Stockport Art Gallery & Community

After the War, communities around Stockport erected memorials to those who had died. The main war memorial is at Stockport Art Gallery and there are other “village” memorials in Bramhall, Bredbury, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Compstall, Gatley, Hazel Grove, Heald Green (Long Lane), Heaton Mersey, Heaton Moor, High Lane, Marple, Reddish and Romiley.

Today, many of the names on those memorials have become just that. Just names. Names of soldiers, sailors and airmen who died in two World Wars and other conflicts.

Many, particularly those who died in World War 2 or later, will have relatives who remember them but, for most killed during the Great War, between 1914 and 1918, memories are second, third or fourth hand. These men have, in many cases, become little more than a collection of surnames which are in danger of becoming as historically lifeless as the stone on which their names are carved.

But these were real people. They had family, friends and jobs. They lived in the houses many of us still live in. They went to school where we did. They drank in the same pubs we do. They walked the same streets.

After the Great War, the relatives of the dead were sent the appropriate medals, a bronze plaque and a scroll. The scroll reads:-

“He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered amongst those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger and finally passed out of sight of men by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving their own lives that others might live in freedom.

Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten.”

This project is intended to ensure that these men, who gave their lives in the service of their country nearly 100 years ago, are not forgotten.

More than 2800 names are recorded on the various “official” war memorials maintained by the Council and most of the men (and one woman) have now been identified. For some, this has proved impossible and any information, from members of the public, which would identify them would be most welcome. For others, there are only scant details.

But, for the majority, it is possible to tell their stories. Who were they? Did they have family? How did they earn a living? The one thing that unites them is that they died and, in most cases, it has also been possible to establish something of the circumstances of how that happened.
The project is now substantially completed and it is unlikely that there will be any further significant updates to the site.

stockport memorial

Battle of the Somme

Date: 25 September 1916
Regiment: 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment

The Battle of the Somme had been raging since 1 July. The Battalion had not been called on to go into action on the first day but had fought in major attacks since then. The last time was on 3 September. Since the Battle started, British troops had managed to advance approximately 10 kilometres in a series of attacks every few days.

The attack ordered for 25 September would involve the Cheshires and other battalions crossing 600 yards of No Man’s Land to the German front line and onwards to capture the village of Morval.

On 24 September, the Cheshires moved from bivouacs at Oxford Copse, Maricourt to assembly positions in a recently captured German trench at a place known as the Quadrilateral. Two companies would lead the attack and two would be in support.

The plan was for a phased attack in this sector. Men of the Norfolk and Bedfordshire regiments would lead the assault on the German front and support lines. The Cheshires and Warwicks would then push through to capture the actual village. Zero hour for the Norfolks was 12.35pm and they attacked successfully, as did the Bedfords. The Cheshires followed, reaching the eastern edge of Morval by 2.42pm and had secured the village by 2.55. Patrols then went out to protect their flanks and the men dug-in to consolidate. Casualties had not been heavy at this stage.

The Battalion’s War Diary records that “Except for fairly heavy shelling by the Germans, the situation was, under the circumstances, quiet. A tremendous number of prisoners were taken and these kept coming in all evening and the reports from Companies showed that the Germans in front were entirely disorganised. In the evening and throughout the night, the Germans shelled Morval very heavily.”

During the day, William Cope, John Gregory, Henry Moore and Benjamin Weaver were killed. None has a known grave and were probably killed by the evening’s shelling.

The War Diary continues, for the following day, “The morning was fine. The enemy kept up a steady bombardment on the trenches we had consolidated and it was during this we suffered heavily and not during the attack itself.

“Arrangements were put in place to relieve the Cheshires during the evening “While they were waiting for it to be dark enough, an intense bombardment started on the part of the Germans followed by all our guns opening on their barrage lines”.

A German counter-attack was expected but it proved to be a false alarm. The Cheshires were finally relieved at 10.30pm and, as they were moving away, the enemy bombarded them with gas shells and the men had to put on respirators. Charles Chadwick and Frederick Taylor were killed by shellfire during the day. Sometime in the previous 48 hours, Gordon Currie was fatally wounded and died, on 26 September, at a Casualty Clearing Station.

The attack by the whole Brigade had been a success. The official report on the action concluded “The spirit of everybody trying to help and everybody working for the main good. May this spirit remain in the Brigade; if it does the Brigade will always be second to none in the Army.”

Gambling in the Trenches

Sure, life in the trenches was not easy for WWI soldiers. Even so, the rough war life allowed for some entertainment in the form of gambling. Sure, things were very different compared to modern times where online casino games are accessible to gamblers worldwide with just a click or a tap. During WWI times, gambling activities and games were frowned upon by higher ranks – this does not mean that soldiers would not engage in games when possible. Actually, it is during WWI that the French-born game of Blackjack became popular among Americans.

The Impact of WWI Gambling on Modern Online Casinos

Similarly, WWI contributed to popularize the game of craps in Europe – craps had become massive in the US during the Prohibition era. Those traditions have been alive for decades and gambling has exploded throughout the pacified world that emerged from the War. With the advent of the Internet at the forefront of the tech era, gambling quickly adapted to a new online format. Online casinos are the new protagonists of worldwide gambling, having widely supplanted the traditional brick and mortar casinos from decades back. We are sure that WWI soldiers would appreciate how far gambling has made it compared to their era! And as a matter of fact, it is still possible to play all the classics from those times, such as blackjack and craps – the only difference is, they are available on your computer or mobile device at any online casino website.