The story goes back to 2014/15 when two articles appeared in the Examiner wanting any information relating to Frank Haydn Wilson* and James Schofield Wilson,** two brothers from Kirkheaton, who had died on the Somme during WW1. Ian Mackay, a retired local head master, had acquired some commemorative scrolls *** relating to the two brothers and wished for them to be returned to any of their descendants.

A few members of the History Group in Kirkheaton started to research for possible family members, but then the Examiner said that a descendant had been found and the scrolls had been handed over to them.[which subsequently proved to be untrue]

The group continued their research for living descendants and discovered in 2018 that someone else had by pure chance, realised that they were descendants of the Wilson brothers.
Having visited the Remembrance Service in the Royal Albert Hall in 2018, Mrs Joan Battye along with her daughter Alison, decided to explore a shoe box belonging to Joan’s late mother, which had remained untouched for a number of years. Returning home and opening the box, they discovered documents relating to the two brothers and realised that they too were relatives. They then contacted Claire at Kirkheaton Parish Office, who then put them in touch with our History group in Kirkheaton.

We contacted Ian Mackay who had the scrolls, with a view to reunite them with the brothers’ descendants at the annual  Remembrance Service on 10th November at Kirkheaton Parish Church . As he lived in Cumbria, Ian was unable to come down for  the service so Roger, one of the History group’s members, collected them.

Having obtained the WW1 scrolls, a short service for the family was held after the main annual Remembrance Service. This took place in our small memorial garden outside the church and was led by the Rector the Rev Ian Jones. The family was then presented with the lost Scrolls and  invited to  plant poppy crosses in memory of Frank and James.

Joanne Battye [centre] with her daughters, Alison and Julie, at the WW1 Memorial at Kirkheaton Church.

This search has now a good ending for the family of the two  Kirkheaton soldiers killed in WW1 but the hunt carries on for the two  Death Pennies*** belonging to them.

Roger Armitage         Kirkheaton History Group

  • *Frank was the older of the two brothers, both having been born at Nettleton, Kirkheaton and baptised at the Parish Church. Before the war he had worked as a woollen warehouseman at Spa Mill, Lepton, alongside his brother who was a wool sizer in the same mill. Frank was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in July 2016 and was evacuated  to a London hospital to convalesce. He returned to France in March 1917 and was killed in action two months later at the age of 29 years.
  • ** James was married and lived at Lascelles Hall. He died aged 26 years, in July 1917 in the same location as his brother two months earlier – at Combles on the Somme
  • *** In October 1917 it was announced in The Times newspaper that  a commemorative scroll was to be issued to the next of kin of soldiers who had died due to the war. The scroll was printed on high quality paper and contained a message from the King as well as the dead person’s name.
  • ****Memorial plaques were issued after WW1 to the next of kin of British soldiers who were killed as a result of the war. They were cast in bronze and became known as the ‘Dead Man’s Penny’  as they looked very similar to the smaller penny coin which was in circulation at that time. These were usually issued after the scrolls.

    The ‘Death Penny’ was inscribed with the soldier’s name