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Submitted by Dewsbury Sacrifices20 January 2025

This memorial is now lost, please see full details below

On 2nd April 2024 the former Wheelwright Grammar School Building which was sold by Kirklees Council in 2018 suffered a catastrophic fire. On the following day, Dewsbury Sacrifices were contacted by a previous owner to say they had the WW1 Memorial from the building in their possession and would we like it with a view to finding a new home for it.

We took delivery of the memorial albeit it was only the central metal plate with all the names on. The stone surround to which it was affixed when in the building could not be removed as it was part of the building.

We contacted the Longcauseway Church in Dewsbury and they very kindly found a place within their church where it would fit. We also decided to add the Latin inscription that was on the original stone backing and also the years of the conflict again that were part of the original stone work. This was paid for by a collection from 'Old Boys' of the school and friends of which David Gaunt is a former pupil.

https://longcauseway.org.uk/

Dewsbury Sacrifices had carried out research of all the 1053 names on the Dewsbury Cenotaph and we were aware that there were two men who had not been included on the Wheelwright Memorial who were former pupils. It was decided that these two men should be added. The men are Harold Vivian Hickling and Charles Greenwood Ellis. Vivian died from drowning whilst serving in India in June 1919 and Charles was reported missing in March 1918 on the Western Front during the German Spring Offensive but was not officially declared dead until June 1919. The Memorial was unveiled in June 1919 so that was the reason they were not included initially.

Altogether with the two additions there are 52 names. 33 of the names had previously been researched as they were on the Dewsbury Cenotaph. This left 19 to research which were people who came to the school from Ossett, Batley, Heckmondwike and further afield and some who lived in Dewsbury but left prior to enlisting. We give thanks to an 'Old Girl' of the Wheelwright for her help with this research.

We are in the process of publishing a book which contains the 52 biographies of the Wheelwright men who gave their lives  in WW1 'Pro Deo et Rege et Patria'.  We will donate a copy of this book to the Longcauseway Church.

On Remembrance Sunday 2024 the Memorial was officially dedicated along with a replica of the WW2 Memorial: Reference WMO/292870. Sadly the original was situated in another part of the school and may have been lost, currently access to the building is prohibited.

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Wheelwright Grammar School Boys WW2