Why Morley will never forget its war dead again
Published Date:
02 July 2008
By Sarah Hall
THERE were emotional scenes at the weekend as Morley's forgotten war heroes were finally given their rightful place among the town's fallen servicemen, writes Sarah Hall.
A service of rededication was held at the memorial, in Scatcherd Park, to mark its restoration and during the service a plaque was unveiled revealing the 10 names which had been mistakenly omitted for decades.
Relatives of the men – Harry Sigsworth, George Petty, Arthur Sykes, Fred Farrington, Oswald Farrington, Henry Firth, Robert Murraney, Horace Petty, Herbert Harrison and George Tidswell – were there to see them finally recognised and to lay wreaths at the memorial.
Around 300 people gathered for the rededication, which included Bible readings from Lt Col P A Simpson, Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment and the Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire Col Alan Roberts, and an address by Morley Methodist minister, the Rev Heather Cooper.
The Mayor of Morley, Coun Terry Grayshon, read a description of the memorial before the plaque bearing the names of the missing 10 men was unveiled by Iraq War veteran, Cpl Simon Brown, of Morley.
A minute's silence was followed by a reading of the Kohima Epitaph before the blessing was given by Ms Cooper.
Coun Grayshon had appealed for people to come forward with names of servicemen they believed to have been wrongly missed from the war memorial after being approached by the family of one, Gnr Harry Raymond Sigsworth of the Royal Artillary, who died a prisoner of war in Burma in 1943.
His nephew, John Sigsworth, of Tingley, said it had been an emotional, but an excellent, afternoon.
"Because it was from the family we had a heart-shaped wreath rather than the traditional round poppy wreath and the moment we laid it really was very emotional. It was quite something," he said.
"There were five members of the family there and I think the whole day was quite moving. I never met my uncle, I've only seen pictures and heard stories about him, but I've carried out research and I feel better for knowing more about him.
"The ceremony, although emotional, was excellent and I think everyone involved should be congratulated."
The full article contains 371 words and appears in Morley Advertiser newspaper.
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Last Updated:
02 July 2008 10:16 AM
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Source:
Morley Advertiser
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Location:
Morley