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

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 I-P St Marks Church, Worsley, Manchester. Civilian, Private Graves, Author Paul Speakman Private Graves I-P JOHNSON Thomas KNOTT James KEEVNEY Peter LAMBE John KERR Margaret LANSDALE Robert LAWTON John LEIGH William LLOYD Lucy MABERLY Charles MARTIN William LAYCOCK John LEVERSON-GOWER Francis LOFTHOUSE Zuleika MAKIN John McCAIRN Elizabeth LEATHERBARROW Enoch LLOYD Abraham LOWE Hannah MARSHALL Rev. Peter McCREA Edward MILNER Cpl James MIDGLEY Thomas MULLINEUX James MIDWOOD Norah MIDDLETON THOMAS MOORE Mary MOORE Thomas MURRAY Ebie NIGHTINGALE Peter OMMANNEY Annie PHILLIPS George MORRIS William MURRAY John Rigby NODEN Emily PARTINGTON James PROUD Robert MOUNTCASTLE William NEILD Henry NORRIS Ellen PEARCE James Home

Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester. John Rowson, World War Two John Rowson JOHN ROWSON Pte. RAOC d.3/6/1941 aged 20 925722 JOHN ROWSON was a member of the 4th Div Workshops, Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was the son of Peter and Margaret (née Knight) Rowson of Walkden. They had married at St.Mark's on 21 April 1919. The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment. Baptism: 22 Dec 1920 St Mark, Worsley, Lancs. John Rowson - [Child] of Peter Rowson & Margaret Born: 5 Nov 1920 Abode: 244 Lumber Lane Worsley Occupation: Colliery Worker Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back

Harry Sheldon , World War One , WW1 Information on the graves located at St. Marks Church Worsley Manchester UK Harry Sheldon HARRY SHELDON Corporal Army Service Corps, 1st Army Anti-Aircraft Workshops d. 17 October 1918 age 30 M2/019643 Harry Sheldon was born on the 11th February 1888 and was baptised at St. Stephen's, Hulme, on the 4 March 1888, the son of John James Sheldon (a shipwright) and his wife, Lucy (née Kelly). They were living at 6 Park View, Hulme. By the time he was 13, in 1901, the family had moved to 9 Catherine Street, Winton. Harry had 4 brothers and 2 sisters. By 1911, he and the family were living at 3 Catherine Street, Winton. He was a blacksmith. He married Gertrude Lomax in the fourth quarter of 1918. A TRAGIC HOMECOMING The Winton soldier who died last week within a week of his wedding was Corpl. Harry Sheldon, and not Pte. J. Sheldon, as reported in our last issue. Deceased, who enlisted in the M. T. Section of the A. S. C. in November 1914, had been in France for 3 years and 9 months, and on October 6th came to his home, 3 Catherine Street, Winton. He was married on October 12th, and died on the 17th from pneumonia. The funeral took place on Tuesday of last week in the churchyard at Worsley, in which village he was born and lived for many years, attending the Church Schools as a boy. Deceased was 30 years of age, and before enlisting worked for the Manchester Ship Canal Company at Mode Wheel. His brother, Pte. J. Sheldon, also enlisted in the early days of the war, and has been invalided and discharged. The family are well-known in Worsley and the Eccles district, and deep sympathy is felt for them and for Sheldon's young widow, whose father died on the day her husband was buried. [Local newspaper] Harry Sheldon was buried in the churchyard on 22 October 1918. His grave number is A 335. His abode at the time of his death was Alfred Street Military Hospital, Harpurhey. The officiating minister was Frank Summers, Curate at St. James's, Hr. Broughton. The cause of death is not known but may have been because of illness or war related wounds in the UK. Researched and written by Paul R Speakman Back