Lancashire Fusiliers' South African War Memorial

The Lancashire Fusiliers sent 4000 men to the war in South Africa. The idea of erecting a memorial to fallen did not materialise until 1903 when the plan became public. Initially the plan was to site the memorial in the Market Place next to John Peel. The statue remained in the Market Place until 1920.

This has been a frequently published picture. It shows the unveiling of the
memorial. The Robert Peel statue is behind. This will be examined in more detail elsewhere.
The wood framed building at the rear is the "Two Tubs" pub. The church is Bury Parish Church.
The War Memorial will be erected in front of this church. The monument was unveiled by the
17th Earl of Derby in March 1905.

The statue was moved to its place in Whitehead Clock Tower Gardens in 1920.
The design of the cheering soldier was considered radical at the time when the cliché was for soldiers to be in repose or mourning.

There is considerably more information at this site. Much research has gone into the detail. Please acknowledge with a link should you use any of this information. Photos used here are mine and copywrite free and may be used - a link would be appreciated.

On the actual memorial the letter U is not used. The letter V is used in its place. There are very few instances where it causes confusion.

The design of the memorial was by Sir George Frampton, R.A., P.R.B.S. (1860-1928) He liaised with Lieutenant Colonel Sir Lees Knowles M.P. about the design. A lengthy process it was said.

Sir Lees Knowles

He was  MP for West Salford.

He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 3rd Volunteer Batallion - The Lancashire Fusiliers in 1899.

When war broke out in South Africa later that year and Lees is known to have encouraged the formation of the "Volunteers Active Service Companies" to support the regular Lancashire Fusiliers Batallion in SA. In addition to this he lead the setting up of a compassionate fund to assist returning servicemen and their families.  The fund still exists today and is known as "Fusiliers Aid Society" (Since reorganisation - this now encompasses the Fusilier Regiments in the UK)

After the conclusion of the Boer War in SA he sought official recognition for the Lancashire Fusiliers

and because of his friendship with King Edward VII it was successful.

The Fusiliers were honoured with a Primrose Hackle to be worn on the left side of head dress as a Battle Honour.

 Frampton was an extremely prolific sculptor. The link below will take you to his output

For those interested in Victorian sculpture this link will take you there. Clearly the figure would be controversial - he is a proud soldier, cheering for the King, sorrowfull but proud. He is dressed in the regiments home uniform, rather than that worn by the regiment in which it fought in South Africa. The primrose yellow hackle is visible. The regiment used to march on WhitSunday locally. One of my friends joined up at the very end of the 50's. Got to admit there was a certain feel about "our" regiment and the battle honours that it won.

The Whitehead clock is just visible behind.

TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY
OF LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS,
LINE, MILITIA AND VOLUNTEER
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR
THEIR SOVEREIGN AND THEIR COUNTRY
IN SOUTH AFRICA 1900-2
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED
BY THEIR COMRADES OF ALL
RANKS & BY FRIENDS OF
THE REGIMENT

The LIST OF THE OFFICERS AND NON-COMMISIONED OFFICERS BELOW:

THE NAMES OF OFFICERS

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN,

WHO WERE KILLED OR WHO DIED

IN SOUTH AFRICA

1900-1902

CAPTAINS

C.H.HICKS

R.B.BLUNT

(BREVET MAJOR)

G.M.STEWART

V.H.A.AWDRY

R.R.CHALLENOR

G. de C.L=MARCHANT?

D.H.PARKER

LIEUTENANTS

J.J.R.MALLOCK

E.FRASER

P.F.NEWNHAM

(INDIAN STAFF CORPS)

F.O.BARKER

COLOUR SERGEANTS

ASTLEY. J.

POTTER.R.J.

SHOEBOTHAM.A

WAINWRIGHT.J

SERGEANT-DRUMMER

BROWN.T

SERGEANTS

CASS.F

COX.J

GREGORY.J

HOLMES.J.A.

HOPE.F.

HORRIDGE.J

LIGHTFOOT.R

STEWART.J

CORPORALS

ALLEN.A.J

DARBY.J

GREENHALLS.S

HEATON.J.V

KING.T

LEIGHTON.S

LUNN.J

MASON.E

LANCE-CORPORALS

CONGANNON.J

CONNOLLY.F.T

DAVIES.A

FLETCHER.T

FOY.N

KENNEDY.W

KENYON.W

LANG.J

MITCHELL.C

MITCHELL.H

NIXON.J

PRICE.D

WALSH.E

WALSH.T

DRUMMERS

BACON.J.H

GREGG.R

HODGSON.F

SHEARON.R

PRIVATES

PRIVATES

APPLETON.J

BAINBRIDGE.E

BALLARD.W

BARLOW.R

BATTINSON.W.R

BEARD.J

BECKFORD.W

BENNETT.S

BINNS.W

BIRCH.C

BOOTH.W

BRADLEY.G

BRADY.J

BRAZIER.E

BRODERICK.J

BROWN.E

BROWN.J

BUCKLEY.A

BULLO.R

BURKE.J

BUTLER.T

BUTTERWORTH.R

CADMAN.J

CARNEY.M

CARR.J

CARTER.T

CAVANAGH.P

CHANEY.J

COALSBY.J

COOKE.B.G

COPE.B

CORRGAN.P

CROSBY.J

DALE.A

DANIELS.J

DELANEY.D

DEMPSEY.W

DEVINE.D

DODD.C.E

DOYLE.G

DOYLE.J

DYER.D

EAVES.R

ESCRITT.H

EVERETT.F

FLETCHER.J

FOLEY.J

FOTHERGILL.T

FRASER.J

FRIARS.A.H

GARNER.W

GILL.L

GOUGH.A

GREEN.G

GREEN.M

GREENHALGH.S

GREENWOOD.F

GRIMSHAW.W

HANDS.W.H

HANNON.J

HARAN.J

HARMER.J

HART.J

HARTLEY.D

HASLEM.T

HAWKER.E

HAYNES.W

HEATH.G

HENDERSON.J

HENRY.J

HEYES.J

HILL.H

HILLYARD.C

HINDLEY.R

HODGSON.F ?

HOGAN.J

HOPKINS.A

HOPKINS.R

HORNER.F.M

HOULTRAM.A

HOWELL.A

JACKSON.A

PRIVATES

PRIVATES

JACKSON.J

JACKSON.T

JAQUES.H

JOHSTON.J

KAY.A

KAY.J

KAVANAGH.T

KEARNS.J ?

KENNY.J

LANE.J

LAWSON.J

LEE.J

LEVETTT.F?

LIGHTBOWN.E

LINDLEY.E

LONGWORTH.S

LYONS.J

M’CORMICK.W

M’KEOWN.W.H

M’MANNC.F

MARCHINGTON.J

MARGERISON.J.W

MARR.P

MILLER.G

MILLER.H.E

MOORE.F

MOORES.T

MOULTON.F.E

MOSELEY.A

O’HARA.J

OPENSHAW.S

ORTON.G

PEARSON.J

PENDLEBURY.J.W

PENNOCK.J

POLLARD.J

POLLIT.T.F

POWELL.T

PRATT.J

PULLEN.F

RATCHFORD.W

RAVEN.H

REED.H.E

REEVES.C

RICE.T

RICHARDSON.G.H

RIGBY.C

ROBERTS.T

ROBINSON.E

ROGERS.R

ROTHWELL.H

ROYLE.J

RUSHMAN.W

SALISBURY.W

SINGLETON.C

SINGLETON.J

SINNETT.T

SMITH.A

SMITH.E

SMITH.G

STINSON.J

STREET.A

SWALES.W

TAYLOR.J

TAYLOR.J

TAYLOR.R

TAYLOR.S

THOMPSON.E

TIERNEY.G

TIMMINS.P

TOBIN.J

TURNER.J.T

WALKER.J

WALSH.M

WANLESS.A

WELSFORD.J

WESTHEAD.J

WHITE.J

WHITEHEAD.C

WHITEHEAD.J

WILDMAN.R

WILLIAMS.A

WILLIAMSON.J

WILSON.G

WILSON.J

WOODFORD.H.J

ANOTHER VIEW OF THIS PANEL

The soldier who modelled was
Harry Ibell, he served in the 16th Lancers.
George Frampton had his studio in London

Looking towards Manchester.

This website is not meant to supplant any of the very well, and passionate research out here on the internet. Please read their work. Much of what you read here is on the links. I have drawn it together somewhat. Please use the photos they are mine and copywrite free.

Tottington Again-Whitehead gardens.

Whitehead Gardens,
the plaque is to the left
The road is on the right and
curls round to the left as
it heads to Brookhouse and
then Greenmount

The Plaque

The gardens in Tottington that lie beneath the church of St Ann on the Greenmount road used to be houses. On Christmas Eve 1944 a flying bomb landed and exploded there, killing 7 people. My Grandmother was always distressed when visiting. Although I used to walk through the park with my mother, I never recall my grandmother (Jane Dunn) ever walking through the park. I believe that the two GreenHalgh's were distant relatives. My grandmother served in the civil defence during wartime. Here is a couple of pix of Whitehead Gardens. Incidentally Mrs Whitehead lived not 200 yards from where the bomb fell. I recall going to several of her RNLI lifeboat fundraising do's that she had in her gardens in the 1950's She was considered "high society" by my parents. I was frightened by my first Morris Dancers in those days. The picture is taken from just to the left of the plaque and looks towards the church. The inscription on the memorial says...

THE WHITEHEAD GARDEN

THIS GARDEN WAS GIVEN BY

MR & MRS SD. WHITEHEAD

OF STORMER HILL,

TO THE PEOPLE OF TOTTINGTON

TO BE ENJOYED BY THEM FOR ALL TIME

IN MEMORY OF THOSE NAMED BELOW

WHO WERE KILLED HERE BY A FLYING BOMB ON

24TH DECEMBER 1944.

NICHOLAS CONWAY

MARY ANN CONWAY

ELIZABETH DRAPER

JAMES DYSON

TERESA DYSON

ANN GREENHALGH

BERTHA GREENHALGH

According to the UK Memorials people this plaque was not the original. This is the record on their site. 

 "DATE UNKNOWN: ORIGINAL DEDICATORY BRONZE PLAQUE WAS STOLEN. IT WAS LATER FOUND IN A SCRAP MERCHANT'S YARD BUT IT WAS DAMAGED BEYONE REPAIR SO A NEW STONE TABLET WAS PLACED IN THE GARDEN INSTEAD."

Tottington village is to the right. The Restaurant on the corner was known as the "Printers Arms". I spent many happy years playing in these gardens. I really did not understand why my mother and Grandmother were reasonably OK about it. It does not seem a sad place - more a timeless place.

Found some more information the BBC website is here but I have Copied and Pasted too.

Doodlebug bomb attack remembered

Six people died in the V1 rocket attack 60 years ago

The survivors of a flying bomb attack on a village during World War Two were due to take part in a service on Christmas Eve to remember those killed.

Six people died when the V1 rocket - also known as a doodlebug - landed on Chapel Street, in Tottington, near Bury, Greater Manchester, 60 years ago.

The German rocket destroyed a row of cottages and was one of 15 bombs to fall near Manchester on that day.

The service will be held at memorial gardens built where the bomb landed.

30ft deep crater

Colin MacDonald, who was aged 14 at the time, said he felt lucky to be alive.

He said: "I just woke up with a tremendous bang and the ceiling coming in on top of the bed. There was a mad scramble to get out.

"We didn't know what happened. We thought it might be a gas explosion. None of us thought it would be a bomb or a flying bomb.

"Then we got out and all the backs of the houses were down and there was a crater, 30ft deep, and all the windows were out. There was glass from kerb to kerb."

The attack was the second worst of the day. The worst was in Abbey Hills Road, in Oldham, where a V1 landed on a row of cottages, killing 27 people and seriously injuring 49.

In total, 45 rockets were launched by the Nazis on that day, 31 of which reached the UK. 

This is the link to the Flickr site.

I did not have this supplementary information either.

Again a copy and paste from DB's flickr page

V1 flying bomb site, Chapel Street, Tottington near Bury.

View On Black

At just before 6 o'clock on the morning of Christmas Eve 1944, 6 people in the village of Tottington were killed when a V1 flying bomb dived into a row of terraced houses. A further 9 people were injured, one of whom died later of injuries.

This photo was taken across the road from the bomb site, upon which there is now this memorial plaque and garden.

British civilians in the Summer of 1944 probably thought that following the Normandy invasion, the horrors of war on the home front (apart from the fear of a telegram) were nearly over. But 3 years after the Blitz, cruise missiles and rockets appeared in the skies, bringing terror without warning. V1's were pulsejet propelled missiles, usually launched from ramps in Northern France and Holland against London and the South East.

However, on Christmas Eve 1944, 45 Doodlebugs were launched from underneath adapted Heinkel He111 bombers flying over the North Sea, because the launch sites in Europe had been overrun by the Allies. The bombers released the V1s aimed at Manchester, then turned back to base. Many of the missiles landed harmlessly; the worst was at Abbey Hills Road in Oldham, where 32 people were killed.

An unintentional feature of the bomb was that as the timer counted down to the designated moment, the engine would cut and the thing would dive to the ground. People learned to listen to the engine, and knew that when it cut they had just a few seconds to take cover. The Nazis overcame this flaw so that later models went into a powered dive giving no warning at all. But then shortly after that, V2 rockets came tearing out of the stratosphere at 4 times the speed of sound... As newly arriving American servicemen were reminded, Great Britain was a war zone.

People killed;

Mr Nicholas Conway (50) and Mrs Mary Ann Conway (48). They were at number 19 Chapel Street.

Miss Annie Greenhalgh (75 ). 21 Chapel Street.

Elizabeth Hodgkinson Draper, (about 55). 31 Chapel Street.

Mr James Dyson (52) and Mrs Teresa Dyson, visiting from Bulwell, Nottingham, at 33 Chapel Street.

People injured;

Miss Mary Conway

Mrs Bertha Greenalgh. (died February 20th 1945)

Mr Dewhurst Greenhalgh

Mrs Midgley

Miss Ethel Riley

Mrs Hodges

Mr Herbert Young

Miss N Hamer

Miss Ellen Barnes

details from

Bolton Evening News December 27th 1944

Chapel Street Tottington

Chapel Street Tottington

I am also including the 2 photos from the Bolton Evening News.I am indebted to Lancsman who clearly has done much spadework here Here is a link back to his site.

Here is a link to the pictures of Tottington Dungeon. The dungeon is only 100 yards from the Whitehead Gardens.