Email from Gareth Irving, can anyone assist with the requests. 

I'm currently researching in to a certain person and wondered if you could assist me?

Last year I purchased a Somme 100 commemorative poppy pin from the Royal British Legion. The poppy pin came with a certificate commemorating the life of a solider who died in the battle of the Somme. I made a promise before purchasing that I would research in to the soldier who gave his life and collate everything together to make sure they were never forgotten for the sacrifice they made.

My certificate commemorates the life of Private Joseph Wilde from the Manchester regiment. From my research I believe he lived at 81 Great Norbury Street, Hyde. Unfortunately this address no longer exists, the large Asda superstore now sits where his home would have been.

I've managed to find an ordnance survey map from 1910 which enabled me to estimate where house number 81 would have been located. This led me to find a grainy aerial photograph from the 1970's showing what I believe to be the house where his parents had lived at the time of his death.

So far I've put together a family tree, found detailed information on his service record, read up about the 16th Battalion and found the location of where he died. In July we are retracing the route of the 16th Battalion through France, finishing at his graveside on the anniversary of Mr Wilde's death.

I think you guys have put together a fantastic website about Hyde and hoped you may be able to assist me with a few things:


1. Do you know of any photos that shows the houses opposite the junction of Railway Street and Great Norbury Street, particularly the houses between Lucas Street (now Greenfield Street) and Boardman Street (no longer exists). I believe this is where number 81 would have been located.

2. Do you know of any photos showing the 16th Battalion, Manchester Regiment. Any group shots in camp, or photos of them serving in France?

3. Is the family name Wilde well known in Hyde?  Do you know of any photographs that exist of Mr Joseph Wilde or his parents?


I appreciate you may not be able to assist with any of the points above but from what I've seen online you seem like the people to come to involving all things Hyde.

I'm based in Huddersfield so can travel to Hyde or surrounding areas should I need to visit certain places to further my research.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide, it will be very much appreciated.


Kind Regards

Pte. John Joseph Hague

 Pte. John Joseph Hague

32 Mottram Road
Gee Cross

I have been contacted by one our our regular contributors 'Eric', who contacted me this week and asked if there was any chance of posting some information on the blog. After reading Eric's message and what it was about I had little choice in the matter. Thanks for the nudge Eric.

Eric has been researching a relation who was killed at Ypres in February 1916. Upon

contacting the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Eric found that his relation is listed on the Menin Gate which his son and himself are visiting very soon.

However the main thing he wanted to see mentioned on the blog, was the name of the chap next to his relation on the Gate, a Pte John Joseph Hague No. 28582 15th Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers, who Died 31st July 1917, age 38.

Husband of Alice Maud Prestwich (formerly Hague) of 32 Mottram Old Road, Gee Cross, Hyde.  Eric was hoping   I wondered if anyone could throw a light on this man's family. 

Eric Harrison Godley Junction Signalman

I was contacted this week by a lovely lady called Liz Harrison who supplied the following information and could do with some help.. I hope we can sort something out for the family.

My grandad Eric Harrison was the Signalman at Godley Junction for many years. This is the only picture we have of him there and we have looked through many archives to find more pictures of him but nothing as turned up. Could you put this on the blog to see if anyone may have any pictures? He was my dad's idol and I am desperate to find something for him.

Thank you

I am sure there are other pictures out there of Eric, Godley Junction was a favourite hangout for many a train spotter,  hopefully amongst the many picture that have been taken over the years around the Signal Box someone somewhere captured Eric going about his job. 

There might be colleagues who have pictures and of course memories of Eric Harrison whose nick-name on the railways was 'Pedro' because of his moustache. He worked at the Godley Signal Box from around 1952 until he retired around 1980.

Eric was born 12th August 1917/8 the details of this date are sketchy, alas died 19th April 1990 Eric was originally from Sheffield but lived in Dukinfield with wife Jessie. They had 2 daughters Kathleen and Janet and 3 sons Roy, Ralph and Liz's dad Keith.

.....

We have managed in the past to come up with pictures and memories for folk, I hope we can do it again this time.

Update

Eric's son Roy worked on Brookfold Signal Box in between Apethorn Junction and Godley. They called him 'son of pedro'

Hyde Motor Club

In the emails this week Keith contacted us about the above club... 

OVER TO KEITH

Does anybody remember Hyde Motor Club. It was started after WW2. It was for cars and motorcycles.

I joined about 1955 with a BSA Bantam. The club joined with Macclesfield Trials Club sometime in the 1980s and lost its identity.

Keith Mellor

I've not heard about this club myself, but hopefully you have memories and information we can share with Keith..  

I have since found out the club is still up and running: ..... but now it seems to be just for Trials Riding.

http://www.macclesfieldforum.co.uk

Trials unlike most motorcycle sport has nothing to do with out and out speed but more to do with balance and throttle control. The club has been around under the Macclesfield name for around 15 years, before that it was the Macclesfield and Hyde club and before that the Hyde motor club which can be traced back to 1953.We run around 11 trials every year in and around Macclesfield

if your interested in having ago or taking a look at the cheapest motor sport visit the macc website.

http://www.macctrials.co.uk

HMS Wrestler

A very interesting email came in last week from Peter Schofield, who is a registered volunteer fieldworker with the IWM assisting in populating their War Memorial Archive. Peter as a request for help which hopefully we can sort out for him..

 Over to Peter:

"Having visited the Hyde Cheshire Blog I notice the Town Hall holds the Wings for Victory and Salute the Soldier plaques which I can record for you.

What is missing is the Warship Week plaque for Hyde which adopted the destroyer HMS Wrestler in Dec 1941.  The plaque will take the form of a large black shield with the ships crest (Hercules wrestling a lion). There will also be a brass plate with the inscription 'Presented by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty etc.'  If you come across the plaque, possibly on display at the Town Hall could you provide me with an image and the full inscription.

There may also be a commemorative plaque presented to the ship from the people of Hyde, could you also send an image if you come across this item."
Regards
Peter Schofield MA

HMS Wrestler

HMS Wrestler (D35) was a W class destroyer launched by the Royal Navy in the latter stages of the First World War and active from 1939 to 1944 during the Second World War. She was the first Royal Navy ship to bear that name, and the only one to do so to date.

She was the tenth order in the 1916-1917 programme, ordered on 9 December 1916 from Swan Hunter. She was laid down at Wallsend during July 1917, launched on 25 February 1918 and commissioned on 15 May that year, too late to see active service in the war. In the month of Wrestler's commissioning the battleship HMS Hindustan collided with Wrestler and badly damaged her.

Her first deployment was in 1921, to the Atlantic Fleet's 5th Destroyer Flotilla, which also visited the Mediterranean in 1925. The Flotilla returned to the United Kingdom during the 1930s on the commissioning of new destroyers and Wrestler was placed in reserve. She then served as tender to the torpedo school at HMS Vernon from 1938 until the month before the outbreak of the Second World War, when she was put on station at Gibraltar.

From there she joined the 13th Destroyer Flotilla to defend convoys in the early stages of the Battle of the Atlantic. During 1940 she escorted Convoy OG-22F alongside HMS Bideford and Fowey through the Western Approaches on its way to Gibraltar in March. In July 1940 she was present at the attack on Mers-el-Kébir (where she rescued crews from the British-sunk Strasbourg) then joined the destroyers HMS Faulknor, Foxhound, Fearless, Forester, Escort, Douglas, Active, Velox, and Vortigern as they screened the capital ships preparing for air attacks from Ark Royal on Italian targets on Cagliari in July 1940 - the operation was abandoned after the force came under heavy air attacks. Wrestler then sank the Adua class Italian submarine Durbo east of Gibraltar on 18 October 1940 alongside HMS Firedrake and two flying boats.

From July 1941 to April 1942 she was stationed at Freetown and was then transferred to the Malta Convoys as part of Force H and "Operation Harpoon", before serving as one of the naval escorts for "Operation Torch". She was adopted by Hyde in December 1941 after a successful "Warship Week" National Savings campaign. She, a flying boat and HMS Wishart sank the U-boat U-74 east of Cartagena on 2 May 1942, then on 15 November 1942 sank U-98 alone. In July 1942 Wrestler also boarded the Vichy French merchantman Mitidja (intercepted off Cape Palos, Spain by HMS P222) and escorted her into Gibraltar.

Commemorating the 70th anniversary of "Operation Pedestal" also known as "Il-Convoy ta' Santa Marija", 1942-2012. 

Operation Pedestal: Saving Malta 

Operation Pedestal highlights one of the most difficult yet glorious moments in Maltese history and is today remembered as the "Il-Convoy ta' Santa Marija". 

Seventy years ago, in August 1942, Malta was facing the threat of starvation after two years of incessant bombing by Axis air forces in one of the most concentrated and prolonged aerial sieges of any war. 

At the time, the Island was the linchpin of the battle in the Mediterranean. The fortitude of its population and its defenders earned them the personal award of the George Cross for Gallantry from King George VI in April 1942.

--------------------

Hopefully we can find a picture or two and help Peter to update the IWM records.

Tom

Request From St. Mary's

We have been contacted by Reverend Richard Lamey, Priest in Charge of St. Mary's Newton.  The request is for a bit of personal information concerning the men mentioned on the war memorial inside the church. We have been able to gleam information concerning their rank and number, and where they are buried from The Commonwealth War Grave Commission.   

If anyone has any personal memories of any of the people mentioned above, or knows which street they lived on, or school they went to, place of work and so on that information will be well appreciated. 

Gee Cross Brewer

We have had a request come in for a E. Minister, who would like to find some information on Charles C Minister and the bottle pictured below. 

Hi,

I have a stone pot/container that was a present from a friend - it was found by chance at an antique fair near to Preston. The name on it Charles C Minister, who is a family member going back to the early 1900's. I would be so grateful if you could put the picture on your 'site' and hopefully I could get to know more about its history. Thank you.

 

Gee Cross League Of Help

Can You Help?

We have had a request for help... and as always we will try to give it where we can.  Do you have any information about this badge.    The request is from Susan who as in the past sent in some pictures and commented many times. This is what she says:

I'm attaching a photo of a badge which I've had in my possession for longer than I care to remember.  What I don't know is where it came from or what it represented.  Can you do a post on it to see if it jogs anyone's memory.

If you have an item which seems to relate to Hyde and you would like information please send in a picture if possible and we will do a post like this asking for assistance and information.

Cordwell Family Request

We have had a request for information about the Cordwell Family, who had a Travelling Fair. Kenneth Salt would like to know if anyone recalls this family, they are believed to have had connection with our town maybe family connections with Cordwell, Williams, and Newton.

Kenneth is looking for descendents of a John Cordwell, born 1846. John and his family had a travelling fair and were based in Lancashire, mostly around the area of Salford, but again had known connections with Hyde. Family connections include the follow surnames: Clough, Swift, Simpkin, Fletcher, Smith, Guyatt, Tynan,  Yates, Murphy Haggerty, Chadwick. 

Any information Kenneth would appreciate

he can be contacted here in the comments or by Email:

kenneth.salt.@live.co.uk

Newspaper Cutting

The marriage of Mr. William Cordwell to Miss May Murpy created a great deal of interest in Lancashire Showland where both bride and bridegroom are well known and popular. The wedding took place at The Sacred Trinity Church, Salford, and the newly-married couple recited numerous congratulations and they were the recipients of many handsome and costly presents.

.

Newspaper Cutting

The Late Private W. Cordwell

In loving memory of Private W.Cordwell

Died from gunshot wounds recieved in action

October 13th, 1918.

.

Newspaper Cutting

Mrs Clogh, wife of Mr. Edward Clough Senr. who passed away at Ellesmere Fair Ground on Thursday, October 26th, at the age of 68 (Nee Cordwell) Daughter of John Cordwell. Sarah Ellen Born 1886 Manchester Died 1933 Known as Nellie Clough

.

The above picture taken around 1960

Showing the Travelling Fair Wagons belonging to Thomas Cordwell. 

.

.
UPDATE
09-OCT-2015

We have had an email come in from Patrick Alford, which I think warrants adding to this post..  hopefully it will tie a few members of the same family together in search of their ancestry.

Over To Patrick:

"I' have been researching my Great Grandfather William Alford for many years now with little success. Last known official mention is in 1901 Census where he is listed at Pat Collins Winter quarters at Queens Road Harpurhey Manchester. My Great Grandmother and Grandmother are also listed.  

If an of your readers know about anything concerning William Alford and his family I would appreciate it".

Kind Regard

Pat

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