Information appreciated for local history group

Discussion in 'Royal Signals' started by Joseph King, May 10, 2021.

  1. Joseph King

    Joseph King Member

    The village of Honley approx halfway between Huddersfield and Holmfirth (West Yorkshire) was home to a Edwardian pleasure ground with fairground and boating lake called Hope Bank,
    apparently during WW2 the Royal Corps of Signals were stationed there, a couple of people on our local history page have said that some of the soldiers married local girls and settled after the war.
    Does anyone know anything about which Unit was actually here ? and perhaps why here ?,
    i spent many years working at this location and have not seen any evidence of accomodation or anything,
    have done internet search but found nothing other than a mention that the grounds were requisitioned by the Army for the Signals.
    i would like to post anything of interest to our local group which might jog some memories perhaps and create more interest in our areas history. Thanks
     
  2. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

    After a quick search of The Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920-2001) and its Antecedents By Cliff Lord and Graham Watson [Helion & Company Limited, ISBN 978 1 908916 31 0 (eBook)] available as an eBook on Scribd.com, I found the following reference to Huddersfield, there is no reference to Honley.



    In the supplementary volume the following entry appears, for Huddersfield (ISBN 13: 978 1 874622 33 8):


    I was unable to find a direct mention of Honley, however, I hope this limited information is of assistance.
     
    stolpi likes this.
  3. Quarterfinal

    Quarterfinal Well-Known Member

    See from CWGC that four WW2 fatalities are interred locally:
    Search Results | CWGC
    but these all seem to be local men and from a mix of units, so no garrison type pointers there.

    See at:
    Honley to Castle Hill and WWII POW Camp Walk - Walking Routes | Walks in Yorkshire
    that there was assertedly a prisoner of war camp not far away, which could explain a billeting of some guard staff.

    That said, also see there is some dispute about that:
    Huddersfield Heavy Anti Aircraft Gun site near Castle Hill, Yorkshire
    and maybe you should be looking at air defence entities etc.

    Good hunting, anyway.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2021
  4. Joseph King

    Joseph King Member

    Information appreciated,
    as a young kid we used to play at the Anti Aircraft site, the site was called Stirley Hill and also housed Italian and German POW's the link here confirms this but is also a very good read Former German POW Fritz Polzin recalls happy times in Huddersfield

    the Honley graveyard has undergone an extensive clear up as many graves were lost to nature, the ww1 graves have all been extensivly researched but i was not aware of the WW2 graves, i will pay a visit out of respect and curiosity.

    Hoping more Information is forthcoming from locals on our history page
     
  5. Joseph King

    Joseph King Member

    Wow, ok a lot off info here, Honley a small Village is classed as part of Holmfirth, however it was always classed as Huddersfield up to a few decades ago, so i am wondering if the Signals that were stationed in Huddersfield were broke up and Billeted in different local areas ? but listed as Huddersfield ? is that a possability ?

    from our local history groups Hope Bank was definatley occupied by the Signals. one of them in his 70's said his dad was stationed there and came from Glasgow, married a local girl and stayed. others mention soldiers from London and Kent - hoping more information is forthcoming from our locals...but they probably know very little about relatives war service.

    I found reference (here on WW2Talk) re Signals stationed about 1 or 2 miles down the road at Berry Brow (between Honley and Huddersfield)

    Sgmn Hyman Max Redman, R.C.S. | WW2Talk
    Berry Brow, Huddersfield, training camp 1940. | WW2Talk

    can.t figure if this fits with your Information or is something different ? would appreciate it if you would kindly have a look and see what you think ? if you do not mind.,a lot goes over my head.i would appreciate it.

    Several Anti Aircraft units in the area which assume would likely have had Signals Soldiers attached ? but not sure if that would be connected to Hope Bank or not.?
     
  6. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

    Billeting often occurred over an area, so billeting occurred there.

    Was this marriage local? Did they marry in the local church? Does the History Group still have contact details for the family concerned? If any of these are a yes, try to find the marriage record, it may contain details of the unit. You can also apply for a copy of the marriage certificate from the GRO.gov.uk site in a pdf format to download, there will be a charge.

    Sorry, I can't add to the information I have posted, but it would appear to be similar to your idea of billeting. Contact the member who posted the images.

    My only other suggestion now is to see if you can find anything in local papers, the parish council archives, the county archives and the national archives. That should keep you busy for a couple of days. :)
     
  7. Joseph King

    Joseph King Member

     
  8. Joseph King

    Joseph King Member

    Many thanks for this, i have plenty of work to do when the Archives open - can't beat scrawling through microfische till your eyes stop focusing,
    i will search ancestry for a marriage date then at least i can target a specific range of newspapers (i had not thought of this - sounds a promising lead)
    i have the soldiers full name and his wifes first name so thats a start.

    Hopefully more info will appear on our group as original post only been there a couple of days - life would be easier if we can pinpoint a specific unit.

    Appreciated all help and advice recieved from this post - i do not take the help of members for granted, thank you for taking the time to help
     
    BFBSM likes this.
  9. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

    I forgot to suggest contacting the Corps Museum, there will probably a delay in any reply due to the current situation.
     
  10. Joseph King

    Joseph King Member

    Thanks will have a look
     
  11. Pugh Pugh etc

    Pugh Pugh etc Member

    Hello , I've just stumbled upon this forum and post while looking for info to trace my dad's war in Burma. He was in the Royal Signals and was enlisted in 1939 and spent most of the war in India then Burma. I believe he was at the infamous 'battle of the admin box' and other locations which I'd like to find more about.

    HOWEVER ! I can confirm that he was in Holmfirth for training prior to being sent to India in 1942. I do not know how long for but in his one and only oral description of his life in the army he told me that he spent quite a lot of time in Holmfirth. I am sure of this fact because I wrote it down before he died in 2009. He was originally from North Wales so presumably this was a regional training base where he learned to type, operate radio and other basic functions before being shipped off. Perhaps he was referring to Holmfirth as the name of the base rather than the actual town location.

    I hope this helps after all this time....good luck with your search.
     
  12. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Pugh Pugh,

    Welcome aboard. I am sure those who have posted here will appreciate the update. Joseph King has not logged on here for over a year, so, next I will send him a message to look.

    There is a wealth of expertise here, so you should find information and help if you pursue your father's wartime story.
     
  13. Pugh Pugh etc

    Pugh Pugh etc Member

    Thanks David, I suppose I am like millions of others whose father never mentioned their part in the war until the month before he died aged 89! My search has been very patchy, notably because he was in the Signals and I find it hard to locate him in Burma. Every now and then I find a nugget of info in his posessions that leads me down another rabbit hole! This looks like a great forum. I have some super photos of unknown people which I may post...
     
  14. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    I know noting of Huddersfield other than its up north somewhere.
    My Uncle from Bristol Enlisted and trained in the Royal Sigs in Huddersfield.
    Is this of any use in your quest?

    RS Huddersfield.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2023

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