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| General Sir Arthur Paget |
23rd Division was inspected by General Sir Arthur
Paget, Commanding the Southern Command.
Having had 11 days of his sentence remitted on account of
his good conduct, Pte. Thomas Angus
McAndrew (see 18th March)
was released from detention and returned to duty.
The weekly edition of the Craven Herald published a list of
the names of local shop workers currently
serving in the armed forces.
SKIPTON SHOP ASSISTANTS’ ROLL OF
HONOUR
The
following members of the Skipton branch of the National Amalgamated Union of
Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks are now serving with the colours:
Comrades Brear, Branston, Willis Bell, Clidero, Cartledge, Cartman, Dean,
Frankland, Nelson, Spence, Senior, Scorah, Barrett, Derbyshire, Gooding,
Golightly, Hall, Harescugh and Noble.
A Roll
of Honour bearing their names has been formed and further additions are
expected.
Two of the men named had been among the Skipton volunteers
attached to Tunstill’s Company in September 1914. They were Pte. Charlie Branston and Pte. Tommy Cartman. Charlie and Tommy were
cousins, but both had been brought up by Charlie’s parents, James and Hannah
Branston.
Charlie Branston had been born in Skipton on 18th
March 1896. He was the son of James Branston and Hannah Cartman. James and
Hannah had married in Chorlton, Manchester in the summer of 1882. In 1881 James
(then described as an ‘outdoor labourer) and his elder brother William (a
shoemaker) had been lodgers at 25 Stanley Street, Gorton, Manchester; though
both had been born in Clifton Dunsmore in Warwickshire, in 1859 and 1855
respectively. Hannah Cartman had been born in Skipton on 13th
December 1859. She was the eldest daughter (of at least 10 children) of Henry
Cartman and Rebecca Spencer (they had been married in the spring of 1858). In
1871 she had been living in the family home at 33 Millfields, Skipton. However,
by 1881 Hannah (by then described as a cotton weaver) was living in the
household of her cousin, Jane Kirkbright, at 3 Gladstone Street, along with 3 of her
brothers. Her parents were then living at 7 Queens Court (off Caroline Square)
with 3 other of their children. How Hannah came to be married in Chorlton is
unclear, although it must be a possibility that she had moved to the Manchester
area in pursuit of work, as the Branstons had no obvious connection with
Skipton.
James and Hannah’s elder children, Henry Cartman Branston
and Ellen Rebecca Branston, were both born in the Chorlton area (on 21st
December 1883 and in the spring of 1886), although Henry was baptized in
Skipton on 3rd February 1884. Their younger children, Eva (1892),
Charles (1896) and James (1900) were all born in Skipton. Indeed, the family
had moved back to Skipton by 1891 when they were living at 13 Albert Street. In
1891 James was working as a railway fireman and by 1901 he had become a railway
engine driver. However, James died, aged just 44, on 7th June 1904;
the cause of death was stated to have been phthisis (TB).
Hannah was thus widowed, at the age of 44, and left with the
care of 5 children (3 of whom were under 12). Also living with her in 1901 had
been her mother and Hannah’s younger sister, Ellen Ann Cartman (born 26th
April 1865 and described in 1901 as a ‘general domestic servant’), with her
illegitimate son, Thomas Boothman (Tommy) Cartman (born 1895).
Charlie and Tommy had both worked at Lipton’s Grocers in
Sheep Street, Skipton and had enlisted together in Skipton on 18th
September 1914. They were among a small group of five men who had all completed
papers on the same day. The others were Henry
Briley (see 5th April),
Tom Greenwood and Harry Widdup (see 2nd October 1914).
Tom Greenwood was 21 years old and originally from
Ramsbottom. He was the eldest of six children of William and Alice Greenwood
and had moved, along with the rest of the family to Earby at some point between
1907 and 1911, where he had been working as a weaver for the Earby
Manufacturing Company. He was also a member of the local Wesleyan Guild.
The same edition also made reference to postal workers
currently serving. Among them were Tunstill recruit Tom Swales (see 12th
September 1914) and Henry Cartman Branston, elder brother of Charlie
Branston (see above).
PATRIOTIC POSTAL
OFFICIALS
Skipton’s Splendid
Record
The staff of the Skipton Post Office has since the outbreak
of war been depleted to the number of 16 as a result of men joining the
colours. In normal circumstances the total staff is about 40, so that
enlistments are almost in the proportion of 50 per cent, which, for an office
of this description, is a highly creditable record.
It has of course been necessary to use temporary assistance
on both indoor and outdoor staffs, but despite lack of experience on the part
of the new employees there has been practically no curtailment of the
facilities either in the postal, telegraph or telegram services, except such as
have been rendered imperative by military expediency.
The presence for so many months of a large number of troops
in the town has severely taxed the energy and resources of the staff and the
efficiency of the service which has been maintained speaks well for the work of
those who have had to bear the brunt of the pressure in the absence of the men
withdrawn.
The following are the names of those who have enlisted:
Indoor Staff: J. Parker, E. Miller, T.F. Wright and J.T. Savage. Outdoor Staff:
J. Norton, B.M. Sheridan, A. Shirt, L. Leeming, E.F. Shaw, J.W. DeBurgh, T.
Swale, S. Rhodes, W. Smith, B.E. Robertshaw, H.C. Branston and B. Dale. Those
at present under orders for the Royal Engineers are J.C. Peffer (acting
postmaster), T. Cousins, A. Pritchard and J.W. Parkinson.
One member of staff, Private Bryan Dale, has been killed in
action and those on active service at present are J. Parker, J. Norton, S.
Shirt, A. Leeming and B.N. Sheridan.
