These are the history pieces which appeared in the Batley St Mary of the Angels and Birstall St Patrick’s bulletin during July 2024. As the parishes are jointly administered and a single bulletin produced, the history pieces are not solely focused on St Mary of the Angels.
6/7 July 2024
This week in 1915, news reached St Mary’s parish of Cheshire Regiment’s Pte Thomas Foley’s DCM award. It was the first DCM of the First World War to a Batley soldier. The award, published in the London Gazette of 30 June 1915, was: “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, notably on the night of March 7th, 1915, when he went out in front of our trenches to bring in some stretcher bearers who had lost their way. Subsequently he went out three times under heavy fire to bring in wounded men, and although wounded more than once himself, he continued to carry out this duty.” The gallantry award was posthumous. On 11 March 1915 Thomas Foley died of the wounds he received in helping save the lives of others.
13/14 2024
On Tuesday 8 July 1919 a series of presentations took place at St. Mary’s School to mark the imminent departure of popular priest Fr. Julian Kestelyn. From the Belgian city of Poperinge, Fr. Kestelyn was ordained in the trenches in the early days of the First World War, and acted as a Chaplain to the Belgian forces before coming to England in 1915. During the First World War Britain welcomed many Belgian refugees and, as a result, Batley and Birstall had a sizeable Belgian community. Initially Fr. Kestelyn assisted Fr. Russell at St. Patrick’s, Birstall, before transferring to St. Mary’s where he was curate to parish priest Dean J. J. Lea.
After the presentations, a musical programme included contributions by Mr. Tom Scanlon, and Misses M. H. Hall, M. A. Harkin, A. Dillon, E. M. Loughlin and M. A. Cox. A similar presentation was held at St. Patrick’s school on the evening of Sunday 13 July. Here it was followed by a Sinn Fein musical programme, in recognition of Fr Kestelyn’s sympathies for an independent Ireland.
20/21 July 2024
The 1944 St. Mary’s Boys’ School annual sports day took place on Saturday 22 July. The winners of the various events, as officially published, were: Half-mile cycle race: J. Rowan. Slow cycle race: ? Hopkins. High Jump (Juniors): P. Armstead. High Jump (Seniors): B. Croker. Long Jump (Juniors): P. Armstead. Long Jump (Seniors): F. Fox. Tug-of-War (Juniors): St. Aloysius House (J. Lyons, P. Armstead, T. Kilgannon, C. Hunt, B. Gallagher). Tug-of-War (Seniors): St. Columba House (J. Halloran, J. Devers, J. Morley, M. Foley, T. Mastrocola, B. Croker, K. McIntyre). Relay race team: St. Columba House (T. Mastrocola, J. Morley, J. Halloran). 100 yards (age 10-11): K. Kilroy; (age 11-12): H. Neville; (age 12-13): ? Parsons; (age 13-14): B. Croker. Sack race (age 10-11): K. Kilroy; (age 11-12): J. Hopkins; (age 12-13) F. Parsons; (age 13-14): B. Croker. Half-mile (Seniors): T. Mastrocola. Half-mile (Juniors): L. Walsh. P. Armstead won the Junior Championship, and B. Croker and James Fox won the Senior.
The winners included some less familiar parish names – those of World War Two evacuees Tony Mastrocola and Brian Croker.
27/28 July 2024
On Monday 31 July 1933 Rev. Mother Mary of the Cross (Elizabeth Hutchinson as she was before she entered the Church), for 31 years the Superior of the Birstall Convent of the Sisters of Charity of the Order of St Paul the Apostle, and headmistress at St. Patrick’s, died unexpectedly as a result of a heart attack. On Sunday she had appeared well, attending mass and playing the harmonium at the children’s service. She took friends to Oakwell Hall that afternoon, and also attended evening benediction. She was taken ill during the night.
Past To Present Genealogy 