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The War Memorial

In 1920 the fountain was reconstructed      as a War Memorial to the 11 soldiers       from the village killed in the Great War

On Yorkshire day August 1st 1997   You were ‘never a Langcliffian ‘til you’d tumbled in’t fountain. It were slimey on’t side and you’d be leant over drinking out o’t spout –and in!

The War Memorial stands in the centre of the village. There was a fountain there in Victorian times of which the base was retained when it was decided to convert the fountain into a War Memorial after the First World War. The design of a fountain surmounted by a stone cross was chosen by the relatives of those to be commemorated. On Saturday 17th July 1920 there was a special ceremony for the Unveiling and Dedication of the Memorial Cross (see Appendix). The inscription reads :

IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF LANGCLIFFE

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR

1914 - 1919

The names of eleven men are carved around the base of the cross.

The names of the four men killed in the Second World War were not added until 1995. The problem had been that in the preceding decades, the farmers had brought their cows through the village and they used to stop and drink at the fountain. One of the mothers did not feel it was appropriate that her son's name should be inscribed above where the animals drank, so nothing was done until fifty years after the end of the war. On August 13th 1995 a service of commemoration was led by Canon Hudson to honour those who had died during the 1939 - 1946 conflict. It was attended by relatives of the men who were killed.

Each year, on Remembrance Sunday, a special service is held at the War Memorial to remember the men from the village who gave their lives in both World Wars. Those commemorated are as follows:

1914 - 1919

CAPTAIN CLAUDE DENHAM BENNETT

2/6th Bn Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment

Captain Bennett was the Headmaster of the village school. Originally from Skipton, he came to the school in 1911. In the three years before he joined up in September 1914, the entries in the school log book give glimpses of a very enlightened teacher. Each year the school was "thrown open" for an afternoon so that the parents could observe the children at their work with tea and biscuits supplied. He clearly wanted to broaden the horizons of his young pupils - thirteen excursions are recorded including visits to Blackpool, Liverpool, Morecambe and two one-day trips to London. The itineraries are quite breathtaking and what wonderful pictures they conjure up. Several lantern lessons from different parts of the world are also recorded. All this came to an end when he received a commission as Lieutenant in the 2nd Division of the 6th West Riding Reserve Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, rising quickly to the rank of captain and inspiring great devotion from his men. The role of the 2/6th Battalion initially was that of training and reinforcement, based mainly in Doncaster and it was not until February 5th 1917 that it embarked for France, subsequently taking part in the Battles of Arras and Bullecourt. Captain Bennett was wounded in May 1917 but had made a good recovery. He returned to the front at Lagnicourt on July 11th 1917 to command "B" company. They were occupying the reserve support trenches but were due to relieve the troops in the front line. On the night of 16/17th July, Captain Bennett had gone to company headquarters to arrange this when he was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper as he was leaving. He was thirty years old. On Monday 6th December 1915 he had been married to Doris Green at All Saints' Church in Preston. He is buried at Achiet-le-Grand Communal Cemetery Extension, France. Plot 1, Row K, Grave 9

SECOND LIEUTENANT VICTOR RUPERT ATKINSON

1/6th Bn Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment

Lieutenant Atkinson was the only son of Dr and Mrs Atkinson who lived at Bowerley. He had been educated at Giggleswick School and was a member of the OTC there. On leaving school, he joined the Inns of Court OTC and after fifteen months training, he received his commission as Lieutenant in the 1st Division of the 6th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. He went out to France in April 1917. He was described as " a splendid officer, honest, straight and unassuming, good humoured and charming". He took part in the Battles of Ypres and Passchendaele. He returned home on leave for a week in October and then rejoined his company which was moved up into the front line at Passchendaele. Work had begun on a communication trench but, in the early morning of 23rd November, following some very heavy shelling, Lt. Atkinson was badly wounded and died a few hours later. He was twenty years old. The entry in the Parish magazine records that "the news of his death cast a gloom over the whole village where he had spent his whole life and had endeared himself to all by his charming personality." Lt. Atkinson is buried at Aeroplane Cemetery, Belgium.

LANCE CORPORAL THOMAS MONK

1967 1/6th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Lance Corporal Monk had lived in Chapel House but was living at Beecroft Cottages in Horton-in-Ribblesdale whilst working at the quarry there. He joined the Settle Territorials in September 1914 and, following training at Doncaster, went out with the 1st Division of the 6th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in April 1915. He was described as an excellent NCO and a very good fellow indeed, being extremely popular with his company. There followed action at Aubers, Albert and at the Battle of the Somme, where he was killed on the night of 15th September 1916 as his company was coming into the front line trenches near Martinsart Wood. The enemy made a bombing attack and he was hit in the head by shrapnel and died instantly. Lance Corporal Monk was aged twenty nine years, he had returned home on special leave a few weeks before he was killed and was married to Lilly Watson on 29th August 1916. He is buried at Blighty Valley Cemetery, France.

PRIVATE WALTER HARTLEY

265645 2nd Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Private Hartley lived in St John's Row. Prior to the war, he had been in service to Colonel Birkbeck. In September 1914 he joined up with the local Territorials and went to France in April 1915. Having been in the front line, Private Hartley's battalion was relieved and moved to a support area at Au-bon-Gite. On 2nd October 1917 they were again relieved and moved to Saragossa Camp. As the relief was being carried out, there was heavy firing from the enemy and Private Hartley was hit in the head and died later at the clearing station. He was twenty two years old and much esteemed by everyone. He is buried at Mendinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium.

PRIVATE JOSEPH HIGGINSON

G/14907 6th Bn Buffs (East Kent) Regiment

Private Higginson joined the army in June 1916 and was sent to France the following September. He was killed in action on September 19th 1918 in his thirty sixth year. He has no known grave but is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial Panel No 3, between Arras and Cambrai. His parents were Joseph and Catherine Higginson and they lived in Institute House.

PRIVATE JOHN WILLIAM HILTON

266726 1/6th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Private Hilton was the grandson of Mrs Hilton of Langcliffe and it was she who had brought him up. He had worked at Langcliffe Mills before the war and was a member of the Church choir. He joined the army in May 1916 and sailed for France on Christmas Day of that year. His battalion saw action at Ypres, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle and Passchendaele. They had been in the front line in the St Jans Cappel area and were relieved on 18th April 1918, withdrawing to the Army Line. On the following day, Private Hilton was killed whilst carrying ammunition on what was described in the War Diary as a "quiet day". He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.

PRIVATE THOMAS HIGSON PERCY

1326 6th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Private Percy, a quarryman before the war, was married to Lily Clarke, with a baby daughter, Irene. They lived at Holmehead. He joined the Territorials with the 6th Battalion West Riding Regiment in September 1914 and had been in training in Doncaster. He had gone to Bradford Infirmary for an operation, but died during it on 9th March 1915. He was twenty one. Because he died in England , Private Percy is the only one of the servicemen to be buried here in Langcliffe. His funeral took place on March 19th. The pall bearers were eight men from the 6th Battalion who were home on leave and the coffin was covered with the Union Jack with his cap and belt placed on top. His grave, with its familiar War Graves Commission design, is behind the church on the north side.

PRIVATE ALBERT SMALES

2427728 1/5th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Private Smales worked at the Craven Lime Works in Langcliffe before the war and lived at Ribblebank. Much respected by all who knew him, he joined the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in January 1916. On the evening of 2nd September, the battalion moved into the front line. Early the next morning began one of the big "pushes" of the Battle of the Somme. The German front line was bombarded by an intense artillery barrage for three minutes during which the infantry advanced. The attack failed and ended in confusion. There were 330 casualties and one of those lost was Private Smales. At first he was reported missing and his parents hoped he had been taken prisoner, but he was officially reported killed on the 3rd September 1916. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in France.

PRIVATE ROBERT THOMPSON

16064 1st Bn. King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)

Private Thompson was well known in the district of Langcliffe and Settle. His sister lived at Ribblebank. He had served for several years in the Royal Lancaster Regiment, mostly in India, so with the outbreak of war, he rejoined his regiment. He would have seen action at the Battles of The Marne and The Aisne and the 1st Battle of Ypres. Private Thompson was killed in action in Ploegsteert Wood on March 27th 1915. He was twenty eight. He is buried at the Strand Military Cemetery, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium. Grave Reference X.F.10.

LANCE CORPORAL GEORGE H. VENN

P/1755 Military Foot Police

Lance Corporal Venn was born and grew up in Ribblebank. He was married to Maggie and they had two children and for three and a half years he served with the Clitheroe Police. Prior to that he had been a member of the West Riding Regiment and had represented his company on several occasions in firing for the Regimental Cup. He had also been selected to receive the Regimental Colours from King Edward VII. At the outbreak of war, he joined the Military Police and was for some months stationed at Aldershot before sailing for the Dardenelles. The ship collided with another and sank off Gallipoli on the 28th October 1915. Lance Corporal Venn was drowned. He was twenty six. Although commemorated on the war memorial as a private, he had been promoted to Lance Corporal. He is also commemorated on the Helles Memorial in Turkey, Panel 200 or 300.

PRIVATE JOHN WEST

2606 1/6th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Private West lived in St John's Row. He worked at the Langcliffe Paper Mill and was a popular young man - an enthusiastic player with the village football club and also a member of Langcliffe Brass Band. With the outbreak of war he joined the Duke of Wellington's Regiment and following training in Doncaster,was sent to the front in April 1915. The battalion fought at the Battle of Aubers on 9th May 1915. By December 1915, the men were well established in trench warfare. The day had been very wet but the night was bright. Despite this a good deal of wiring was done. Corkscrew iron stakes were used for the first time. There was intermittent rifle and machine gun fire on both sides. Private West was killed by a rifle bullet in his chest at 5.05 a.m on 16th December 1915. He was 23. He is buried at the Talana Farm Cemetery in Belgium.

The Roll for 1939 - 1945

SERGEANT JOHN HEPTON HOCKING

4694312 1/7th Bn Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Sergeant Hocking was the third child of a family of three boys and three girls who lived in the first cottage on the left in Howson Lane. He passed the scholarship to Giggleswick School, left at sixteen and went into banking. He worked at the Yeadon Branch of Barclays Bank. He joined the army and soon after D-Day was sent out to France where he saw a great deal of action before being wounded, returning to hospital in this country. He recovered and returned to active duty in September 1944 The battalion took part in the liberation of Roosendaal in Holland in October 1944. On 4th December the Dukes were positioned at Haalderen near Arnhem when they were attacked by three companies of the German 16th Parachute regiment with heavy Spandau and mortar fire. The fighting which followed was chaotic and went on throughout the night but eventually the enemy were repulsed and the position held. The 7th Battalion lost 31 men and one of these was Sergeant Hocking. He is buried at the Jonkerbos War Cemetery. He was twenty nine.

SERGEANT LESLIE BENSON

2/4th Bn Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Sergeant Benson grew up at Willow Wood. He was the manager of the Co-op. at Settle. He loved walking over the hills and was a member of the choir of the Methodist Chapel in the village. He was also a member of Settle Badminton team. He and Clarice had been married for five years and they had a baby son. Sergeant Benson was called up and joined the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1940. He fought in the North African campaign, fighting through the Western Desert to Tunisia. His battalion took part in the invasion of Italy before being sent to the Middle East in March 1944. Sergeant Benson died of wounds on 30th April 1944. He is buried at Haifa. He was twenty nine.

ABLE SEAMAN GEORGE AUSTIN GREEN

C/JX 641790

Able Seaman Green lived in the house behind the "Pig and Whistle" and worked in Tatham's Grocers Shop in Settle (now the sports shop). He was on honeymoon with his wife, Barbara when he was recalled to Greenock and his ship. He was in H.M.Landing Ship 321 (used for landing tanks and known as "kipper boxes") when it sank and he was drowned in Subik Bay, Manila in the Philippines on 6th April 1946. He was twenty three. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Panel 82, Column 2.

CORPORAL ERIC WHAITES

4614968 1st Bn Gordon Highlanders

Corporal Whaites was the son of John and Catherine Whaites and worked in the quarries, but with the outbreak of war, he had joined the Gordon Highlanders. His regiment had landed in Normandy in early June 1944. In the second week of July, Caen had been captured. By 14th August, the 1st Gordons were at St Sylvain. They continued to advance towards the Seine, crossing the River Dives on 17th August. The next objective was the River Vie. The river was being heavily shelled by the enemy and the road beyond was under machine fire. At 8 a.m. on the morning of Saturday 19th August, the 1st Gordons were able to cross the river without too much difficulty under the cover of a heavy mist. They soon found themselves under attack and fought their way through orchards at the foot of a slope, leading to a ridge called "Ben Lomond" which was their objective. By mid afternoon the battalion was firmly established on the ridge, but Corporal Whaites had been lost. He was 33 years old. He is buried at the Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetry, Calvados in France, Plot 9, Row C, Grave 11.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SOURCES Craven Roll of Honour, Craven Herald 1914-1918, Langcliffe

Parish Magazines1914-1918, War Graves Commission, Duke of

Wellington's Regiment War Diary and Archives, Langcliffe School

Log Books, King's Own Royal Regiment, Lancaster Buffs Museum,

Canterbury, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Office, Pontefract,

The Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen.

GRATEFUL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR THEIR HELP

Barbara Gent of Giggleswick School Library, Hilary Foster of Langcliffe School, Hazel

Eddon of Skipton Library, Scott Flaving of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Derek

Soames, Rita Ellerington, Ron Fenner, Mrs Tomlinson, Mrs Benson and Mrs Lister.

Kate Croll

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APPENDIX

Account from the Craven Herald in July 1920

LANGCLIFFE WAR MEMORIAL

Cross Unveiled

On Saturday the unveiling and dedication service in connection with the memorial cross at Langcliffe took place in fine weather, before a large gathering. The fountain in the centre of the village has been converted, the upper portion being taken away, and the cross inserted into the bottom basin. After the hymn "On the Resurrection morning," prayers were said by Rev. E.C.Charlesworth (Wesleyan minister).

The unveiling ceremony was performed by Lieut.-Col. Bateman, D.S.O., colonel of the 6th Duke of Wellington's Regiment, who said they were there that day to perpetuate the memory of those who fell in the great war, and they had placed there a cross as a perpetual reminder of it. The world, it seemed, had not yet fully realised that peace, for which they had fought, and at the present time it seemed that we should not recognise the fullness of that peace for some years.

The Vicar of Langcliffe, Rev. Mr James, read the lesson (Revelations xxi., 1-5). After the hymn "For all the saints," the dedication took place, and an inspiring address was given by Rev. A.P. Gower Rees, M.C., Vicar of Bolton, Bradford. Then followed the hymn "O God our help in ages past" and the "Last Post" was sounded by Mr A.T. Bilton. The Langcliffe Brass Band accompanied the hymns, which were sung by the united choirs of the Parish Church and the Wesleyan Church, conducted by Mr John Leaworthy.

On one side of the cross are the words: "In memory of the men of Langcliffe who gave their lives in the great war, 1914-1919"; and on the other three sides are inscribed the following names:- Capt. C.D. Bennett, Lieut. R.V. Atkinson, Lance-Corpl. T. Monk, Pte. A. Smales, Pte. R. Thompson, Pte. G. Venn, Pte. J. West, Pte. W. Hartley, Pte. J. Higginson, Pte. W. Hilton, Pte. T.H. Percy.

The arrangements for the service were in the hands of Messrs. H.M. Bannister and C. Rawsthorne. A large number of beautiful floral tributes were placed round the cross, amongst them being the following: "From the members of the Comrades' Club, Settle branch": "From the service men of Langcliffe, to the memory of our comrades who have not returned; they have fought the good fight, they have kept the faith and have finished their course": "In loving memory of our dear son Walter, from his father and mother": "In loving memory of dear uncle Walter, from his nephews James, Sam and Walter": "In loving memory of our dear brother Walter, from his sisters Lillie and Sissie": In loving memory of W. Hilton, from his grandmother and Jimmie": In loving memory of Pte. Thomas Percy, from his affectionate child and wife": "In Loving memory of Rupert, the flowers he loved,Bowerley": "In tenderest memory of Capt. Claude Bennett, Killed in action July 18th 1917, For God and Liberty, Annie and Eva": "In loving memory of our dear son and brother, Lance-Corpl. Thomas Monk, from mother, sisters, brother, Chapel House, Langcliffe, R.I.P.": "In loving memory of Capt. C.D. Bennett, from his friends": "In affectionate rememberance, from Elizabeth Bowerley": "In loving memory of Pte. Albert Smales, killed in action on the Somme 3rd September, 1916. At rest for all time": "In loving memory of Pte. John West, from home and Auntie".

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