children are living with her parents at Bradley Street, Crookes Sheffield. Was he away fighting in the Boer War?
Douglas died on 2nd November at Fargo Hospital, Rolleston, Salisbury, Wiltshire and was laid to rest at Layton Cemetery Blackpool.
