Charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade, 25th Oct. 1854, under Major General the Earl of Cardigan, by William Simpson (1823 – 1899)
George and James Glanister of Finedon 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars The Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava 25th October 1854
Newsletter
January 2021
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Chairman’s Report
As members are aware, the society has not met since our February meeting owing to the current problems caused by the coronavirus. The committee have met twice in that time to deal with routine issues and matters arising. We have decided to cancel the member’s meetings planned for January, February and March and will attempt to meet again in April – if conditions at the time allow.
Our treasurer, Rachel Terry has resigned the position after twelve years’ excellent oversight of the society’s finances. Rachel was also our contact with the Charity Commission and able to provide the committee with sound advice on how best to conform to the guidelines and requirements of the Commission. Many thanks Rachel for the sterling work has carried out on behalf of the society. Rachel’s successor is James Sheehan who, I am sure, will carry on the good work in the future.
The committee wish to also thank society member Wendy Inns for allowing the Society to issue a reprint of the book “Those that didn’t” written by her late husband, Peter. The book sold well and there are a few copies remaining. Should you wish to purchase a copy please contact our secretary, Mick Britton.
I wish you all well and let us hope it is not too long before we can resume our monthly meetings. David Bailey, Chairman.
Treasurer’s Report for the Financial Year ending 31st October 2020
This has been a momentous year for the society in two respects: no longer having use of the Meeting House and the impact of Covid-19 on the society’s activities. The accounts show that it has been financially beneficial to pay for use of the Mission Room when the society requires it rather than having the fixed costs of the Meeting House.
The society has had a record number of membership subscriptions this year (124 paid up members) and there were good attendances at the two monthly meetings we were able to hold. We have produced three newsletters using a commercial printer, which is well worth the cost.
The society has done well with its publications this year. We have earned more from book sales than from subscriptions. We have had reprints of the
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Convicts book, the Farming book and Peter Innes’ book “Those that didn’t” (the invoice for the latter of £418 has not yet been received so will be paid next year). We have had one new book researched and printed - The “Finedon Co-operative Women’s Guild 1921-1998 – A Social History”, which is selling well.
As a result, the society’s balance has grown this year by over £300 (after allowing for a cheque for £126 for an uncashed cheque covering Mission Room use for use and the invoice of £418 referred to above). Just under £3,500 is a healthy balance, particularly as we no longer have any property responsibilities.
Many thanks are due to Harry Nicholls for auditing the society’s accounts again this year.
I am grateful to James Sheehan for agreeing to be your new Hon. Treasurer from 1st November 2020, as Francis and I are hoping to move to Oundle shortly. Rachel Terry, Hon. Treasurer.
Cancellation of the Annual General Meeting.
The Annual General Meeting had to be postponed. Until another one can be arranged, permitted by recent Charity Commission guidelines as well as the society’s constitution, the seven current committee members will continue in post.
A copy of the Finance Report, ending 31st October 2020, is included in this newsletter – see page 19. If you have any comments or queries regarding this report, or any other matter that you may have wished to have raised at the postponed Annual General Meeting, please contact me by email at [email protected], or telephone 07988 065010, and the committee will endeavour to answer any questions you may have.
As mentioned in David’s report, the first member’s meeting of 2021 is now planned for Monday April 26th (Northamptonshire County Houses by Neil Lyon), but this meeting cannot yet be confirmed in these uncertain times. We will update the website and our Facebook page; however, those members who do not have access to either of these can call me on the above telephone number in case of any doubt.
Mick Britton, Secretary
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2021 Subscriptions
Thanks are due to all those members who have already renewed their subscriptions. Your subscription (£5 per person for the year) may be sent (or delivered) to James Sheehan, 17 Ivy Lane, Finedon, NN9 5NE. Alternatively, it can be delivered to Michael Shipton at 10 Rockleigh Close, Finedon if this is more convenient.
For members who use online banking, there is the option of transferring your subscription to Finedon Local History Society (or as much as can be fitted into the online transaction), Sort Code 09-01-29, Account Number 02892977, giving your name(s) in the reference section of the transaction.
Setting up a direct debit for the annual subscription is a further option. It would be appreciated if members choosing an online banking option, whether a BACS payment or direct debit would be so good to inform James, preferably via email at [email protected].
If you have not yet renewed, we hope that you will do so before 31st March 2021, so that you will continue to receive the next edition of the newsletter, which will be available in May.
George and James Glanister of Finedon 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars The Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava
Carolyn Smith & Mick Britton
While sorting out the society newsletters for scanning onto the new FLHS website, an interesting article about two Finedon-born brothers was noted. George and James Glanister were recorded as having taken part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava on 25th October 1854. As this article was written in a 2004 edition of the newsletter and seventeen years have now passed it was decided to investigate the story further to see if new information could be uncovered about these two fascinating men. Much additional primary and secondary source material is now readily available, including: Army Service, Medal, and Pension Records and the British Newspaper Archive.
The 2004 article details the military careers of the George and James Glanister and gives an overview of their lives before and after the Crimean War. The military actions of the two brothers at the Battle of Balaclava as
4 reported in the newsletter article mirrored the findings of the late John Bailey on page 164 of his 1975 book “Finedon otherwise Thingdon”.
Our new research soon identified a discrepancy between these two texts and the official records as regards the involvement of George and James in the battle. It is hoped that this revised and updated article will, in the quest for historical accuracy, set the record straight.
The Glanister Family
Henry Glanister of Cranford married Sarah Moon of this parish, on 3rd June 1816 at Finedon parish church. In the 1831 Finedon parish census Henry, his wife, with two daughters and two sons, are recorded as living in one half of the property known until recently as Crow End Cottage before it was renamed Wisteria Cottage. By 1838 the family had moved to Delves Cottage; this cottage stood on the Wellingborough Road on the site of what is now Woodfield Cottage.
Henry also appears in three Northampton Mercury newspaper reports between 1842 and 1843 as gamekeeper to both William Mackworth Dolben and the Revd. Samuel Paul. By the 1851 census Henry is working as a coachman for Miss Esther Paul.
By the time Sarah and Henry had died, 23rd December 1853 and 1st July 1855 respectively and were buried in unmarked graves in the Finedon churchyard both George and James had departed and enlisted in the British Army.
George Glanister
George, born in 1831, was the first of the two brothers to enlist on 24th July 1849, with the 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars. George was promoted to the rank of Corporal on 9th May 1854.
George and his brother James, also with the 11th Hussars, arrived in the Crimea early in September 1854. The regiment was soon involved in military action at the Battle of Alma (20th September 1854), and the siege of Sebastopol which began on 1st October 1854, before the 11th Hussars formed part of the Light Brigade, forever to be remembered in British military history, twenty-four days later.
The Medal Rolls held at The National Archives, (TNA, WO100/24/07 – Campaign and Award Rolls (General Service) Crimea. General and Line Cavalry) document that George was awarded the Crimea Medal with the
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Sebastopol, Alma, and the (Battle of) Inkerman clasps, the latter action taking place on 5th November 1854. However, George is not recorded as being awarded a Balaclava clasp (25th October 1854), to add to his Crimea Medal; this was only given to those men who actually took part in the Battle of Balaclava, of which the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, was one part of the action on that historic and memorable day.
The Quarterly Muster Records of the 11th Hussars for George’s time in Crimea (TNA, WO12/1012 – General Muster Books & Pay Lists, Cavalry, 11th Hussars). These musters only provide a record of a person’s location on the day the muster was taken. In each of the three end of month musters that make up a quarterly muster between October 1854 and June 1855 George is listed as either “in hospital”, “sick and absent” or “sick”. His monthly muster record for the end of January 1855 has the notation “wounded(?) at Scut” (Scutari Hospital) but our diligent research has uncovered no specific details. The quarterly muster, ending 30th June 1855, shows that George was invalided back to England on 13th of that same month.
Like all allied personnel who served during the Crimean War (1854 – 56) and survived George was awarded the Turkish Crimea campaign medal from Sultan Abdülmecid I of the Ottoman Empire.
George transferred to the 2nd Dragoons in 1856 and served in India. During his time there, he was awarded the India Mutiny Medal (1857-59) with the Lucknow clasp. He was still serving in Lucknow at the time of the 1861 census.
George later transferred to the 1st Dragoons; his service with them ended on 12th April 1870 when he was discharged on the grounds of “general debility” and awarded a pension of 11d (4½p) a day. During his almost 20- year service in the British Army, George had two periods of “foreign service”: 1 year and 1 month in Turkey and Crimea and 4 years 5 months in India with the balance on “home service”. (TNA, WO23/172. Royal Chelsea Hospital Admissions Books, 1888-1896)
Following his discharge George moved to Manchester and is listed as a railway worker in Manchester on the 1871 census; a coachman at Saddleworth in 1881; and a groom in Ashton-under-Lyne in 1891.
In the Huddersfield Daily Examiner of the 26th October 1888 there is an account entitled, “A Balaclava Celebration” which reports that some of the “14 or 15 Lancashire survivors of The Charge” were entertained at the Crosby Hotel, Withy Grove in Manchester. Among those listed were “Jas.
6 and Geo. Glanister of the 11th Hussars. Jas. was severely wounded, but his brother received no hurt”. This implies that George was present at “The Charge” although all his army and medal records show otherwise.
On the 20th December 1895 George, then living at 17 George Street, Mossley was considered for admission as an in-pensioner at Chelsea from 1st January 1896 (TNA, WO23/172. Royal Chelsea Hospital Admissions Books, 1888-1896). The comments column records that he “can do light work in the summer”. However, after initially being accepted, George withdrew the application.
George remained in the Manchester area. He became a member of a committee which organised a gathering of fifty Crimean campaign survivors at The Drill Hall, Mossley, Aston-under-Lyne It was recorded in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner of 13th January 1897 “that his desire to see his old comrades motivated the event”. This began with a parade of the veterans, a band, and the Mossley Volunteers around the town and this was followed by a “sumptuous repast” and a concert.
George died in June 1898, aged 64; he was interred in St George’s churchyard, Mossley. The Manchester Times of 17th June reported, “George Glanister, a Crimean veteran has been buried with full military honours, in the presence of a numerous gathering. The bearers were Crimean comrades of the deceased…”
James Glanister
James, born in 1835, was recorded as residing with his parents at Finedon on the 1841 and 1851 censuses. He enlisted in the 5th Dragoons on 4th June 1852 at Liverpool. His Attestation Record (TNA, WO97/1285/39) lists James as a shoemaker of Finedon, giving his age as 18 years and 3 months, although he was only 17 years and 2 months at the time. He was described as “5 feet 8⅞ inches tall, grey eyed, light brown hair and a fresh complexion”. On 25th October 1852 James transferred to the 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars, his brother George’s regiment, then in Dublin.
James, like his brother, took part in the Battle of Alma and the siege of Sebastopol. However, unlike his brother, he was one of the “six hundred” who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. The 11th Hussars formed the second line behind the 17th Lancers and 13th Dragoons who led the charge under the command of the Earl of Cardigan whose family, the Brudenells, still live at Deene Hall near Corby. With men and horses being killed and maimed all around, the 11th Hussars, reached
7 and overran the batteries of cannons at the head of the valley and became involved in close order and hand-to-hand combat with the Russian troops. Private Robert Martin, a fellow cavalryman with the 11th Hussars also took part in the Charge. In several of his widely reported accounts of that day he describes the actions of James Glanister. “While fighting in the midst of the guns Glanister of the 11th Hussars broke his sword off short at the hilt by striking a Russian on the top of his helmet. The order to retire was given by Lord George Paget [Commander of the 4th (Queen’s Own) Dragoons] and on turning I perceived a Cossack close to us, he immediately levelled his pistol and fired, the bullet whizzed past my face and struck Glanister shattering his lower jaw causing him to fall forward on his cloak which was rolled up in front of him”. Although Martin’s arm was already shattered, he managed to turn James’s horse so that it ran back from the midst of the ferocious fighting to the British lines, and this probably saved James’s life.
After some initial and rudimentary treatment at the field hospital in Scutari, at which Florence Nightingale was the senior nurse, James was invalided back to England for further treatment and convalescence at Brompton Barracks, Chatham. He was present when Queen Victoria visited a group of Charge survivors, on 3rd March 1855.
After Balaclava James was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM). The DCM was first instituted on the 4th December 1854 as an award to non-commissioned officers of the British Army for “distinguished, gallant and good conduct in the field”. The commanding officer of each regiment was required to nominate fifteen men from his ranks for the DCM: one sergeant, four corporals and ten privates. James was one the ten privates nominated by the 11th Hussars in recognition of his actions in the field in the face of the enemy.
Private Robert Martin was also awarded the DCM for his actions that day. Robert died in 1900, aged 72. His obituary in the Cheshire Gazette entitled “Death of Mr. Robert Martin Of The Noble Six Hundred” it records, “…with his right arm shattered by a bullet – later amputated – but this did not prevent his saving the life of a wounded comrade, for which gallant act he was deservedly awarded the medal for distinguished conduct in the field”.
The DCM came with a gratuity: £15 for sergeants, £10 for corporals and £5 for privates. The gratuity was placed in the regimental savings bank and remained on deposit until discharge when it was then deemed to be the property of the recipient.
James was discharged from the Army on 3rd April 1855. His discharge papers (TNA, WO97/1285/40 – Royal Hospital Chelsea Soldiers Service
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Documents, 1855 – 1872, Discharge Papers, Cavalry) record him as having served a total of 2 years and 154 days. The reason for his discharge is noted as “being unfit for further military service”, but he “was of good character and conduct.” James’s discharge documents also reveal he had been “disabled by a comminuted fracture [when the bone is split or broken into several pieces, typically occurring after a high-impact trauma] of lower jaw by pistol shot in cavalry charge on 25th October 1854 at Balaclava, articulation and motion of face greatly impaired”. James received a pension of one shilling (5p) a day. Additionally, the Distinguished Conduct Medal Register, (TNA, WO391/1/7/2) confirms that he received his gratuity of £5 upon his discharge from the service. His medal record (TNA, WO100/24/08) states that, in addition to the Distinguished Conduct Medal, James was awarded the Crimea Medal with Alma, Sebastopol and Balaclava clasps.
James’s pension records show that his payment records were initially administered from Leicester, so he may have returned to Finedon on or around 11th July 1855. However, his father had just died so he may have gone instead to stay with his brother-in-law and sister, John and Sarah Loweth at Uppingham. Just over a year later, on 30th September 1856, his pension was transferred to west London. His final move was to Liverpool on 31st March 1857. He may well have moved to Liverpool because his brothers William and Richard were already there. Later that year he married William’s sister-in-law, Ann Carson, and remained in that city for the rest of his life. Despite his disability he was able to work and he appears in the census records as a gatekeeper in 1871, and a groom in 1881 before being recorded as an army pensioner in 1891.
James is listed as attending a Balaclava Charge Fete and Banquet at Alexandra Palace on 25th October 1875. This event was a lavish affair with troop parades, poems, songs, a feast and the unveiling of a trophy. He became a member the Balaclava Commemoration Society (BCS), which was established in 1877. The BCS was formed “for the purpose of assembling annually the Non-commissioned Officers and Privates, of the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava” The rules of the BCS also stated that “That no person shall be eligible to become a Member, unless he actually rode in the charge”. James is listed in the roll of the surviving members of the 11th Hussars in 1879; membership was 5 shillings (25p) per year which covered the cost of the annual dinner. From newspaper reports we know that James attended the annual dinners in 1893 and 1895.
The Charge Survivors - Their Twilight Years From the early 1870s the plight of the Charge of the Light Brigade survivors, once so feted, began making the newspaper headlines for the
9 wrong reason; many were by now living in intense deprivation with no work or income to provide for themselves or their families.
As the years went by the movement to support these men increased as the publicity of their plight widened. The Pall Mall Gazette of 15th April 1890 published a report of an interview given to a Kent newspaper by Lieutenant James Wightman, secretary of the BCS in which he appealed for funds. Wightman had been a private with the 17th Lancers (he was later to be commissioned) and was in the front line of troops as the “six hundred” charged into the valley towards the Russian guns. In the interview Wightman observed that a promise, allegedly made by Lord Cardigan the day after the charge, had not been kept. Cardigan is supposed to have said; “My men you have done a glorious deed. England will be proud and grateful of you. If you live to get home, you will be provided for. Not one of you fine fellows will ever have to seek refuge in the workhouse”. The newspaper also published a list of “necessitous survivors” from four of the five regiments that formed the Light Brigade; James Glanister of the 11th Hussars is listed as “in extreme poverty”.
Ten days later The Pall Mall Gazette published the results of the appeal; a derisory sum of £24 had been raised. This report galvanized the country into championing these once so celebrated men. The level of backing for the Light Brigade survivors prompted considerable discontent among the thousands of former servicemen who found themselves in similar straitened circumstances, devoid of help despite having fought in the Crimean and Indian Mutiny campaigns; and HM Government was similarly unsympathetic to the survivors' cause. Despite this, support for the ever- diminishing number of men who had participated in 'The Charge' gathered momentum.
Punch Magazine, in support of the needs for these forgotten survivors, published a parody of Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade poem which included the lines “Workhouse to the right of them; workhouse to the left of them; workhouse in front of them”. Rudyard Kipling was so moved he penned the poem “The Last of the Last Brigade”. The first stanza reads “There were thirty million English who talked of England’s might, there were twenty broken troopers who lacked a bed for the night. They had neither food nor money, they had neither service nor trade; They were only shiftless soldiers, the last of the Last Brigade”.
Empire, a London-based theatre and music hall company, committed themselves to the cause by staging a touring show celebrating, and reminding their audiences of the valour and service of, the Charge veterans. Newspaper reports reveal that between August 1891 and
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November 1893 James Glanister, with two other veterans of the Charge, Private John McCausland and Corporal William Pearson, became a top of the bill troupe in a travelling variety show. They were introduced by a recitation of Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, and then, wearing their uniforms, they would relate their experiences and gave a display of swordsmanship to great acclaim from the audiences. They appeared at several Empire theatres in London, as well as other Empire theatres around the country.
James, along with other surviving members of the Charge of Light Brigade, played a small, but patriotic and loyal, part in Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Parade. The Westminster Gazette of 23rd June 1897, with eloquence and respect records; “All that are left of the heroes of the Balaclava Charge were assembled in one of the weekly paper offices in Fleet Street for the purposes of seeing, perhaps for the last time, the Queen. The knowledge of the fact had clearly not been kept from the court; at this spot the signal to halt was made along the line by bugle after bugle. The Queen turned to the windows at which her old soldiers were congregated, and for the minute or so during which the old men stood, bareheaded, they cheered with great enthusiasm, while the Queen herself was clearly touched by the warmth of their greeting”
James died in Liverpool on 22nd March 1901, aged 65, and he is buried in an unmarked grave at West Derby cemetery. His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo five days later: “DEATH OF A LOCAL HERO. James Glanister, formerly of the 11th Hussars, and who was in the charge at Balaclava died at his residence Apple-terrace, Edgehill, on Friday last. He was regularly invited to the annual dinner at Manchester, given to the survivors and he also went to London at the invitation of Mr Roberts, of Fleet Street, who at the time of the late Queen’s Jubilee invited all of the survivors of the famous charge to see the procession from the office windows. The veterans caused considerable enthusiasm among the vast crowds at the time”.
His death was also reported in the Northampton Mercury of the 29th March 1901. “Mr. Glannister [sic], a native of Finedon, who was one of the Balaclava heroes. He served in the 20th [sic] Hussars and was shot in the face at Balaclava, while assisting a wounded comrade, and received the Distinguished Service medal [sic].”
“…Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!” Alfred, Lord Tennyson
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The Scout Memorial and the Finedon Parish Church Chaste Memorial Window
Mick Britton
The September edition of the newsletter covered in detail the unveiling and dedication of the Finedon War Memorial. During the first three months of this year it will also be the centenary of two other local memorials that were dedicated to the Finedon men who were killed during the First World War: the Scout Memorial in the New Cemetery, Station Road, and The Chaste Memorial Window in the St Mary’s parish church.
The Scout Memorial
During the First World War the Finedon Troop of Scouts lost twelve of its members: ten were killed in action, one died of his wounds and one died from pneumonia in the final days of the conflict. A fundraising campaign was begun by the families and the troop to raise the monies to create a lasting memorial to these twelve men.
Their memorial was designed and erected by Messrs. J.G. Pullen and Sons, of Bridge Street, Northampton. Described as; “…a graceful cross, 9 feet high. At the foot of the shaft of the cross is carved the figures of a Boy Scout over which is the Scouts’ badge.” The memorial was unveiled and dedicated on Sunday 30th January 1921.
The Northampton Mercury of 4th February 1921 reported; “Touching and impressive were the proceedings associated with the unveiling of the Scout memorial which has been erected to those members and past members of the local Troop who gave their lives in the Great War. Though the weather on Sunday afternoon was dull and threatening, large crowds turned out to take part in the proceedings, which very fittingly began with a service in the church. The Carved figures of the Boy procession to this place of worship, headed Scout and the Scout by the Finedon Old Prize Band, included Badge members of three local bodies, the local Troop of Scouts, and a number of ex-Scouts,
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13 the Girl Guides, visiting Scouts from Wellingborough and Irthlingborough etc.
After the service, which, though brief, was very impressive, the procession moved to the cemetery, and the people congregated in a great group around the very neat stone memorial which has been erected, which bears the names of the departed Scouts. The Vicar (the Rev. A.I. Greaves) was entrusted with the duty of unveiling the memorial, and the rev. gentleman [sic], who was deeply moved, gave an eloquent address. Suitable hymns were sung, and bugles sounded Last Post and Reveille. Many wreaths were placed at the base of the memorial”.
Chaste Memorial Window
The stained-glass window in the north transept, dedicated to the fallen men of Finedon, was unveiled on Sunday 12th March 1921. The ceremony, in the presence a large congregation, was performed by Brigadier General Ferguson, who had unveiled and dedicated the Finedon War Memorial four months earlier.
A procession marched to the church, headed by the Old Band under Mr C H Baker. Members of the Finedon Urban District Council were present, led by the chairman, Mr J Benson, J.P. The procession also included the Girl Guides and the troop of Finedon Scouts. Brigadier General Ferguson was accompanied by his wife and Major Greaves, brother of the vicar, the Revd. Canon A I Greaves, who conducted the service.
At the start the unveiling and dedication ceremony, as Brigadier General Ferguson withdrew the covering aside, he declared, “I unveil and dedicate this window in the glory of God and in loving memory of the men of this parish who gave their lives in the Great War”. The Last Post was sounded after which, he addressed the congregation and said “that it had been the second time he had been invited to take part in a service of commemoration of the fallen and how much and esteemed he was to attend again”. It always seemed to him, “that such a work of art as the window was the most fitting memorial. Sunday, after Sunday, as they went to church, people would look at the picture and no longer feel sad. They would be filled instead with sweet memories and pride that their loved ones should be remembered for years to come”. [Brigadier General Ferguson’s son Victor was killed in action, aged 20, in the final months of the First World War.]
Mr Benson briefly addressed the congregation and, “expressed thanks to Brigadier General Ferguson for his impressive words”. In his address Mr Benson conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved saying, “that he could
14 conceive no more fitting place for a memorial of that kind than their old Parish Church, where so many of the lads who had gone learnt the lessons that stood them in good stead when on active service.”
The report of the service in the Wellingborough News of 18th March 1921, states that the vicar gave the following explanation of the window’s design (see back page). “The central panel depicted the figure of St. Michael, the foremost captain of the armies of the spiritual hosts, treading down the dragon, which represented all evil. On either side of this panel are figures of St. Gabriel, representing the messenger of God and St. Raphael, who was looked upon as the guide of the wayfarer. Below the centre panel is the figure of patron saint, St. George. On one side was an illustration of a priest administering the Blessed Sacrament to soldiers on the field just before they went into battle – that appealed to him as he had so officiated many times. On the other side was the representation of a chapel on a battleship, where also a priest administered the Sacrament. The general idea of the window was the angelic powers arranged against the powers of evil”.
The inscriptions read, “Thou art the glory of their strength” and “Remember with thanksgiving and all honour these men of Finedon, who gave their lives in the service of their country during the Great War, 1914 – 1919. May they rest in peace.”
Following in the Footsteps of Phil Gobbey – The Final Instalment
Janet Schmelzer
The previous instalments of “My Walk Around Finedon” following the footsteps of Phil Gobbey in which I described the various business establishments that were operating during my childhood and teenage years centred mainly on High St, Regent, St, Well St, and Church St which is where most of the shops were. This final installment will look at the shops and businesses in the other parts of Finedon during the 1930/40s.
At the corner of Irthlingborough Road and Allen Road was Joe Bonham’s busy grocery shop and there were two other small shops next to door. I have clear vision of Reg Foster’s barber shop, or “Gentlemen’s Hairdresser” as I believe his sign proclaimed. A number of children of both sexes were customers, and I was one of them. Back then most little girls wore their hair short for practical reasons. Hair-washing and drying could be a chore and it was not until well after WWII that hairdryers became available. So, Mr. Foster snipped and snipped then ran the electric clippers
15 up my neck – not a happy occasion. A short way up the road was a pub, the Remmington Arms, [Dolben Arms] usually known as “Remmys.”
Turning the corner into Allen Road I remember two shops across from each other about halfway along. Apart from thinking they were grocers/sweetshops and/or greengrocers my memory of these is hazy as I was in Allen Road only when I went to visit my cousin in Eastfield Crescent, known as “the new estate” in my childhood, or occasionally getting fish and chips from Powell’s on the corner opposite Bonham’s.
A few streets away was Mulso Road where we lived, and almost opposite we had the useful small grocery and sweetshop attached to the house of a Mrs. Fox. Before sweet-rationing was introduced, I and the neighbourhood kids spent our pocket money choosing from the many large glass jars of sweets – a ha’pth of this or a penn’th of that. Later, when Mrs. Fox retired the Bale family, who had moved from London became the proprietors.
At the bottom of Mulso Road a car sales and repair shop and occasional taxi service was run by a Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but this business was greatly affected by the arrival of the Second World War, as I recall. On the corner of Mulso Road and Wellingborough Road was Bailey’s shoe factory and I was fascinated by the sound of its “time for work” whistle followed by the chug-chug of the machinery starting up early in the morning.
In the corner of Mulso and Obelisk Road’s was a tannery, but I have forgotten its name [Debdale Leather Company]. Further up Obelisk Road, and on the opposite side, was Reg (Pross) Cooper’s barber shop and then Goodman’s newspaper and sweet shop. Turning left and going downhill on Irthlingborough Road was Mr. Kirton’s bakery on the right. We were his customers, but I cannot recall if he delivered by van or if, like our milkman Harry Twelvetree, he had a horse and cart. More likely a van, I think. My dad often made wine, and he made it from a variety of things – dandelion, coltsfoot, parsnip, elderflower, elderberry and mead (with honey from his hives) I was often sent to Mr. Kirton for a small amount (tuppence, I believe) of yeast in a piece of greaseproof paper.
Leaving Kirton’s we walk down to the crossroads and turn left onto Wellingborough Road and in a few yards reach the Co-op grocery and butcher shops. When I was young these belonged to Finedon Industrial Co-operative Society which later became part of Wellingborough Co- operative Society. The right-hand side of the grocery shop was where we bought butter, cheese, bacon, etc. and I was always fascinated by the electric slicing machine and the interesting whirring sound it made. Cheese was sliced with a wire on a marble slab. The other half of the shop was for
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Debdale Leather Company, Obelisk Road. The gateway in the white fence on the left lead to the workshop of Reg Spencer, shoemaker, and repairer. Photograph kindly provided by Eileen Abbott. sugar, tea, flour, biscuits, etc. Those of you, of similar age to me will remember customers had a Dividend Number which we gave to the person serving us, and in return we received a small paper slip. I believe twice a year (or maybe it was just yearly) the “divvy” was paid out to the Co-op customers. I can still remember our number, 1019. We bought our meat from Frank Cooper in Dolben Square and so I was never familiar with the adjoining Co-op butcher shop.
Continuing along Wellingborough Road I can just remember a small shop belonging to the Electric Company and used as a showroom, but this may well have closed by WWII. A bit further along was a wood yard and I believe Phil Gobbey’s reminiscence gave a description of this business. A little further was a sweetshop at the top of Parker’s Yard Road; this was Warner’s. Crossing the road, and a short distance along, was another sweetshop on the corner of Summerlee Road; this was also an “off-licence” I believe and was owned by people named Cook.
On the same side and little further was a gentlemen’s clothing shop owned by Mr. Pope. I believe the sign read Thos. E. Pope which amused me to read it phonetically, I guess the sign lacked the space to spell out Thomas.
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The next businesses I remember were on the corner of Milner Road. The first being a house selling and/or repairing radios, or “the wireless” as it was usually called then and before more people owned the electricity-powered kind. This shop, Richardson’s I think, also provided replacement batteries for the older type of wireless. I believe they were called “accumulators” and they were very heavy things to lug out of the shop and back home. Then came the Post Office followed The Wellingborough Electric Supply by the greengrocery shop of Company Ltd. showroom. c1940. Mr. Collis. Image J. Wills
I remember Amey’s garage for petrol and car repairs but as my dad never had a car it was not a place we used. Even further, and one of the last buildings on Wellingborough Road was The Woodfield Maternity Home. As a child this was always a great mystery to me as no “grown-up” would tell me what the place was, but I remember someone telling me it was “a bit like the Cottage Hospital.” Having not come across the word maternity before I recall pronouncing the name on the board as “Matt-er-Nitty” and no one bothered to correct me because that would have meant explanations as to its purpose. Thank goodness times have changed and the mystery of babies arriving is no longer kept from children.
I have enjoyed my walk and hope you have too. The various Committee Members of the Historical Society have been good enough to send me a good many pictures and descriptions of several of the local businesses, street scenes and new houses, etc. that have enabled me to see how much Finedon has changed in recent years. I would not recognize many of the areas now. I am impressed with all the attractive brickwork and stonework of the new houses and that finally, many have a garage or parking area, so these streets are not clogged on either side with parked vehicles. This was never a problem in my day!
On behalf of the society, I would like to thank Janet for writing the four fascinating articles describing her walks, from the 1930s and 1940s, around Finedon. MB
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59.00
28.92
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The Chaste Memorial Window, St Mary’s Parish Church, Finedon
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