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 , Organ and the Ellesmere Chalice. Also, 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.

Information on St Mark's Church, Worsley, Manchester, UK, Church of England, Author Paul Speakman St Mark's Church Worsley The Burne Jones Window The West Window The Pugin Glass Peter Rasbotham Window The Ellesmere Clock The White Frontal Salvator Mundi The Choir Stalls The Baptismal Font The Choir The Organ A F Egerton Angels War Memorial James Attwood The Rectory Church Play 1983 The Baptismal Window The St. Hilda Window The Angel Scrolls Pugin and Barry The Sebastopol Lace The Reredos The Memorial Tomb The Pulpit and Lectern The Nave The Ellesmere Chalice The Church Bells Kneelers The Visit of Queen Victoria Richard Knill Freeman Plan of the Church The Truth Home

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

Herbert Toft , World War One , WW1 Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester UK Herbert Toft The National Archives files for Herbert Toft can be accessed at this link - National Archives HERBERT TOFT Lt. 7th East Lancs. Regiment 16906; 3rd Royal Warwicks Regiment and later 821 Sq. RAF d. 12 October 1918 aged 22 Much of what is known about Herbert Toft comes from three newspaper reports about him published before and after his death. MONTON OFFICER ACCIDENTALLY KILLED The death has taken place at Lincoln, as the result of a flying accident, of Lieut. Herbert Toft, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, attached to the Royal Air Force, and second son of Mr. and Mrs. William Toft, 16 Pine Grove, Monton. Lieut. Toft, who was a flying instructor, was in the air as pilot with a pupil on Saturday, when something went wrong with the plane, and the machine nose-dived to earth. He was killed instantly, although his companion escaped almost uninjured. The sad end has created deep regret among a large circle of friends. Lieut. Toft was only 22 years of age, having joined the army in November 1914, before he had reached the military age. He enlisted in the East Lancashire Regiment as a private, and in May of the following year crossed to France. He was given his commission abroad in November 1916, being gazetted to the Royal Warwicks. He took part in much of the fighting last year, and on May 4th was wounded at Bullecourt, his services on that day being recognised by mention in Sir Douglas Haig's despatches. On recovering in this country from the wounds he became attached to the Royal Air Force, and in June last year was given his wings. His progress in the new branch of warfare he had entered upon gained for him the appointment of instructor, which, as stated, has ended in his untimely death. He was educated at the Monton Day School, under Mr. Tyson, and before the war was an engineering apprentice at Messrs. Nasmyth, Wilson and Co., Patricroft. He was a playing member of Monton Lacrosse Club, and a patrol leader in the 2nd Worsley troop of Boy Scouts. The funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon at Worsley Church, a service having previously been held at the Baptist Church, Parrin lane. Several of his fellow officers from Lincoln were present, and a firing party from Heaton Park attended and paid the last military salute. The Boy Scouts were also represented. Lieut. Toft's elder brother, Lieut. Walter Toft is in the Manchester regiment. He enlisted as a private in the Royal Scots in 1914. [Local newspaper] A second article speaks with pride of the commissions given to the two local brothers. MONTON BROTHER OFFICERS Two Monton brothers who enlisted in the Army as privates have recently been granted commissions. They are Walter and Herbert Toft, sons of Mr. and Mrs. W. Toft, 16 Pine Grove, Monton. Both enlisted in November 1914. Walter joined the Royal Scots, and after six month's training in Edinburgh, he went with his regiment to the Dardanelles. He landed in Gallipoli in June 1915, and then took part in several stiff engagements with the Turks. After the evacuation of Gallipoli he went to Egypt and returned to England in August 1916, and after passing through the Cadet School at Newmarket, was gazetted second-lieutenant in the Manchester Territorial Reserve Battalion, and is now with that regiment somewhere in France. Herbert enlisted in the East Lancashire Regiment early in November 1914, and after six months' training on Salisbury Plain, went out to France. Like his brother, he has seen much fighting in different parts of the line. He had not been in France very long before he was raised to the rank of sergeant, though at the time only 19 years of age. He received his commission in November 1916, and was gazetted second-lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and is now in France. Both are members of the Monton Lacrosse Club, and were keen on the Boy Scout movement in their boyhood. [Local newspaper] In the 1901 census, Herbert (aged 3) was living at 90 Parrin Lane, Monton, with his family. His father was William (37), a Tobacconist and Fancy Goods Importer. His wife was Annie (40) and they had two other sons, Walter (6) and William Jnr. (3). By 1911, the family had moved to 16 Pine Grove, Monton. His father was now 48 and his mother 54. The eldest son, Walter, was 16 and at school, and Herbert was 14, an office boy in a Shipping House. William and Annie married in the last quarter of 1893, her maiden name being Dowler. In his will, Herbert was of 16 Pine Grove, Monton. He officially died at Scampton, Lincs., on 12 October 1918 - a 1st Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. He left his effects of just over £167 to his father William, a commercial traveller. Probate was granted on 6 November. On 13 April 1918, he had been transferred to the newly formed (on 1 April 1918) Royal Air Force, 821st Squadron, 23rd Wing. He may have been born on 22 May 1896 in the Barton District. Although his family had been non-conformist, he was buried in St.Mark's Churchyard. The funeral service had been held at Winton Baptist Church, on Parrin Lane, at 2.30pm. The official church entry reads: Burial: 16 Oct 1918 St Mark, Worsley, Lancashire, England Herbert Toft - Age: 22 years Abode: Northern General Hospital, Lincoln Grave: 22 N.P. Notes: Under Burial Laws Amendment Act Buried by: S.J. Wilson To summarise the information above, Herbert first joined the 7th East Lancashire Regiment with the number 16906. After training, he was posted to France with his regiment, landing there on 18th July 1915. He quickly rose to the rank of acting Sergeant before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant to the 3rd Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 11 November 1916. On 13 April 1918, he was transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force, but sadly died on 12 October 1918 as a result of a flying accident whilst flying with a pupil. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Information on the World War One graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester , WW1, Author Paul Speakman, Benjamin GRATRIX, Harry SHELDON, Robert AMBLER, William PARKER, Herbert TOFT, William GOODALL, Fred W SLINGER, Evelyn Geoffrey LORD, Herbert MOORES, Thomas YATES, Ross BARNES, Arthur RATCLIFFE World War One Graves The below are casualties of World War One buried at St Mark's. Robert Ambler Evelyn Geoffrey Lord Fred Wilby Slinger Ross Barnes Herbert Moores Herbert Toft William Goodall William Parker Thomas Yates Benjamin Gratrix Harry Sheldon Arthur Ratcliffe 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 people connected to St Mark's Church, Worsley, Manchester, UK, Church of England, Author Paul Speakman People connected to St Mark's Church 1st Earl of Ellesmere Rev William H Baynes Bio Rev T H Davies Bio Rev W G Harland Bio Rev H D Knatchbull Bio Rev Thomas A Morley Bio Rev A W Sillitoe Bio Rev John H Watmough Bio 2nd Earl of Ellesmere Rev J B Cater Bio Rev G C Dickinson Bio Rev H R Hopwood Bio Rev Charles Lowe Bio Joan Pomfret Bio Rev H J Smale Bio Rev F J Wrottesley Bio 3rd Earl of Ellesmere R. Froude Coules Bio Rev Robert Harland Bio Rev B W Johnstone Bio Rev A W McLaren Bio Frederick James SHIELDS Rev Charles Spencer Bio Home

Burials E-H St Marks Church, Worsley, Manchester. Civilian, Private Graves, Author Paul Speakman Private Graves E-H EDEN Thomas EGERTON Granville EGERTON George ELLIS Family. EGERTON Arthur EGERTON Adml. Francis EILBECK Henry EVANS Joseph EGERTON Algernon EGERTON Francis ELLIS Pte.Thomas EVERARD Ernest FILDES Samuel FRUEN Philip GLASS Percy GRADISKY Charles GRUNDY Alice FORRESTER Richard FRITH John Douglas GOODBRAND Walter GREVILLE Harriet Catherine GRUNDY F. W. D. FOULKES Edward GASKELL John GORTON Richard GROVER Family GRUNDY Joshua GUEST Family HADFIELD Peter HAMPSON James GUEST Thomas HALLIWELL Albert HAMPSON William GUEST William HALLIWELL Simeon HARDMAN Walter HARGREAVES Frank HAZLEWOOD Edward HESFORD Isaac HARRIS Andrew HEATON Henry Capt. HIGGIN George HARRISON William HEBDEN Elizabeth HODGSON Mary HOLLAND James HOWORTH Margaret HURST Albert HURST Samuel (Linnyshaw) HUTCHINSON Richard HOWELL John HULSE Enoch HURST Lot HURST William HOWELL James HULSE Thomas HURST Samuel HUTCHINSON Ellen Home

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. Keith Files, World War Two Keith Barnet Files Baptism: 5 Oct 1913, St Marks, Worsley, Lancs. Keith Barnet Files - [Child] of James Files & Ethel Born: 5 Sep 1913 Abode: Astley House Boothstown Occupation: Colliery Manager KEITH BARNET FILES Sgt. RAF d. 11 January 1941 aged 27 523740 In the course of World War 2, over 200 airmen lost their lives as a result of air accidents over the North Yorks. Moors. Their names are included on a Roll of Honour posted on the yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk website which carries a great deal of information about these incidents. KEITH BARNET FILES is one of those named. He was born on 5 September 1913 to James and Ethel Files (née Fogg) of Astley House, Boothstown, and baptised at St.Mark's one month later, on 5 October, by John H. Mason, the curate. In the baptism register, his father, James, was a colliery manager in the area. On 11 January 1941, a Lockheed Hudson, serial number N7298, took off from RAF Leuchars, but sadly did not return. The crew on board this flight was P/O Basil Lincoln Fox (aged 26 - pilot); Sgt. Keith Barnet Files (aged 27 - pilot/navigator); W/O/Air Gunner Sgt. William Robert Martin (aged 25); and P/O John McDonald Scott Wylie (aged 21 - Air Gunner). Keith Barnet Files is buried in the churchyard together with both his parents. Although his name and grave appear on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission 's website, he is therefore not to be found with the traditional war memorial stone above the grave. His mother died on 25 April 1933, aged 51, and his father in 1965, ages 86. On the 72nd anniversary of the fatal crash, in 2013, a memorial stone and plaque was dedicated to the lost airmen, close to the scene of the crash. It reads: In Remembrance When returning from a North Sea night time patrol, Hudson aircraft N7298 of 224 Sqn., Command, RAF Leuchars, crashed half a mile north of this point in the early hours of 11 January 1941. There was no fire and the crew of four, although injured, survived the crash. Tragically, they had died of exposure before discovery two days later. Pilot: P/O B. L. Fox - New South Wales, Australia aged 26 Navigator/Pilot: Sgt. K. B. Files - UK aged 27 WirelessOp/AG: W. R. Martin - UK aged 25 Airgunner: P/O J. Macdonald Scott Wylie - UK aged 21 They died in the cause of freedom The story surrounding this flight has been recorded in great detail by the yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk website and its manager, and the details below are taken from that website. The photo of Keith Barnet Files above was supplied to the website by his cousin Mr. Keith Files. The winter of 1940-41 was a very severe winter in the North of England with deep snow in the hills for many weeks. On this flight Hudson N7298 took off from Leuchars, Scotland at 01.17hrs on 11th January 1941 and flew in a south-easterly direction out into the North Sea to undertake a night time operational flight. The precise details of the flight are not fully known, as the RAF's crash card for the incident refers to the operation as being a "special task" and what this task was has not yet been learnt. One suggestion is that the crew had flown some fifty miles out into the North Sea from Leuchars looking for vessels trying to cut through minefields. What exactly happened then is not recorded, but the aircraft probably flew too far south. The crash investigation initially thought that during the flight the wireless equipment and direction finding equipment might have failed. The crew probably were unsure of their position and possibly flew a rough westerly course to make landfall in odrer to try and work out where they were, but then they should have headed along the coast. Instead of this, the aircraft drifted over land and struck high ground. The aircraft struck the top of the area of high ground on Warren Moor, above Kildale, in the early hours of the morning, but did not catch fire. The exact time for the crash is not known. This webpage and other accounts of the incident suggested that Warren Moor was covered in snow at the time of the accident but in 2013 a witness to the incident stated at the memorial service that there was in fact no snow present at the time but that the night was a stormy one and that the crew were flying in poor visibility. All four of the crew survived the crash and, although injured, they managed to scramble clear of the plane but probably later returned to it after the danger of fire had passed, to shelter from the weather. Sadly, all four men had died before they could be rescued. They had all died probably through a combination of their injuries and of exposure before being found at 16.30hrs on 12th January 1941. Their bodies were found under a wing of the Hudson huddled together. Local recollection recounts that the owners of nearby "Park Farm" thought that they heard voices on that night but as the weather was so bad they did not venture out to investigate. The crew must surely have all been seriously injured. Had they been able to explore their surroundings, they would have found the Kildale to Baysdale track (a few yards away) or farms just down from the moor top. I have been contacted by a local man, Mr Bell, whose father was farm manager at Baysdale Abbey during the War and he recalls his father telling him of seeing something odd on the moor the next morning which was noticed whilst he was tending to sheep in the valley bottom. Upon exploring, it became clear that it was an aircraft on the moor. He recalls his father being one of the first to the crash site and that a good clean up job was done by the RAF in the weeks after the accident. This story probably relates to the Hudson accident. The operations logbook lists all the flights made by other 224 Squadron aircraft and crews in the search for the missing Hudson, with six Hudsons undertaking flights - four in the late morning and two in the afternoon, with only one of these later aircraft carrying out a search as far south as was needed. This aircraft searched the coast around Scarborough and Flamborough Head and upon landing the crew reported that the weather was too bad to go inland on their search so returned to base. The death of Sgt. Keith Barnet Files is also recorded in the Roll of Honour in the scouts records, in which it is stated that he belonged to the 1st Manchester Grammar School Group and that he died whilst on active service. On 3 June 1927, he was one of a small number of boys from Manchester Grammar School who boarded the 'Mooltan' (P&O) in London for Gibraltar, with two school masters. Then, on 17 June, he arrived back in London with the school party on the 'Maloja' (P&O) which had originated from Sydney. His name also appears as a member of the Royal Aero Club. This record shows that Keith was living at "The Hurst" on Leigh Road and that he was an engineer. He received his certificate on 24 August 1937 at the Northern School of Aviation at Barton, flying a Hillson Praga (manufactured by F. Hills and Sons). Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. Kenneth Hickling, World War Two Kenneth R Hic kling KENNETH RUSHTON HICKLING LAC RAF.VR d. 8 October 1942 aged 22 657400 Baptism: 17 Jul 1915 St Leonard, Padiham, Lancashire, England Sydney Hickling - [Child] of William Towell Hickling & Rose Born: 22 May 1915 Abode: 6 King's Avenue, Haslingden Occupation: Assistant Works Manager Marriage: 28 Jul 1914 St Leonard, Padiham, Lancashire, England William Towell Hickling - 26, Secretary, Bachelor, 2 Park Road, Padiham Rose Rushton - 24, Spinster, 5 Blackburn Road, Padiham Groom's Father: William Henry Hickling, Retired Police Sergeant KENNETH RUSHTON HICKLING joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Cadet Officer. He had lived at Hazelhurst Cottage, 2 Hazelhurst Road, Worsley, and had been a pupil of Eccles Grammar School. He was the son of William Towell Hickling and Rose (née Rushton) Hickling, of Worsley. Kenneth had been born in Blackpool in the first quarter of 1920. His parents were married on 28 July 1914 at St.Leonard's, Padiham. Kenneth had an older brother, Sydney, born the 22 May 1917, also in Padiham. It appears that he played Lacrosse for Worsley. In his will, administered on 20 January 1943, he left his estate to his father, a dyer. His body was interred at St.Mark's on 13 October 1942. LAC Hickling died at RAF Hospital Rauceby, a hospital housing a crash and burns unit, and specialising in reconstructive plastic surgery, under the wing of RAF Cranwell. His death was registered at Sleaford, Lincolnshire. He is buried in the churchyard in a family grave. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Herbert Toft, St Mark's Church Worsley, Manchester, National Archives Lieutenant Herbert Toft National Archives Files 1/1 Back

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