Burials A-D St Marks Church, Worsley, Manchester. Civilian, Private Graves, Author Paul Speakman Private Graves A-D AGNEW Family ARMITAGE Mary ATHERTON William BALDWIN John BASSON Ronald ALDRED Edward ASHURST Thomas BECKTON Sarah BARNES Mary Ann BATLEY William ALLCOCK Thomas ATHERTON James BAIRSTOW Greenwood BARTON Henry de BATHE Cicely BAXTER George BENSON Henry BEECHEY Rev. St. Vincent BERRY Ellen BELL Robert BERRY John BERRY William (Swinton) BIRCH George BLACKLOCK Henry BOSCHETTI John BERRY William (Worsley) BIRKBY John BLACKLOCK William BOWERS James BINDLOSS William BIRLEY Hugh Rev. BLAIR Gordon BRADSHAW Thomas BRIGGS Thomas CHADWICK Thomas CHEETHAM Thomas CLARIDGE Thomas COOK Thomas DAWSON Geoffrey DERBYSHIRE Family DOWNES John BROCKBANK Thomas CHAPLIN George CHERRY William CLARKE Asenath CORBETT Charles DARBYSHIRE Ellen DORNING Daniel BROCKBANK Thomas Holland CHATWOOD Samuel CLARIDGE John CLARKE William COULES Reginald DERBYSHIRE Heber DORNING Elias Home

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. John Griffiths, World War Two John Walter Ronald Griffiths JOHN WALTER RONALD GRIFFITHS F/Sgt.RAF d.11 September 1941 aged 20 650725 JOHN WALTER RONALD GRIFFITHS was the son of George Griffiths and of Eva Griffiths (née Upton), of Boothstown. His parents were married at Leigh in 1916 and John was born towards the end of 1920, the eldest of four children. At the start of World War II, he was posted to 102 squadron which was based at RAF Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, near to RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Topcliffe was opened in September 1940 as a bomber station within Bomber Command. From there, 102 Sqn flew the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley heavy bomber, a twin-engined aircraft which was at the forefront of the early bombing raids over Germany. On 15th August 1941, one of the Whitley bombers (serial number Z6746) overshot the runway at Topcliffe on return from operational duties to Hanover at 05.01hrs while landing in poor visibility. The undercarriage collapsed when the aircraft swung out of control and it sustained damage considered serious enough that it had to be written off. All five members of the crew escaped serious injury. It included Sgt. Griffiths who was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. A month later, on 11th September 1941, another Whitley bomber Mark V (serial number Z6870) crashed at 22.50hrs within Topcliffe airfield boundary while the crew were practicing overshooting during a dual-instruction part of a night flying exercise. Three of the crew were killed and two others injured. Whitley Z6870 was taken by 102 Squadron at Topcliffe in July 1941 and remained with them until the accident on 11th September 1941. The aircraft was written off by the Air Ministry as suitable only for scrap as a result of a flying accident (officially Cat.E2/FA). The names of the crew were: Pilot - S/Ldr. Joseph Damien Reardon DFC RAF (43042), aged 26, of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Pilot - Sgt. Harold Edwin Moore RCAF (R/70734), aged 23, of Lawson, Saskatchewan, Canada. Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt. John Walter Ronald Griffiths RAF (650725), aged 20, of Boothstown. Two other crew members, whose names are unknown, were injured. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Information on the graves and memorials located at St. Mark's Church, Worsley, Manchester, UK. World War One, World War Two and Civilian, Author Paul Speakman Welcome to our Website This website is designed to provide information on some of the many people buried at St Mark's Church in Worsley, Greater Manchester and also the history of the church itself and the surrounding area. The Foundation Stone for St Mark's was laid on the 15th June 1844 and the graveyard holds a wealth of stories spanning nearly 180 years. All research and information published on this site is courtesy of local author and historian Paul Speakman. Fundraising St Mark's Church is currently trying to raise funds for much needed structural work. Please click the following link if you can help in anyway. Supporting St Mark's Worsley 2025 is the 175th anniversary of the Church Rectory. Unfortunately the future of this grand old building is far from certain. Please click here to read the history of the Rectory, that was home to rectors from 1850 to 2007. Recent additions to the site include OS Maps from 1848 and 1894 , information in the Church archive section on the Church Choir and Organ and an interesting article from the Manchester Evening News in 1971 , when two local ladies scaled the Church spire. You can use the search bar below to search for people on the site.

Fred Slinger , World War One , WW1 Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester UK Fred Wilby Slinger FRED WILBY SLINGER Pte. Machine Gun Corps (Heavy Branch), d. 5 July 1917 aged 30 76748 BURIED AT WORSLEY Gunner F. W. Slinger, who was buried at Worsley on July 9th with full military honours, was well known in the Winton and Worsley Districts. He was 30 years of age, lived for some time in Catherine Street, attended St. Mark's School, and later became telegraph boy at Worsley. From here he was transferred to the Parcels Department at the Manchester Port Office, where he was employed when war broke out. He was a member of the 5th Manchester Territorials, but did not proceed with the Division to Egypt, and shortly after transferred to the Royal Scots. With the infantry he saw active service on the Western Front, taking part in the Somme battle last year, and in the offensive of this summer. Early in the present year he was transferred Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps, and became one of the crew of Tank no.2. On June 7th, after the battle of Messines, Slinger was at work outside his tank in the zone of shell fire, when he was struck by a portion of a German shell. He was brought to Leicester Hospital, where he received every possible attention, but his wounds proved fatal, and he died on July 5th. Slinger was married but had no children, his widow's home being with Mrs. Goring at 7 Cleaveley Street, Worsley Road, Winton. [Local newspaper] This is how the death of Fred Wilby Slinger was reported in a local newspaper. He was married to Elizabeth (née Goring) on 22 May 1915 at St. Mark's. His father was Thomas, a shop assistant. Fred's address was Railway View, K. William Street, and he was 28 years old. His wife, Elizabeth, was 24 and her father was Erasmus Goring, an engineer, of Patricroft. Fred was awarded the Victory Medal in 1919. He was buried by Campbell Blethyn Hulton on 8 July 1918, having died of wounds at the Fifth Northern Military Hospital, Leicester. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. Albert Frost, World War Two Albert Edward Frost ALBERT EDWARD FROST Off.Cdt. RASC d.14/5/1943 aged 26 S/151416 The son of Elijah and Isabella (née Phillips) Frost, ALBERT EDWARD FROST was the husband of Irene (née Maddison) Frost of Worsley. They were married in the Barton district in the last quarter of 1939. His parents, Elijah and Isabella, had been married on 15 September 1915 at the Irwell Street Wesleyan Chapel, Salford. The role of the RASC in the field fell into two main parts, supply and transport. Supply embraced the provision of food, petrol and lubricants, fuel and light, hospital supplies and disinfectants. Transport was concerned with the conveyance of the above supplies, together with ammunition, engineer stores, ordnance stores and post, from railhead, or from base if no railhead exists, to all units of a field force. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. The McCrea Family, World War Two The McCrea Family The story behind the deaths of Dr. Edward D'Arcy McCrea and his family has an importance and a significance on a number of levels. Sadly, the whole family was killed as a result of a bomb falling on their house on the evening of 22 December 1940. His wife, Edith Florence, aged 44, their son, Patrick Philip Willock, aged 12, and their daughter, Marjorie Gillian Willock, were killed outright. The McCrea family lived at The Cottage, Barton Road - a large house with an orchard in its substantial grounds. There was a house party taking place at the time of the explosion. Nobody survived. Numerous other people, including their housemaid, were killed. The site of the house remained derelict for several years, and then in the mid-fifties the land was taken over by North West Water. That ground was later redeveloped in the nineties and a retirement home, Elmwood, was built. The grave of the family is in the churchyard of St.Mark's Church, Worsley. One message posted on the internet says: ‘My father and grandfather were standing outside their house at 43 Barton Road looking at the searchlights when they were both blown off their feet and up towards the Bridgewater Hotel, they ran round the corner and found that the McCrea house had been totally destroyed and was in flames and belongings were hanging from the branches of the trees.’ The bomb which destroyed the house is thought to have been a parachute bomb. Air raids over Manchester had begun in August 1940 but the heaviest raids were on the nights of the 22 and 23 December 1940. On these two nights, commonly referred to as the Christmas Blitz, it is reckoned that over 680 people were killed in the Manchester area. Because of its importance as an industrial area, Trafford Park was extensively bombed. The parachute bomb was probably dropped over Trafford Park, but drifted off course. The parachute bomb (or mine) was very effective at causing widespread damage by exploding at rooftop height to maximise its explosive capacity. It had the potential to destroy buildings within a 100 yard radius. More information on the McCrea Family can be found here. Researche d and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Burials Q-Z St Marks Church, Worsley, Manchester. Civilian, Private Graves, Author Paul Speakman Private Graves Q-Z RASBOTHAM Peter REISS Reginald RIDYARD Family RAWLINSON Grace REW David RILEY Francis REEKS Kent REYNOLDS John ROGERSON Elizabeth ROSCOE James SALT Thomas SCHUSTER Louis ROYLE Emily SCHOLFIELD Annie SCOTT William ROYLE Jonathan SCHUSTER Family SEDDON Peter SHAW Joshua SHARPLES Samuel SHEARMAN Family SIMISTER Charles SHARPLES Ellen SMITH Elizabeth SMITH Jeremiah SPAFFORD Family STONE Thomas SUMMONS Stephen SMITH Thomas Tyrer STANNING Richard Capt. STONES Thomas TEALE Family SMITH William STEELE Albert STUTTARD James TEMPERLEY George TEMPERLEY George T THOMAS Sarah TYLDESLEY George E TYLDESLEY Joseph TEMPERLEY Robert TOOTAL Edward TYLDESLEY John T UPJOHN William TENNANT Thomas TUNNER James TYLDESLEY John WADDINGTON Ellen WALKER John Adams WHITEHEAD Jane WILD Samuel WILLINK Francis YATES Job WALLWORK Thomas WHITEHEAD Thomas WILLIAMS Richard Hall WILSON Thomas YATES John WARD John WHITTLE Sarah WILLIS Robert WILSON William Home

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. John Patrick, World War Two John B Patrick JOHN BUSBY PATRICK LAC RAF.VR d.28/1/1943 aged 29 1081463 Curiously, the gravestone in the churchyard gives his name as John Busby Patrick, although the burial records give his name as John Bushby Patrick It has so far proven very difficult to track down any meaningful information about this serviceman, either in his personal life or during the Second World War. Most servicemen's records are still held by the Ministry of Defence, before their release to the National Archives. Sadly, the CWGC records give no information about his parents, so the following details can only be conjecture. In the church's burial records, his home address was given as Atherton House, Appley Bridge, near Wigan. Interestingly, on 18 August 1943, a Lillian Patrick, aged 80, was buried in the churchyard. Her abode was also given as Atherton House. According to her will, she died a spinster. In the 1881 census, she was living at Grange Farm, Boothstown, with her family, which included William Johnston Patrick, her brother. He too was buried in the churchyard, on 6 March 1945, aged 69. William married Annie Tait Coulter in 1905 and she too is buried at St.Mark's (2 August 1942). Her abode at that time was Atherton House!! The supposition has to be that Lillian was a great-aunt to John Buckley, and that she was living with her brother and his family at Atherton House. The presumption has to be that William J. and Annie Tait could well have been the parents of John Buckley. And yet, curiously, there is no birth record for him! There is a death record for a John B. Patrick, who was 29, for the first quarter (Jan - Mar) of 1943. Both the age and date are consistent. Furthermore, the death was registered at Aylesbury, not far from RAF Halton, where the Princess Mary's Hospital was based. The hospital housed a Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre during the war and great demands upon the unit meant a huge increase in the number of beds. By the end of the war, more than 20,000 casualties had been treated there. John Buckley Patrick's name can be found on the website internationalbombercommandcentre.com as a member of 26 OTU Squadron. His date of death, age, service number and the graveyard at St.Mark's are all given. No. 26 OTU was formed in January 1942 at RAF Wing as part of No. 7 Group RAF Bomber Command to train night bomber crews using the Vickers Wellington . It was disbanded in March 1946. RAF Wing was situated to the west of the village of Wing, near Aylesbury, Bucks. The marriage certificate confirms that he married Florence Hughes at Leigh register office on 15 April 1933. It also shows that his middle name was Bushby, and that he was a general dealer, aged 19. Florence was 21. John's home address was Rixton Old Hall, Rixton with Glazebrook, and his father was William Johnson Patrick. He was buried here on 1 February 1943, and in the bu rial register his abode was given as Aylesbury, and then Atherton House, Appley Bridge, near Wigan. The reference to Aylesbury is consistent with the details above. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. William Dale, World War Two WILLIAM GORDON DALE WILLIAM GORDON DALE Sgt. RAF.VR d. 15 October 1942 aged 20 1124729 WILLIAM GORDON DALE was the only son of Charles Richard Dale (33), an Accounts Clerk, who married Lucy Sykes (28) at St.Paul's, Walkden, on 15 November 1919. William Gordon was born on 4 June 1922 and was baptised at the same church on 9 July 1922. The family was living at that time at 41 Memorial Road, Walkden. William Gordon Dale was the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on an Avro Anson Mk 1 (serial number L7968) which was returning to Cranage, mistaking a navigation beacon. Instead of flying towards the airfield, the aircraft flew away from it towards high ground around Buxton. Before they were able to correct this error, the aircraft struck the hillside and crashed at Moss House Farm, Moss Ridge, Long Hill, NW of Buxton, Derbyshire. Sadly, if the aircraft had been a little higher it would have cleared the hill. The aircraft was officially written off as damaged beyond repair. There was a crew of four on board. They were: Pilot: Sgt 1312846 Paul Joseph Woodcock, 20 Pilot-UT: Sgt R/121913 James Munro Matheson, 22 RCAF Pilot-UT: Sgt R/113428 Richard James Reay 20, RCAF WOp/AG: Sgt 1124729 William Gordon Dale, 20 The two Canadians on the aircraft were qualified pilots, but were onboard as navigators under-training. RAF Cranage was situated just to the north of Middlewich, Cheshire, and was opened in August 1939. The first flying unit was No. 2 School of Air Navigation RAF , which was formed on 21 October 1940. It operated the Avro Anson for training navigators. The aim of the navigation school (renamed the Central Navigation School in 1942) was to raise the standard of practical air navigation and to train navigation specialists. By the end of the war, accuracy had improved five-fold. The airfield remained operational only for the duration of the war. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Thomas Yates , World War One , WW1 Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester UK Thomas Yates THOMAS YATES Gunner Royal Field Artillery 'A' Battery, 64th Brigade d. 23 January 1919 aged 26 25058 Thomas was the son of James and Mary Alice Yates, born on 15 November 1892 and baptised at St. Mark's by A. W. McLaren on 15 December 1892. His father was a blacksmith and their abode was Berry Fields. In the 1911 census, they lived quite simply at 237 Kempnough. James was still a blacksmith and Thomas, now 18, was a gardener. He had 2 sisters and 1 brother. Thomas was buried in the churchyard on 27 January 1919 by the Rev. H. W. Thorne. His address was 249 Kempnough. He had fought somewhere in France and was granted the 1915 Trio of medals. WORSLEY GUNNER'S DEATH The funeral took place at the Worsley Parish Church, on Monday, of ex-Gunner Thomas Yates, who, after serving three years and eight months with the R.F.A. died at his home yesterday week. Deceased was the youngest son of Mr. James Yates, 249 kempnough, Worsley, and enlisted on Sept. 3rd 1914. For over two years he was on active service in France, and prior to receiving his discharge in May of last year, was in hospital for 11 months, having been badly wounded in the left leg. Since leaving the Army he had worked for the London and North Western Railway Co. On various occasions he had been under medical treatment, and since last October had been an outpatient at the Manchester Infirmary. He was taken ill last Monday week, and on the Wednesday morning was removed by ambulance to the Infirmary. He returned home at night and it was seen that his condition was worse. He lost consciousness on the Thursday morning and died in the afternoon. Ex-Gunner Yates was 26 years of age and well known in Worsley. He was associated with the Sunday School, a former member of the church choir, and a bellringer at the church. Numerous letters of sympathy have been received by the family and many wreaths were sent by friends. His elder brother, William Yates, has been in Salonika for two years with the R.A.M.C. and is expected home shortly. The two brothers last met in November, 1914. [Local newspaper] Beneath his name on the family headstone is the inscription HE HAS FOUGHT THE GOOD F IGHT. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Outside St Marks Church, Worsley, Salford, Greater Manchester. Church of England Outside St Mark's Church Worsley Click on image to expand Home

William Parker , World War One , WW1 Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester UK William Parker WILLIAM PARKER Gunner Royal Marine Artillery 8th Bn d. 14th May 1921 aged 24 RMA/14560 In March 2016, the church received an enquiry from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (C.W.G.C.), asking for confirmation and verification of the burial of William Parker in the churchyard. This we were happy to provide and therefore his name has been added to their roll of casualties. His grave number is NP 40. Prior to this, his name was remembered at the Brookwood Memorial. THE BROOKWOOD 1914-1918 MEMORIAL is a memorial to the missing and commemorates casualties with no known grave. The majority of the casualties commemorated by this memorial are servicemen and women from the land forces of the United Kingdom, who subsequently died in the care of their families. They were not commemorated by the Commission at the time but, through the efforts of relatives and research groups, including the “In From The Cold” Project, these casualties have since been found. There are still many cases to be resolved and the memorial therefore allows for further names to be added. Unusually and because of the varied circumstances surrounding many of these casualties, investigative work continues and this may lead to the identification of their burial locations. Whenever a casualty’s grave is located and verified, commemoration will move to the burial site and thus some of the entries on the memorial will no longer be required. As a result and when memorial panels are replaced, these entries will be removed. In addition, the Brookwood 1914-18 Memorial commemorates some land and air forces casualties who were lost at sea. These casualties would normally be commemorated on the Hollybrook Memorial in Southampton, but the memorial panels there are now full and so their commemoration has been added to this memorial. [by courtesy of www.cwgc.org ] William Parker was born on 17 January 1897. In the 1911 census, William Parker (aged 13) was living with his parents, William and Alice, and siblings Mary (17), Alice (14) and Richard (6), at 185 Worsley Road, Winton. William was a student at school and his father was a cashier on a steam ship. They had been at the same address ten years earlier, in the 1901 census. A timeline of his service record shows: 1915 Mar 8. Enlisted 1915 Sep 13. To Gunner 2nd Class 1915 Sep 14. To Gunner 1916 Jan 28 To HMS Malaya 1920 Mar 12. Back to Base 1920 Jun 2. Post to 8 RM for service in Ireland 1921 May 14 died. 2 Royal marine artillery gunners abducted , shot dead and dumped in a local quarry. His father was William Parker of Mulquack Terrace, 285 Worsley Rd, Swinton, Manchester In May 1921, five men of the Royal Marines were killed by 'Irish rebels' in Ireland. It may surprise some to learn that all five of these men are entitled to be commemorated by the CWGC. Any man who died in military service from 4/8/1914 until 31/8/1921 qualifies for commemoration, as the final closure date for WW1 casualties was not until 31 August 1921 (the date the war was officially deemed to be ended by the signing of the peace treaties after the Armistice of 11 November 1918). THE MIDLETON MURDERS On May 14, at 8pm, two marines named Bernard Francis and William Parker were shot dead in the same neighbourhood while walking between Ballymaccura and East ferry. [Northern Whig, Antrim- 26 May 1921: in Midleton, County Cork] MURDER OF MEN FROM EASTNEY Two gunners in the Royal Marines Artillery stationed at East Ferry, near Midleton, Cork, were shot dead on Saturday night near Ballymakerry. This is believed to be their first attack against members of the RMA. The deceased men are 14710 Gunner Bernard Francis (B. Coy.) and 14560 Gunner William Parker (H. Coy.). They belonged to a battalion which was sent from Portsmouth to Ireland in June last for protective purposes. [Portsmouth Evening News: 16 May 1921] His name was inscribed on a memorial tablet in St. Michael and All Angels, Deal, Kent (a former church, once the garrison church to the Royal Marines Barracks), together with the names of 13 others who died on service in Northern Ireland between 1920 and 1922. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back