Here is this week’s round-up of pieces from the Batley News relating to the parish of St Mary’s. As usual I have put in bold the names of those connected to the parish who served with the military. And, as ever, the spelling and punctuation matches that of the newspaper.
The Family Notices contained the following connected to the parish:
KILBRIDE. —On June 5th, aged 13 years, James Kilbride, East Street
The Battle of Jutland impacted on local Catholics. One whose family lived in the parish, James Kelly, was killed:
JUTLAND SEA FIGHT
Guardians Honour a Sailor’s MemorySeaman J. Kelly, formerly of Cobden Street, has two sisters who live with Mrs. Hart, Warwick Terrace, and they received intimation yesterday morning of his death. He was on the Queen Mary.
At to-day’s meeting of the Dewsbury Board of Guardians the Clerk reported that a boy named James Kelly had gone down with the Queen Mary. The lad was sent from the Staincliffe Institution in September, 1912, to the Wellesley Training Ship, and whilst there several good reports were received as to his progress and conduct. He was an orphan boy from Batley Carr, added Mr. Pickersgill.
Mr. J. Deasy (Batley) said the lad bore an excellent character, and that the Guardians brought him up, and in a sense were responsible for him meeting such a sudden and glorious death.
The lad had four sisters living at the bottom of Ward’s Hill, Batley, and the two eldest maintained the two youngest. The dead boy had regularly sent money for their support.
The speaker moved that the Board pass a vote of condolence with the sisters.
Councillor W. Fenton, Batley, seconded, and the vote was carried by the members standing.
The final piece this week is by a Jutland survivor, James Lyons, son of John and Ann Lyons. He was a stoker on board HMS Galatea:
“We Are Still Mistress of the Seas.”
A brief but cheery letter from Seaman Lyons has reached his home, 19, Back Richmond Street. He, with his comrades, had a miraculous and thrilling adventure, for they were on a light cruiser that was in the thick of the fight, yet not one of them was hurt. He does not believe the Germans’ report about their casualties, for in view of what he himself saw he is certain more enemy boats were sunk than are admitted. “We are still mistress of the seas,” he adds, and with a graceful touch he refers to those British sailors who went down. They met death heroically and cheerfully, he adds.
PastToPresentGenealogy 