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.
St Mary’s church was in the news this week, following the death of a parishioner attending Sunday Mass:
DEATH IN A BATLEY CHURCH.
Cobden Street Man‘s Fatal Seizure While Attending Mass.Coroner P. P. Maitland conducted an enquire at Batley Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon into the circumstances surrounding the death of Lawrence Brooks (56), married, of 18, Cobden Street, Batley, who died with tragic suddenness on Sunday while attending early morning celebration of Mass at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Cross Bank.
Deceased’s widow said her husband was a rag-grinder for Messrs. J., T. and J. Taylor’s. He was fairly healthy, but six months ago was attended by Dr. Woods for bronchitis. He was working last week, and seemed quite all right then. On Sunday morning he and witness got up and left the house about 7.40, after having a drink of warm tea, to attend St. Mary’s Church. Witness, who sat in front, saw someone go to her husband, as he had fallen off the seat, and carry him out of the church. He was taken across the passage into the day school and laid on some coats. He asked them to lay him flat, as he though it was only faintness and she would come round soon, but he died in a few minutes. Dr. Campbell was immediately summoned. Witness said her husband had been a steady man.
John Edward Berry, Richmond Street, Cross Bank, cloth sourer, said he had regarded the deceased as a very healthy man. Witness was at the service in St. Mary’s Church on Sunday morning, and saw deceased sitting just behind him. Brooks suddenly groaned, and witness, turning round, saw him slipping sideways to the floor. Witness took hold of him and loosened his tie and collar, thinking it was a fit, as he was quite unconscious. With the help of two other men he removed deceased to the school, and a nurse who was in the congregation told them to fetch a doctor at once, as it was a serious case. Witness was of the opinion Brooks died as they were carrying him, for he suddenly became very limp and a dead wing in their arms.
Dr. Campbell said he was called to the church about 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, but the man was then dead. A post mortem examination showed that the heart was diseased and greatly enlarged. The cause of death was syncope, due to fatty degeneration of the heart. Hastening to church might have accelerated such an attack.
A verdict of “Death from natural causes” was returned.
Great sympathy is felt with the bereaved widow, who has recently had a son killed at the Front.
To read more about this incident see A Death in the Church. The biography of Lawrence’s son, John Brooks, is here,
The Death Notices had two linked the parish, one of which was Lawrence Brooks (Laurence Brook in the newspaper spelling):
BATLEY
BROOK. —On the 18th inst., aged 56 years, Laurence Brook, 18, Cobden Street.
O’HARA. —On the 18th inst., aged 18 years, Agnes, daughter of Michael O’Hara, 8, East Street.
A parishioner had a lucky escape:
An unfortunate accident befel [sic] Thomas Kilbride, Holland Street, Batley, on Wednesday. While following his occupation at Soothill Wood Colliery. He was knocked down by some run-away corves of coal and received injuries to the chest and back, besides suffering from shock. He was taken to Batley Hospital, and we are glad to hear he is improving.
Jimmy Lyons was home on leave and expressed a wish to play in Batley’s rugby league Christmas programme.
The paper also reported on a series of correspondence Walter Hughes received from his uncle, who lived in France:
THE GOOD OLD ENGLISH GUNS
Life Behind the French Lines on the Aisne.
When the Kaiser Will Get Peace.Interesting letters have been recieved by Sergt. Walter Hughes, K.O.Y.L.I., of Clipstone Camp, son of Mrs. Hughes, Coalpit Lane, Carlinghow, from his uncle, Mr. James Karney, who resides in Senlis, Aisne. The letters give us a very good idea of the condition of affairs just behind the French firing line, and also define the opinion of the French public on the German peace proposals. The writer says,—
We are as well as can be expected, after all we have been through. This war has knocked a good many up. When will it finish? That is what everyone wants to know. We can hear those good old English guns quite plain; sending some “pills” to the Huns. They make my place shake. They are close to us, and I can assure you when they speak they have a beautiful voice.
I see the Germans paid another visit to England in their air ships, but they made us a present of two, and another fell in the sea in Denmark. They will soon have had enough of going to England.
About a month ago they tried to pass this way at night going towards Paris, but they found it too hot, so they turned back.
I have not been to the Front, but I have seen something these last two years.
And now things are such a price. We are paying £6 10s. a ton for coal, when we can get it: there is none here in Senlis. You are much better off in England. Sugar is just the same, and eggs are 6d. each, so you can see how we are.
I hope things will soon change for the better. I forgot to tell you that my two nephews who are at the Front together had a narrow escape from death. They were both buried by a German shell, and are in hospital at present, but going on all right. One of them has been buried three times. They have both won the Cross.
Later,—We can still hear the guns, and they make the house shake at times. We are having very bad weather just now, which is stopping our soldiers at the Front. I see that the Kaiser is asking for peace. He will get it when he has been crushed like flour in a mill. He will have something to pay for doing what he has done, and forgetting there was an England. But let us hope it will soon finish in our favour.
PastToPresentGenealogy 