TICKETS ARE NOW SELLING.  COME ALONG AND HELP US RAISE FUNDS FOR WESTON PARK CANCER CHARITY.

KILLAMARSH HERITAGE SOCIETY

 CHRISTMAS FAYRE

 SATURDAY 9^TH DECEMBER 2017

 Killamarsh Leisure Centre

Stanley Street, Killamarsh

 From 10.00 am to 4.00 pm

 Crafts and new items

 Refreshments will be available

 So put the date in your diary

We Look Forward to Meeting You

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Happy Birthday to Elizabeth Dennis – 60 today –  the 15th of November 2017

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Picture Postcard Railway Rambles

The Hope Valley Line – Sheffield to Edale

An Illustrated Slide Show Presentation by Stephen Gay

Monday 16^th October 2017

The Parish Suite at Killamarsh Leisure Centre

Stanley Street, Killamarsh, S21 1EL

Doors Open at 7.00 pm – show will start at 7.30 pm

Entrance £3.00 on the door

Everyone most welcome.   Refreshments available

This slide show presentation takes the traveller along the Hope Valley Line through the Peak District on a 20 mile journey from Sheffield to Edale. Breathtaking scenery is passed which inspired Britain’s first National Park. Using recently taken slides, the show will include historical information, a few poetry readings and many laughs along the way! Stephen’s faithful German Shepherd dog WRAWBY will not be present at this show but will appear on quite a few pictures shown. From luscious landscapes and moorland views, to riverside walks and tea room trails, all four seasons will feature, with the aim and challenge of capturing the route in a scenic and artistic composition. Please take your seat and settle down for Picture Postcard Railway Rambles – The Hope Valley Line.

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The members of Killamarsh Charity Group would like to thank everyone who came along and joined us on Barbara’s Walk 2017.

Nearly 80 people joined us and helped raise £881.36 for the Weston Park Cancer Charity.  We were really pleased to see members of Barbara’s family again who joined us for the walk as they do every year.

We really appreciate the support you give us for the walk and for the other events we hold during the year.

Everyone really enjoyed themselves and the weather kept dry.

Thank you so much to Ian and Dorothy and their staff at the West End pub who fed everyone after the walk.

Look out for details of Barbara’s Walk 2018 and come along and join us.  We know you will enjoy it and raise funds for the charity as well.

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Today we commemorate the centenary of the start of the battle known as Passchendaele.

Mr Jack Walker has asked if we could include on the website details of his uncle Joe Walker who was killed in action on 17th September 1917 – 100 years next month.

JOSEPH WALKER M.M.

Regiment:                York and Lancaster

Rank:                         Sergeant

Service No:              313 745

 Enlisted:                   29 August 2014

 Killed in Action:      17 September 1917 – Aged 23

Born in Killamarsh in 1894, the son of Robert and Elizabeth Walker, Joe lived at Highmoor and later at Norwood. The 1911 census shows that he was employed as a ‘Colliery pony driver underground’, probably at Norwood pit.

After the outbreak of war in 1914, Joe walked to Sheffield with his Killamarsh pals in order to ‘join up’.

He was enlisted into the York and Lancaster regiment on 29^th August 1914.  Joe was trained at Pontefract, Yorkshire with the 3^rd (reserve battalion) York and Lancs.

Details of Joe Walker’s Service taken from army records:

13^th July 1915

Posted to France with the 7^th Battalion York and Lancs.

20^th August 1915

Invalided home wounded, injury described as “bullet wound right arm severe”.

2^nd January 1916

Returned to France posted to 8^th Battalion York and Lancs.

23^rd July 1916

Appointed Lance Corporal in the field.

2^nd October 1916

Wounded and sent for treatment

10^th October 1916

Rejoined the Battalion

20^th October 1916

Appointed Corporal

3^rd December 1916

Awarded Military Medal

19^th April 1917

Appointed Lance Sergeant

3^rd June 1917

Appointed Sergeant

17^th September 1917

Killed in Action

Joe survived the battle of the Somme, only to lose his life a year later in 1917.

He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial at Passchendaele, Belgium on panels 125 to 128 in the south rotunda of the memorial.

For the fourth year running

Killamarsh Charity Group will be holding a

‘TIME FOR TEA’ party on

Saturday 10^th of June, 2017 

from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm

in the Methodist Church Hall, Sheffield Road, Killamarsh

(entrance in the corner of the Aldi Car Park)

to raise funds for the

Weston Park Cancer Charity

Weston Park Cancer Charity exists to make a difference for people living with cancer by supporting cancer research and improving cancer treatment and care.

Everyone is touched by cancer, either themselves or a family member or friends and many people in the area need the services provided by Weston Park Hospital.

So come along and join us and help raise funds for this very worthwhile charity.

Thanks to all those who baked cakes for our previous events we were able to donate all the money we raised to the charity. If you would like to bake a cake for this year’s event or can’t make it on the day but would like to make a donation we would love to hear from you on 0114 2484812 or email enquiries@killamarsh.org

For more information about the Weston Park Cancer Charity visit www.wphcancercharity.org.uk  or telephone  0114 226 5373

We have received an email from Roslyn Tucker.  If anyone can give Roslyn any information please contact us by emailing enquiries@killamarsh.org or telephone 0114 2484812 and we will pass it on to her.

Many thanks.

Hello

My Name is Roslyn Tucker and I live in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. My Mother was Edith Newton, she was married to John Fredrick Newton for some years before being divorced. I think Mum lived on Jubilee Cresent in the 30s ,40s. Mum was born in Sheffield 1917 , her parents Joe and Elizabeth Vardy. In the late 40s Mum moved away from Killamarsh to make Sydney Australia her home.She married again and had 3 children, I’m the daughter. Mum lived for the last 60 years in Australia before her death in 2013, aged 95.

I’m looking for some information on my Mum and her life in Killamarsh.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Many Thanks

Roslyn

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The following memories have been sent to us by Eric Morris, who was brought up and lived in Killamarsh and now lives in Kent.

We recently featured the article in the January issue of Doorsteppa.

After recently watching the T.V. programme – The Last Miners – about the closure of Kellingley Colliery in Yorkshire, these are my thoughts prompted by the programme.

I worked at Westthorpe Colliery between 1967-1975 where I was an electrician – not a very good one – so I got out of the pit at the earliest opportunity. However, as the cliché goes – you can take the lad out of the pit – but not the pit out of the boy … He is still in there all these years later.

Back to the programme – I watched it out of curiosity because it’s over forty years since I left Westthorpe – but it bought back so many memories – thoughts and feelings I had taken for granted for many years.

The first point is that at Kellingley they were working in seams some 10-12 feet high – luxury!  This is not to decry the Kellingley men – but it made me realise how hard it was to be working in the Flockton and Thorncliffe seams at best 5 feet high. Allowing for the face supports – this meant we crawled everywhere. The Thorncliiffe seam was also at about 45 degrees so we had to crawl backwards – slamming your battery and tools in someone’s face!  Standing up was a luxury waiting in the main and tail gates.

Having said that, as an electrician I came and went on the face – not spending much time there – so I reflect back in awe at people like Harry Tongue who worked shift after shift on the face – working in perpetual dust and soggy knee pads from the water that was there to suppress the dust! I remember Harry ranting to the head fitter about having a choice of pneumoconiosis or arthritic knees – some choice.  Harry had a way of getting his point across – and he was right.

Another point was that on the last shift I worked at Westthorpe I was waiting with some other colliers from the night shift when they struck up an impromptu tune and song – such fun, such camaraderie.

I was pleased to leave Westthorpe to go teacher training – such a contrast! But I did miss that camaraderie – but not the work. People ask me why I left – my reply is that it was dirty, dangerous and unhealthy work – and I was rubbish. Four good reasons [on their own] to leave.

But the Kellingley programme reminded me of that teamwork – that camaraderie – and sense of fun – it took the programme to remind me how important Westthorpe was in my life.

I like everyone to appreciate those special men who were miners at Westthorpe and High Moor – and everywhere.