Roll of Honour, Huddersfield Corporation

The Huddersfield Corporation Roll of Honour is situated in Huddersfield Town Hall.

Inscriptions

ROLL OF HONOUR
EMPLOYEES OF THE CORPORATION WHO
LOST THEIR LIVES IN TWO WORLD WARS
First World War
Roll of Honour
County Borough of Huddersfield.
Employees of the Corporation who have joined His Majesty's Forces.
European War. 1914-1919
The Fallen
J. O'H. Pearman — Education Department
O. Booth — Education Department
G.M. Barnett — Tramways Department
J. T. Bower — Tramways Department
J. T. Brown — Tramways Department
F. W. Brook — Tramways Department
H. Coulter — Tramways Department
J. Dawson — Tramways Department
N. Dyson — Tramways Department
F. W. Eagleton — Tramways Department
J. Gargrave — Tramways Department
J. Haigh — Tramways Department
H. Kenworthy — Tramways Department
J. W. Kelly — Tramways Department
J. E. Kelly — Tramways Department
C. McVeagh — Tramways Department
W. Moore — Tramways Department
J. O'Brien — Tramways Department
J. H. Ramsden — Tramways Department
J. Slater — Tramways Department
N. Taylor — Tramways Department
A. Weldrick — Tramways Department
F. Wilds — Tramways Department
G. H. Collinson — Borough Engineer's Department
S. Downsborough — Borough Engineer's Department
J. H. Kelly — Borough Engineer's Department
J. W. Kelly — Borough Engineer's Department
D. Shaw — Borough Engineer's Department
A. Riley — Borough Engineer's Department
A. H. Cragg — Electricity Works Department
G. W. Smith — Electricity Works Department
W. C. Allott — Gas Works Department
R. Broadbent — Gas Works Department
W. E. Cawthra — Gas Works Department
H. Oldham — Gas Works Department
M. McGrath — Gas Works Department
C. Wilson — Gas Works Department
N. G. Barritt — Sewage Works Department
W. Lewis — Sewage Works Department
F. Birchley — Police Department
R. Brotherton — Police Department
F. W. Cooke — Police Department
T. Deakin — Police Department
H. Harvatt — Police Department
T. Pell — Police Department
F. A. Pentelow — Police Department
A. Ramsden — Police Department
F. Iredale — Public Health Department
H. Goodwin — Borough Treasurer's Department
T. Brier — Water Works Department
J. Robson — Town Clerk's Department
H. Cockerill — Sanitary Department
W. Harris — Sanitary Department
J. E. Lockwood — Sanitary Department
A.T. Shoesmith — Sanitary Department
J. Kaye — Technical College
C. Micklethwaite — Technical College
A. Moorhouse — Technical College
W. Speight — Technical College
D. I. Tolson — Technical College
H. Topping — Technical College
In Memoriam
1914 – 1918

Charles Harry Coverdale V.C., M.M.
Ernest Sykes V.C.

FOR VALOUR

Charles Harry Coverdale V.C., M.M.

At the age of 29, Sergeant Coverdale won his VC whilst serving with The Manchester Regiment.

On 4 October 1917, south-west of Poelcappelle Belgium, when close to the objective, Sergeant Coverdale disposed of three snipers. He then rushed two machine-guns, killing or wounding the teams. He subsequently reorganised his platoon in order to capture another position, but after getting within 100 yards of it his group was held up by their own side’s barrage and had to return. Later he went out again with five men to capture the position, but when he saw a considerable number of the enemy advancing, withdrew his detachment man by man, he himself being the last to retire.

He also won the Military Medal and reached the rank of second lieutenant. He lived in Dalton until his death in 1955 and is buried at Edgerton Cemetery.

Ernest Sykes V.C.

Whilst serving with the Northumberland Fusiliers near Arras, north-east France. Private Sykes won his VC at the age of 32.

On 19 April 1917, an attack by Private Sykes battalion was held up by intense fire from front and flank, and suffered heavy casualties. Private Sykes, despite this heavy fire, went forward and brought back four wounded men. He made a fifth journey and remained out under conditions which appeared to be certain death, until he had bandaged all those too badly injured to be moved. Other military service gained him the 1914–1919 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. In May 1918, he was demobilised early from the Army due to sickness.

He returned to work on the railways, living in Milnsbridge for many years and was honoured when his employers named a locomotive after him. He was 64 when he died in 1949 and is buried in Lockwood Cemetery.
Second World War
1939 — 1945
M. D. Barnes[1]
F. Black[2]
F. Bywater[3]
G. Carter
D. Y. Carter[4]
J. Clarke
F. Clegg[5]
H. Dodson[6]
R. Dyson[7]
F. Ellis
D. M. Evans
R. Grant
H. R. Haigh[8]
S. Harrison
J. Hemingway[9]
N. Hilton[10]
F. Hirst
J. Howe
O. E. Hulme
C. W. Kitson
G. Lee
R. Lindsey[11]
F. Morley[12]
T. Muscroft[13]
A. D. Noble[14]
H. Oliver
H. Shaw
H. Sherwood
H. C. Smith
G. Stead[15]
A. Sunley[16]
J. W. Swan[17]
F. Taylor
C. Thorp[18]
E. Tolson[19]
E. W. Townend[20]
J. Vince[21]
E. Whittell[22]
J. Wilkinson
H. Wright
E. L. Wyld[23]
THIS PLAQUE IS TO COMMEMORATE
THE CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH
HUDDERSFIELD OF 214 MEDIUM BATTERY
ROYAL ARTILLERY

In 1920 the Medium Battery was formed in Huddersfield as a Territorial Army Unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery.

During World War II many men were drawn from ICI and Huddersfield Old Boys Rugby Club.

The Battery went to France in April 1940, being evacuated from Dunkirk in May. After four years training and defence duties it returned to France, forming part of the Normandy invasion in June 1944. It fought through Northern France, Holland and into Germany, until VE Day, and disbanded in Germany in August 1945. An Old Comrades Association was formed and remained active until 2002.

Those lads did their job and did it well.
Sergeant Pollit, France 1940.

HMS Gambia, built in 1942 as a Colony class light cruiser, joined the Eastern Fleet in 1942, and transferred to the East Indies and Eastern Fleet in 1943. Between June and September that year, she received a refit at Liverpool and was then transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, commissioning on 27th September. She joined the British Eastern Fleet at Trincomalee in February 1944 and then the British Pacific Fleet in 1945. She was based in New Zealand through to July 1946

During this time, Gambia was awarded the Battle Honours Sabang 1944 and Okinawa 1945. On 25th July 1944, the surface ships of the Eastern Fleet engages the shore batteries of the Japanese-occupied installations at Sabang, Sumatra. The Fleet (Designated Force 62) was commanded by Admiral Sir James Summerville. The operation was given the codename 'Crimson'. Between 24 March and 21 June 1945, the British Pacific Fleet (Task Force 57) and the USN 5th Fleet engaged the Japanese in the last major battle in the Pacific before dropping off the atomic bombs in August. During the period March to May Gambia engaged in operations in the Sakashima Gunto and Formosa.

She was adopted by Huddersfield during the fund-raising "Warship Week" in 1942. Returned to the Royal Navy in 1946 HMS Gambia was scrapped in 1968.

Huddersfield Society

This Plaque was erected by
CHANNEL ISLANDS REFUGEES
in appreciation and thanks to the
CITIZENS OF HUDDERSFIELD
for their kindness and hospitality
so freely and generously given
during the years 1940-1945.

Locations

The following map shows locations linked to those named on the memorial:

Links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2491399/barnes,-maurice-drummond/
  2. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2665244/black,-frederick/
  3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2277234/bywater,-frank/
  4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1084086/carter,-donovan-yukin/
  5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2541630/clegg,-frank/
  6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2402037/dodson,-harold/
  7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2222845/dyson,-reggie/
  8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2272404/haigh,-herbert-rodger/
  9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2032106/hemingway,-john/
  10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2077777/hilton,-norman/
  11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1810583/lindsey,-ronald/
  12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2401960/morley,-frank/
  13. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2196811/muscroft,-thomas/
  14. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2261024/noble,-arthur-duncan/
  15. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2628557/stead,-geoffrey/
  16. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2032923/sunley,-allen/
  17. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2407097/swan,-john-william/
  18. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2613150/thorp,-christopher/
  19. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2778057/tolson,-ernest/
  20. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2409024/townend,-eric-walker/
  21. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2088266/vince,-jack/
  22. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2380472/whittell,-edward/
  23. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2067748/wyld,-edward-lester/