James DOVE

05 November 1915

STEETONIANS RE-UNITE

In a letter to his parents, Pte. W. H. Teale, 9th Battalion Duke Wellington’s, described and expressed the pleasure it gave to those present at a gathering of Steeton soldiers at a town behind the firing line “Somewhere in France.” The party included, in addition to Private Teale, Privates Tom Fitzimmons, Prince Dawson, Robert Anderson, G. Stott, and Tom Roberts, along with a trio of Steeton soldier brothers – Privates Willie Dove, Jim Dove, and Matthew Dove, the two last-named being in the Northumberland Fusiliers. The first-named five were several years’ ago prominent players in the Steeton Association football team and are now figuring in the ‘greater game.’ Privates W. Dove, Dawson, and Fitzimmons are with the 6th Battalion (Territorials), and the remainder of the party are ‘Kitchener’s Boys.’ It had been expected that a trio of Steetonians from the 10th Battalion of the ‘Dukes’ should be present, but the ‘Huns’ claimed their respectful attention.

25 August 1916

DOVE – Killed in action in France, August 8th, Pte. James Dove, Northumberland Fusiliers, youngest son of Mrs. Dove, High Street, Steeton, aged 21 years.

25 August 1916

A STEETON SOLDIER’S SACRIFICE

Another Steeton soldier, the 17th to lay down his life for King and Country, has been killed in action on the Western Front. On Tuesday Mrs. Dove, High Street, Steeton, received the sad news that James Dove, the youngest of her three gallant soldier sons, had made the supreme sacrifice on August 8th. The deceased soldier, who was 21 years of age, was in the employ of John Dixon & Sons, Steeton, when the war commenced, enlisting in the autumn of 1914 in the Northumberland Fusiliers, and had seen much hard fighting of late.

Private Willie Dove, 1/6th Duke of Wellington’s, and Private Mathias Dove, of the Fighting Fifth, the fallen hero’s brothers, have both been wounded.

08 September 1916

STEETON-WITH-EASTBURN – MEMORIAL SERVICE

A memorial service to the memory of the late Private James Dove, who was killed in action on the Western Front, was held at St. Stephen’s Church on Sunday afternoon. The Vicar (Rev. W. Seeley) officiated and, in addition to the family, friends of the fallen soldier were present. At the conclusion of the service the Dead March in ‘Saul’ was played by Mr. Roy Davy.

15 September 1916

CRAVEN VILLAGE INSTITUTES – IDEALS AND ASPIRATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

The quarterly meeting of the Craven and District Village Institutes’ Association was held at the Steeton Mechanics’ Institute on Saturday afternoon, under the chairmanship of the Rev. A.C. Blunt, of Gargrave, the newly-appointed president for the ensuing year. Delegates were present from Gargrave, Oakworth, Cross Roads, Kildwick, Steeton, Cononley, and Gisburn.

Mr. Alfred Stell, president of the Seeton Institute, extended a cordial welcome to the new president and the delegates…

Appreciative Letter from the Trenches

The Secretary (Mr. J. Holdsworth) next read the following letter from Captain Cedric F. Horsfall, the late president, written from the trenches in France:–“Many thanks for your letter which I received a few days ago in the front trenches. You have, of course, done quite right in electing another president, and just as I should have wished you to do. I feel as though I have been of little or no use during my two years of office, owing to the circumstances over which I have had no control. After the war I assure you and your Association that you shall have my active support, as I know there is much scope for your work, especially after this war, and when unavoidably the home ties of many of the men will be weakened. I can see some difficulty in preventing wholesale emigration from our villages to the towns and the colonies, and every inducement will be required to keep them in the villages. I think the Institutes might do much to meet this need. I wish you to convey to your Committee my sincerest thanks for the honour they have done to me in allowing me to keep the position of president during these two eventful years. I wish you every success in your work in the future and I am sure that you will get much valuable advice and assistance from your new president, Mr. Blunt. I hope it is not out of place if I add a word of admiration of the men in this Battalion, many of whom come from our villages, and most of whom have been members of the various Institutes. They have not had an easy time lately, but they seem to thrive on work and do it with a good heart, and shelling hardly disturbs them at all.”

STEETON’S ROLL OF HONOUR

Mr. W.J. Johns, of Oakworth, moved that the Association express its sincerest sympathy with the village of Steeton in the great sacrifice that it had been called upon to make in the prosecution of the war. Mr. Weatherall, of Cononley, having seconded.

The Secretary read a list of the Steeton men who have been killed and wounded as follows:–

Killed – W. Dawes, Herbert Dove, Prince Dawson, Wm. Brooksbank, James Dove, Fred T. Ellison, Spencer Cliff (missing), Joseph Hales, Ewart Myers, Thos. Fitzsimmons, Wm. Robson, Thos. Robson, Arthur Smith, Wm. A. Teale, Richard Nicholson, Norman Waterhouse, Clarence Wilson, J. Nelson, Wm. Naylor.

Wounded – John Brooksbank, Wm. Brayshaw, Matthew Dove, Robert Anderson, Percy Race, Fred Baldwin, Fred Greenwood, Frank Throup, Ernest Cooper, Robert Williams.

The Secretary added that many of the wounded men were back in the trenches again, and it was also stated that several of the soldiers had been members of the Steeton Institute.

The resolution of sympathy was carried by the delegates rising in their places…

20 October 1916

A STEETON FAMILY’S SACRIFICE

Hardly had the flight of time softened the grief occasioned by loss in action in July of James, the youngest of the three soldiers sons of Mrs. Dove, of High Street, Steeton, than she was saddened by the news received on Wednesday morning that Matthias Dove, her second son, had been killed in action during an attack made by his unit regiment. The deceased, who is Steeton’s 20th soldier to make the great sacrifice, was 25 years of age, and in the early months of the war, along with his brother James, joined the famous Northumberland Fusiliers, having previously been in the employ of John Dixon and Sons, Steeton. The sad news was conveyed to Mrs. Dove in a letter from a pal of her two brave sons, and singular to relate the pal saw both die fighting. In his communication he states that he will in due course forward her son’s personal belongings. Matthias Dove had previously been wounded, but remained in France. Private Willie Dove, the eldest of the three soldier brothers, is in the Skipton Battalion of the ‘Duke’s,’ and was wounded last December.

12 January 1917

STEETON’S GALLANT DEAD

Happily there has during the closing months of the past year been few casualties amongst Steeton’s soldiers to report. Since the commencement of the war the following well-known local soldiers who have been residents in the village have given their lives for the cause of right and humanity.–Arthur Smith, William Dawes, Herbert Dove, Thomas Robson, James Walker (died in training period), Willie Brooksbank, Ewart Myers, Thomas Fitzsimons, Prince Dawson, Fred Ellison, R. Nicholson, W.H. Teale, William Naylor, William Robson, Joseph Hale, Clarence Wilson, Mathias Dove, James Dove, John Nelson, whilst to add to the above are the names of Spencer Cliff missing since the ever-to-be-remembered landing at Suvla Bay in August, 1915, and Wright Cockshott who has been included in the list of those missing since the early autumn of 1916. Several soldiers whose occupations necessitated residence in the village previous to the war have ‘made the sacrifice’ but are not included in the list.

04 October 1918

DOVE – In proud and loving memory of two dear sons and brothers, sons of the late Thomas Dove, of Addingham, and Frances Dove, of High Street, Steeton – Private Matt. Dove, aged 25, killed in France October 4th 1916; also Private James Dove, aged 22, killed in France August 8th, 1916.

They grew in manhood side by side,
They filled our home with glee;
They nobly answered their country’s call,
Their young lives they gave for one and all.
No morning dawn, or night returns but what we think of them.

From their loving Mother, Sisters and Brothers and Willie (in France).

03 October 1919

DOVE – In proud and loving memory of two dear sons and brothers, sons of the late Thomas Dove, of Addingham, and Frances Dove, Steeton, Pte. Matt. Dove, killed Oct. 4th, 1916, aged 25, Pte. Jim Dove, killed August 8th, 1916, aged 22.

Can a fond mother ever forget
Those sons she loved so dear,
Ah, no, their voices that now are still
Keeps ringing in her ear.

Two better brothers never lived,
No two more true and kind;
Worthy of everlasting love
From those they left behind.

From Mother, Sisters and Brothers.

DOVE – In loving memory of our two dear brothers, Ptes. Matt. and Jim Dove, Steeton, killed in action, October, 1916.

In the prime of their manhood days
They gave their lives that we might live.

From Willie and Nora.

08 October 1920

DOVE – In proud and loving memory of our dear sons and brothers, Private M. Dove, aged 25 years, killed October 4th, 1916, and Private J. Dove, aged 22, killed August 8th, 1916.

Fresh in our hearts their memory clings,
And still our grief is sore;
But each year passing nearer brings
The day we meet once more.

From their loving Mother and Family.

Death often comes to show
We love more dearly than we know;
But love in death should let us see
What love in life ought to be.

From their loving Brothers and Sisters.

07 October 1921

DOVE – In proud and loving memory of our dear sons and brothers, Pte. M. and J. Dove, killed October 4th, 1916, and August 8th, 1916.

These dates bring back sad memory
Of our dear ones gone to rest;
And those who think of them to-day
Are those who loved them best.
No length of time, no lapse of year,
Can dim our dear ones’ past,
For loving memories hold them dear
And will, while memory lasts.

From their loving Mother, Brothers and Sisters, 49 High Street, Steeton.