Author: Brian Ward

Husband of Jane Winder, father of Basil Hathornthwaite Winder. On page 45 of ‘Hathersage Images from the Past’ is a picture of Charles Winder who lived in Hall Cottage on Baulk Lane. He was a retired owner of an Iron Foundry in Sheffield, and the Red Cross records show him as being responsible for all repairs and carpentry at the WW1 Hathersage Red Cross VAD Hospital.

He was serving in the volunteers and military before WW1. (London Gazette, 24/11/1908; ‘6 Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters, the under-mentioned officers, from the 2 Volunteer Battalion, are appointed to the battalion, with rank and precedence as in the Volunteer Force, except as stated below. Dated 1/4/1908 :—Captain Basil Hathornthwaite Winder reverts to rank of Lieutenant, with precedence from 29/10/1906’). (DC 19/9/1914 about 6 Bn Notts & Derby’s preparing for war, mentions Captain Winder, formerly of Hathersage).  b 1880 at Sheffield, son of Jane and Charles Aston Winder, (his father is depicted on p 45 of the booklet; ‘Hathersage Images from the Past’).

Continue reading “WINDER, Basil Hathornthwaite”

Pte 556 Manchester Regt, died 3/5/1913 in Jullunbur, India, (before WW1). b1886 Ashton, half-brother to George Stewart Williamson above.

 (DT 22/3/1924; ‘Mr John Wiggett, a well-known native of Hathersage, met with an accident some weeks ago at Messrs. Vickers’ works in Sheffield, as reported in the Derbyshire Times at the time. He sustained a compound fracture of the leg and the limb has since been amputated. Wiggett, it is stated, has been gradually darkening in colour for the last seven years, and is now a bluish-black tint from head to foot as he lies in Sheffield Infirmary. He commenced to go darker during the war, when he was engaged on some special work. The extent of the colour varied at times, but latterly Mr Wiggett has been very dark, his colour at times being blue-black. The colour has deepened since he has been in the Infirmary. The case is a very strange and unusual one, and it is thought the nature of the man’s work during the war may have had something to do with the change in colour’) He could be the uncle b 1885 of Charles Lawrence above?

There is a photo of an Arthur Wiggett in uniform in the Scotsman’s Pack Inn, Hathersage, with his father of Church Lane. Research has suggested he is most likely to be James Arthur Wiggett b 1895 Hathersage, brother of Frank above. His father would be Henry also b Hathersage in 1855, mother Mary Ann, b 1856 and in 1911C with six others living in a 3 room house on School Lane. However we have not been able to find out any military records. None of several available family trees have any military information about him. Married Mary Elizabeth (?) who died 22/5/1961 age 67. James Arthur died Hathersage 3/11/1965 age 70.

1918 joined; Duke of Cambridge, Mddx Regt. b 8 Oct 1898 in Sheffield. (Brother of John Percy Widmann above). His name is on the Ecclesall Hall Memorial plaque. He became a pupil at King Edward VI Grammar School, Retford, along with his brother in Sept 1908, and in late 1912 was a boarder there, probably when his parents moved back to Sheffield. He had a motor cycle accident in 1919, while living at 72, Button Hill (his parents home), which prevented him from working for three weeks. He later became an apprentice with the Yorkshire Engine Co., at Sheffield, on completion of which he joined up. Afterwards he became a mechanical engineering draughtsman. He married Marjory Speechly in 1922 at West Bromwich. They had a son William D Widman whose birth on 4 Jan 1923 was registered at Bakewell. In the 1939 Register, the family were living at 9 Maynard Road, Rotherham, where the father died on 30 January 1955. His elder son; William D, went to live at 3 Jubb Close, Wickersley, and another son; Roy, died age 19 serving in WW2, a Leading Aircraftman 1765302 9(P) A.F.U., R.A.F.V.R

 He was listed as a’clerk’ when he originally enlisted in the RNVR on 24/1/1916 at Tyneside (as denoted by the suffix letter’T’ in his service number; TZ/9952). Rank; Ordinary Seaman. Eventually called up to RN Division Wireless Section on 25/7/1916, when until 26/9/1916, he was on the stength of HMS Victory VI (Crystal Palace Training Depot), until 26/9/1916 at which point  he was; “Discharged (Parents of German origin)” when his character was given as ‘VG’ and ability as ‘Sat’. He was then shown as being at Sheffield recruitment Office from where on 2/11/1916 he was transferred to the Army, to D Coy, 31 Bn Middlesex Regt, Pte, (later; temp Cpl) G/71695, and later 6 I.L.Coy. In 1917 shown as being in (probably attached to) R.F.C. and in 1918 he was shown in a school publication, as transferred to the transport service of the Royal Air Service. His name is on the Ecclesall Hall Memorial plaque. (Because he was of German descent he became part of special units within the Mddx Regt and would not have served in the front line. The prefix; ‘G’ to his number indicates this classification). He was awarded the Victory & British War medals.

John Percy, b Sheffield 4 March 1894. Brother of William Swinnerton Widmann below. Most of the following information came from King Edward VI Grammar School, Retford, pages, where he was a pupil from 1908. In 1910 he won his Colours there in football as a half back. He left there in 1911 and went to live at Bacharach, near Bingen in Germany, but by Spring 1913 was working at a steelworks in Belgium. In October 1914, having returned to Sheffield, a Belgian soldier friend sent him a letter giving a vivid description of the fighting in beleaguered Antwerp, which the Sheffield Telegraph published on 10 October 1914. He moved to work in Spain, from where he returned to England in Spring 1916 to join the Colours.

John Percy became a Certified Tax Clerk with the Inland Revenue in 1926 and became a committee member of the Hathersage branch of the Royal British Legion in November 1932, yet in the Sept 1939 Register, he was shown as ‘single’ living at ‘Elmslea’  New Beacon Road, Grantham, after when he too went to live at ‘Birchfield’, Hathersage. He later stayed at the ‘Scotsman’s Pack’ Inn, Hathersage, for some 20 years, but from about 1962 until his death on 13 Jan 1974, he lived at 2 Brookside Cottages, The Dale, Hathersage. His grave is also that of his parents in Hathersage Churchyard.

He was remembered in Hathersage, as walking with a distinct limp from an injury to one leg, possibly as a result of a motor cycle accident.

His father was Carl Wilhelm Widmann, b 16 Feb 1857 Reutlingen, Würtemberg, Germany, but living in Sheffield since 1882. He married Polly Swinnerton in 1884 and became a naturalised British Subject in Mar 1896 when living at 220 Chippinghouse Road, Sharrow, Sheffield., a clerk & ‘foreign correspondent’. 1901C living at 348 Crookesmoor Road, Sheffield, but by 1904 and in 1911C the family was living at Highland Grove, Worksop. Then by 1919 (Whites Directory) living at 72 Button Hill, Ecclesall, but by 1923 living at Birchfield, Jaggers Lane, Hathersage. (He became the Cuban Consul at Sheffield in 1921, operating out of; Stock Exchange Buildings, Commercial Street). Carl died 12 Apr 1925 & his wife Polly died 13 Dec 1938, both at ‘Birchfield’.

Joined the Army straight from School in Youlgreave, rising to 418 Battery Sergeant Major RHA/ R F A. Commissioned 2/Lt 17/6/1916. Home on leave Sept 1917 following the death of his brother George while on active service in August 1917. Awarded MC. Promoted Capt, (assumed honorary rank of Major on demob). b 1888 Alport, Bakewell, son of G Twyford. 1936 living at ‘Brookfield’, Baslow Road, Bakewell. He became landlord of Plough Inn, Hathersage 1947-1956. On his death his wife took the over the licence from him. . Father of two sons and two daughters;

2/Lt R G A. Awarded M C.

b 1880 in Sheffield. 1911 C, a solicitor in Sheffield. His first mention of being in Hathersage was in the 1932 Kellys Directory, living at The Beeches, Sheffield Road. He was the first Chairman of Hathersage British Legion. Died Dec/Jan 1944.

Chaplain 4th class Royal Army Chaplains Dept,  attached to 1st Bn South Wales Borderers and sent to  France 14/12/1915. Awarded MC 1/1/1919; London Gazette, suggests it was for general service rather than any specific act.

b 1884 Halton Lancs, 1911C clerk in Holy Orders at Barrow in Furness.  Hathersage Vicar from 1938, member of Hathersage B Legion in 1943. Died 1966 in Dorset.