January
January 1915
As the Great War enters a new year in January 1915 we receive news
of a 17 year old, a 18 year old and a father of 6 meeting their death in action
Recruiting meetings are held in Conisboro’ and Denaby
while 2 suicides take the headlines and another death at the Colliery
The Denaby Large Hall suffers a destructive fire
and a troublesome Conisborough schoolboy is brought to justice
1000 Children of service men are entertained with a Xmas treat
and there’s the extraordnary theft of a sofa from Denaby
February
February 1915
The big story in February 1915 was the ‘Earthquake’ with a death at the colliery
or was it an Air Raid ? How three miners waited in terror for hours in total darkness with ‘small boys tearing around the district talking about another pit explosion’
and we reprint a 3,000 word lecture on the Church by the vicar of Conisborough
Denaby C.C. captain resigns at the Annual Meeting because the war left ‘little enjoyment in cricket’ and there’s food price protests and farmer’s meetings
a Fowl theft whilst ‘in drink’ and railway trespasses and Mine Offences against Ponies
then there’s the war, with missing, injuries and deaths of soldiers and poetry
With thanks to Jack & Elishia Beachill for their help in transcription
March
March 1915
A Dataller dies after returning from the Night Shift and more miners are punished for offences
The Conisborough hospital is having trouble recruiting nurses
and from a robbery where Glasshands are sent to prison
The Cricket Club announces 50 of its members have enlisted
and news of a young Sailor’s demise reaches the village
Problems with the Water Supply and the Northcliffe footpath have yet to be resolved
but there’s a Soldier’s Wedding and a Golden wedding to lighten the gloom
April
In April 1915 a former miner dies in bondage in Berlin from wounds at Givenchy
We hear of Denaby Families whose sons
are all fighting for their King and Country
At home there’s trouble at the Denaby Main Hotel
as the Landlord uses undue violence
and a Conisborough Man is in trouble
after a Man is beaten up for kicking a Cabbage
and there’s tragedy as a man is knocked down by a Taxi
and a woman found dead in a cellar
and an Accident and a drowning to young Denaby boys
and thanks to Elishia Beachill for help with the Transcription !
May
In May 1915 there are extraordinary scenes as shops by a German born man
are ransacked and furniture reduced to ‘atoms.’
A miner’s excuses for not working are condemned by a judge
There’s another child death and a woman damages windows in New Conisborough
Denaby United win the Montagu Cup and Denaby & Cadeby only turn up with 7
As the intensity of the War increases
we discover pictures and stories of death’s, serious injuries and missing soldiers and sailors
from Ypres to the Dardanelles, in the trenches and at sea
from Miners to an Headmaster’s Son
and the sheer hell of the Combat
June
As the fighting in the Great War increases
Soldiers and Sailors are wounded in the Dardenalles
A Conisborough soldier dies in the trenches and another
is given a military funeral after his body returns
from the conflict at Hill 60
Locally a child’s body is found in a Ash Pit
A man working on a bridge is drowned
and another man is missing and feared drowned while a child has a narrow escape from drowning
there’s an Operetta at Denaby
a Fete for the Relief Fund at Conisborough
and a Wednesday favourite scores his maiden century
for Denaby & Cadeby.
July
In July 1915 the Courts were appealing for Patriotism as the Colliery withdrew charges against ‘slackers’
and a another Sailor and more Soldiers die and a Farmer shoots a Soldier for picking peas.
There’s another pit death as a miner ignores a Deputy’s instructions and a tradegy as a women is found drowned and the case of the baby found in a Ash Pit is concluded.
A nurse at the Conisbrough Hospital catches Scarlet Fever
and the 25th Hospital Demonstration takes place after weather prevents the first attempt
There’s the story of the Denaby girl bought for a shilling
and a Charlie Chaplin competition at the Globe and Denaby United celebrate their Montagu Cup win as the Club Debt is increasing
August
There were more stories and deaths from the Front in August 1915 including a former Denaby teacher and a glasshand
We have a list of thousands of items sent to the soldiers from flannelette nightshirts to sleeping helmets produced by the prolific Denaby sewing party
Miners are taken to court for not attending work and a Denaby Main pony driver fined for interfering with the points
There’s an outbreak of shopbreaking and Denaby boys sent to the reformatory
In Conisborough the ‘Burglars Gang’, a dozen schoolboys are brought to court
A miser is found starved to death and a lady from Denaby walks into quicksands
There are more drownings of people related to each other
and a Thurnscoe Licensee brought to court for refusing to supply teas to hungry Denaby cricketers
access to stories
September
As the war in Gallipoli intensifies in September 1915
The Casualty list in the District soared
and the Times reported 11 more sailors and soldiers either killed or missing
A Conisborough soldier sends home a poem
“Somewhere in the North of France”
Trackless cars now run from Denaby and Conisborough
and many more injuries are sustained at the Collieries
the area plays its part in the Million Egg scheme
and there’s vandalism at the Castle
October
In October 1915 a little girl dies after being run over by a Tuby ‘feast’ wagon and Charlie Chaplin is featured at the Globe
More casualties are reported at the Dardanelles, Loos and Hill 70
and the commitment of local people is shown by the families at war;
The Massey and Parry brothers and the 3 Martin brothers, Four Barber brothers from Denaby the 5 fighting Haggars from Conisborough and the 8 Hinchcliffes in the trenches
November
More news of the dead, injured and missing reached the district in November 1915
families were saddened as brothers were lost and a footballer equates the battle to a football match
There are instances of bravery as a Conisborough Corporal receives the DSM
for carrying a message under severe fire and a Denaby Gunner is wounded after rescuing his comrade from the conflict
At home a woman’s body is found in a lime kiln and we have a Chaplin film from the “Empire”
December
In December 1915 the war brings tragic memories to a Denaby Signaller
and a Denaby Artilleryman spends 8 hours in the sea after his vessel was torpedoed
At home the courts hear cases of Pit Offences and an Assault at the Drum (Denaby Main Hotel)
And a batch of Young thieves break into a shop and steal cigars, cigarettes, tobacco and flannelette from a van to receive reformatory and birch rod sentences
Mr WH Chambers presents the St John Ambulance awards and proffers the virtue of all miners holding ambulance certificates