Page 37 - Real Rochdale - Winter 2018
P. 37

Rochdale Remembers


 Lest we forget - the Great War Centenary  “On the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month, we will remember them.”





 You would be hard pressed to find more poignant   money, with towns and cities becoming   centenary with numerous commemorations for
 words than those uttered on Remembrance Sunday   quite competitive.   example, the installation of silent soldier silhouettes
 every year. Yet truer words have never been spoken   and large poppies, cenotaph renovations, and a
 as we commemorate 100 years since the end of the   In 2018, a tank replica and floral display was   reflective garden outside the Town Hall.
 First World War.  installed near Kiln Lane – a fitting homage to the
 authentic 23-ton female Mark IV training tank that   A new memorial was established on Castleton’s
 Then known as the Great War, after four years   was housed there after arriving at Milnrow Railway   green to respect the village’s men who died in the
 of fighting, World War One ended at 11am on 11   Station on 29 April 1919.   conflict. Regular tributes to Littleborough’s fallen
 November 1918 when Germany signed an armistice   soldiers have been published on Rochdale Online
 prepared by the Allies.   The original tank stayed at Kiln Lane until it was   since 17 November 2014, thanks to Bernard Pratt
 removed in 1934 due to health and safety concerns.   from Littleborough History Society.
 A turning point in world history, the Great War
 claimed the lives of over 16 million people   Rochdale also played a part in supporting the Royal   Various streets across the borough have been
 worldwide, leaving a huge impact on all those who   Navy: synonymous with high class engineering,   named after battles of the Great War, such as
 experienced it.   Castleton manufacturers Whipp and Bourne sup-  Verdun Crescent and Jutland Avenue, or named in
 plied many of the ships used in major battles during   honour of some of our bravest soldiers, such as LCpl
 Rochdale borough was no exception: approx 3,000   both world wars.  Joel Halliwell V.C. Way in Middleton and Henry Hill
 local men died of the 15,000 -16,000 who fought in   Close in Heywood.
 the war, according to a dissertation by Michael Bull   Founded in 1903, Whipp and Bourne closed in 2008
 entitled ‘Rochdale and the Great War 1914 - 1920.’  after more than a century of business. A street on   Joel Halliwell VC was a lance-corporal in the 11th
 the site of the former factory was named Ark Royal           Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers.
 Rochdale’s ‘Tank Week’ in April 1918 raised £1.7   Avenue after one of the ships it designed parts for.
 million for the war effort: touring tanks put on a           After the war he was awarded the Victoria Cross –
 display for crowds encouraging people to raise   2018 has seen quiet but powerful reminders of the
                                                              the highest military honour for valour in the face of
                                                              possible death. He returned to his home in
                                                              Middleton after the war and was landlord at the
                                                              New Inn on Long Street, Middleton. He was buried in
                                                              Boarshaw Cemetery in 1958.


                                                              Flight Commander Hill was just 29 when his plane
                                                              was shot down behind enemy lines during a
                                                              dangerous night mission on 21 October 1917.
                                                              Famous for his flying skills, he was also a
                                                              talented architect who helped design some of the
                                                              region’s finest buildings, including Heywood’s Saint
                                                              Joseph’s Parish Church.

                                                              The borough’s heroes may be gone, but their
                                                              legacies remain, ensuring they are not forgotten.

                                                                                             Photographs courtesy of
                                                                               Rochdale Local Studies Centre, Touchstones

                                                                  Visit the ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ display in the Local History
                                                                Centre from 6 November to 1 December, featuring local men who
                                                                                       risked their lives for their country.

                                                                      For opening hours and directions, visit: www.link4life.org
 REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER  2018  36                          37                    REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER  2018
   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42