My father, Jim Joplin was a belly gunner with the Leftwich crew. The other gunners Lewis Bidle, John Yesso and Rexford Merritt and the bombardier Carl Holtz were not required on this non-combat flight. My dad recalls Sandmeyer and Christie suffered burns, but soon after returned to the Lefwich crew. Klauber broke his leg and did not return to the crew. Grace Sharkey was a link trainer at the Cheddington air base. 406th CO Lt. Col. Earle Aber commented that they were all lucky to have survived.

As teenagers in the early seventies I recall my best friend and I were told of the crash site and the fact that the aircraft burned on the ground. Both our parents remembered it as they had lived in the area a long time. My friend and I searched high and low for some sort of evidence in the area but found nothing significant except for evidence of molten alluminium over some of the stones in a field boundary wall. These were situated about one hundred metres from Broad Lane in the wall to the left of the foot path.

One word I heard as a youngster was MASHING apparently if you went courting Brown Edgers went MASHING often heard it said “HERS GONE MASHING”

I went to Brown Edge School 74 years ago and i went to the infants but it was not in Laneends it was in the VALE &there was a play ground

Hi what a great web site for Brown Edge. My Gran was born in Brown Edge in 1893 and looking at the school pictures one of them could be her do you know what date the school picture’s where taken. My Gt Gt Granddad Robert Lowe was born 1824 at Hough Hill and his son my Gt granddad James Lowe was born at Hough Hill in 1868 and his daughter my Gran Mary Ellen Lowe was born in Broad Lane Brown Edge in 1893. Hope to hear from you soon. Annette

i remember the crash very well ilived at the top of willfield lane and ran over the fields to the crash site when i arrived tthe crew were walking away from the plane i remember the lady crew member combing her hair as she walked away and thinking that was cool.

[…] Injured soldiers January 19, 2014 […]

Ernest Clowes of Ball Lane, Brown Edge, enlisted on May 29, 1918 aged 35 – as a colliery under-manager he had not enlisted earlier in the war. He joined B Company, 5th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment and qualified as a Lewis gunner. Posted to Belgium at the start of October 1918 with the rank of Private and was taken prisoner very soon afterwards during fighting at Ypres. He was transferred to the Dulmen POW camp in Germany. Liberated after the Armistice, he eventually arrived back in Ball Lane on January 29 1919 and went back to his work in local collieries. Though he eventually lost his sight, probably as a result of a mining accident, he lived to old age at Milton.

I have tried to identify my Grandfather ‘Harry Baggley’ but it just keeps adding another radial button & does not display his name properly, I’m not sure if the highlighting of the people has to be done by a moderator of this sight or not

The chap in flat cap with pocket watch his my grandad harry baggley never forget pocket watch my brother had it few years ago

This is a fantastic website all of my family on my mums side are from brown edge. My grandparents lived there from birth till death 5 years ago. I now live in there family home. Nan was a proud brown edger as am I xx

George Berrisford I have enjoyed looking at these photod i still class myself as a BROWN EDGER although i left a number of years ago My Mother & Dad kept the Fish & Chip Shop from 1931 untill 1966 the year my Father passed away My sister Joan lived there 79 years she passed away in 2012 i stillhave many friends there Alan Hayes Brian Procter & many more

Yes I remember singing the songs with my friend Joy Scarlet. We had cardboard masks that we decorated, we had a candle in a jar and went guizing. We still reminisce about our good old days in Brown Edge. Although I have not heard of souling in the morning, that was before my time. Elsie Morris

Hi Pete
I have really enjoyed going through the family tree, so fascinating, the Fosters and Symcock’s really are an entwined bunch. I think I can make a correction to Simeon Simcock’1857 details his mother was Joice Charlesworth born Biddulph. He was my great grandfather. I would like to know how to access the Brown Edge connections page. I could add to joshua Symcock’s family details, also the Fosters details.
Elsie

Hi, I’ve added my Great Grandfather John Snape, I sent you this photo a few years ago I recognized the damage on the right hand side, I’ve got a couple more I’ll try to scan them and email them to you.

My late adoptive father was the son of Hannah (your aunt). I remember visiting Aunty Beattie at Lane End with my Grandad John Sims when he took me for walks around Brown Edge.

My Uncle Hugh Gasken enlisted in the North Staffs 1914 as Private16140 after training he was transferred to 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment and arrived in France on the 4th May1915 he fought thru 1915-1916 and after the Battle of the Some he was promoted to L/Cpl and had leave at home before returning to France to join The 8th Battalion Lincs he fell at he Battle of Arras on the 23rd April 1917 he is remembered at the Arras Memorial Pas de Calais.
His Daughter Edna was born on the 27th May 1917.

We currently have for sale the British War Medal 1914-1918 awarded to 19551 Private ALBERT FINNEY, North Staffordshire Regiment, who lived at St Annes Vale, Brown Edge and enlisted on 3 December 1915: He served in Mesopotamia with the 7th.Battalion and later transferred to the Military Foot Police: He returned home to Bank End, Brown Edge in March 1919: He is recorded as marrying Mary Goodwin at St Annes Church, Brown Edge on 15 October 1898 and they had one son named Percy who was born on 14 July 1906 at Brown Edge.

BBA 564 came from Salford Corporation and was an A.E.C. Regent with Park Royal H28/26R body and was sold to Beckett of Bucknall in 1955.

MARK TATE

The last picture shows the valley before the trees were planted near the wall. What a pity they are there are we now have lost such a wonderful view of the valley. Can we have our view back please.

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Has anyone any information regarding John Thomas Willott also known as Tommy Hood I believe he sometimes used to sing in the Colliery Arms Pub. EX world WAR 1 SOLDIER , injured and used a wheel chair , to visit the pub. He lived in Hill Top Back Lane . died in 1934 age 33. buried in St Ann’s church .( wife Betty had 5children . Trying to piece together his short army record , and Past History ?

Arthur Bourne was my Mother’s uncle. The story has always been that Arthur lied about his age and enlisted when he was 16. He died in France, his body never being found. National Archives show that he was Private 57713 in the Lancashire Fusiliers and was killed in action on 1st September 1918.

Arthur was one of 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls. My Mother, Alice, was born on 30th October 1917 to Jim Bourne, Arthur’s brother.

Just had to leave this comment – my Mother, Alice Bourne, (dob 30/10/1917) fell head first into the well as a child and was rescued by the milkman!

I remember Miss Devenport very well and this site brought back lots of memories, both my Mother and Father are on the above picture of the Dramatic Society and I am the girl sitting right in front of Mary Harvey My father was the Sheriff on the left of the picture in front of Joe Cumberlidge and my Mother is just at the back of the Rev Attoe think they did a few plays : “Haste to the Wedding” “Storm on a loving Cup” and the one above “Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage patch” there may have been others Mrs Proctor was the Producer and rehersals used to take part in the members houses. Also remember Mrs Benton and was also taught by Miss May Berrisford in the junior school. Great memories !!

I assume this photo was taken after the war as a lot of the men in civilian clothes are wearing their regimental cap badges on their lapels.
The chap seated far right next to the man with the walking stick is my grandfather Robert (Bob) Lomas who served with the Lincolnshire Regiment in France and in his later life lived at Stile Cottage
Hill Top.

Hi Peter,
You may have our part of the Family in your records, but just in case not I detail our extension of the Ivor and Clarence Nixon segment.
My Grandfather Albert Nixon was related to them I am not sure how,he and Grandma Emma Nixon lived just across the rocks in the cottage on Top Row. Albert was a church warden at St Anne’s for many years.
Albert and Emma had three children John,Miriam and Elsie.
Elsie married John Evans who was killed in action in North Africa they had one son Linden,and she later married William Bourne.
Miriam married Richard Turner they did not have children.
John (Jack) married Gladys May Whitehouse. John as most did at that time worked in the mines,They had five boys myself David,Christopher,Peter,Philip and Stephen all still surviving.
John was an accomplished pianist by the time he was 11 and in 1932 he played the Church organ at his sisters wedding at St Anne’s for the first time but not his last,he stayed as organist from that date and later choirmaster for an unbroken 40 years.I too was in the choir.
We have our modern day generation now and if you would like to know more I am only too happy to pass it on.

John Simcock who is commemorated on the village war memorial was my great uncle. He was killed on 30th December 1917 which was also his birthday. He is buried in Ribecourt British Cemetery near Cambrai. He was a private in the North Staffordshire regiment. The family have a commemorative plate which was given to his parents we think by the people of Brown Edge after his death.