William BARRACLOUGH

11 May 1917

SKIPTON'S ROLL OF HONOUR - PRIVATE WILLIAM BARRACLOUGH REPORTED MISSING

Mrs. Barraclough, 55 Keighley Road, Skipton, is anxious as to the fate of her son, Pte. William Barraclough, Royal Scots Fusiliers, from whom she has not heard for several weeks. Last weekend she received a letter from Corpl. W. Gilchrist, who indicates that apparently nothing has been seen of her son since an attack by the British at Easter. We take the following extracts from the letter:- "On Easter Monday, April 9th, we made our first advance, which proved very successful, having only two killed to the Company on 10th April. On the 11th we were hurried up to the front line, and when about 200 yards from the line, we were opened out in fighting order and then we advanced. The German machine guns started and gave us a very hot time: really, it was awful. When the stretcher bearers came forward they were either killed or wounded by German snipers, who thus caused many men to die who might have been saved, for they lay at least 24 hours and it was snowing a good part of the time. The last time I saw Willie was before I went into action on that morning. I was in charge of the platoon. There were no prisoners taken by the Germans, but what was left of us held the village until the morning following, when we were relieved."

In another part of the letter Corpl. Gilchrist says that the last time he saw Barraclough was on Wednesday, April 11th, and that he was not present at the following roll-call.

Pte. Barraclough, who is an only son, enlisted on February 9th, 1916, and had been at the front eight months. Before enlisting he was in the employ of Mr. Naylor, confectioner, Caroline Square, who succeeded his father, the late Mr. Robert Barraclough, in the business. He was a member of the Baptist Church choir.

13 July 1917

BARRACLOUGH - Killed in action, Apri1 11th, Private William Barraclough, Royal Scots Fusiliers, only son of Mrs. Barraclough and the late R. Barraclough.

13 July 1917

SKIPTON'S ROLL OF HONOUR - PRIVATE WILLIAM BARRACLOUGH

Mrs. Barraclough, 55, Keighley Road, Skipton, received an intimation from the War Office on Friday that her son, Pte. Wm. Barraclough, Royal Scots Fusiliers, who had previously been reported missing since April 11th, was killed on that date. At the latter end of April Mrs. Barraclough received a letter from Corporal W. Gilchrist, from which we take the following extracts which indicate that nothing was seen of her son after the attack on the Western Front by the British at Easter:- "On Easter Monday, April 9th, we made our first advance, which proved very successful, having only two killed in the Company on 10th April. On the 11th we were hurried up to the front line, and when about 200 yards from the line, we were opened out in fighting order and then we advanced. The German machine guns started and gave us a very hot time; really, it was awful. When the stretcher-bearers came forward they were either killed or wounded by German snipers, who thus caused many men to die who might have been saved, for they lay at least 24 hours and it was snowing a good part of the time. The last time I saw Willie was before I went into action on that morning. I was in charge of the platoon. There were no prisoners taken by the Germans, but what was left of us held the village until the morning following, when we were relieved."

In another part of the letter, Cpl. Gilchrist says that the last time he saw Pte. Barraclough was on Wednesday, April 11th, and that he was not present at the following roll call.

Pte. Barraclough, who is an only son, enlisted on February 9th 1916, and had been at the front eight months. Before enlisting he was in the employ or Mr. Naylor, confectioner, Caroline Square, who succeeded his father, the late Mr. Robert Barraclough in his business. He was a member of the Baptist Church choir, of which he was also the librarian.

26 October 1917

IN MEMORIAM - BROUGHAM STREET SCHOOL HEROES

At the Congregational Church, Skipton, on Tuesday evening, an impressive musical service was held in memory of the teachers and old scholars of the Brougham Street Council School who have fallen in the first three years of the war. Particulars of the deaths of these brave lads have appeared in our columns from time to time, and their names are as follows:- Willie Barraclough, C.D. Bennett (teacher), Arthur Bruce, Sam Cairns, Cyril Calvert, Ennie Clarke, Tom Clarke, Harry Ingham, Tom Langman, Reggie Pollard, Lewis Sedgwick, Joe Stewart, Harry Tindall (teacher), and J.W. Varley.

There was a large and sympathetic congregation, including relatives of those in whose honour the service was held. Conducted jointly by the Rev. L.H. Gaunt and Mr. A. Townsend (headmaster of the school), the service, in addition to special prayers, hymns, collects, &c., comprised anthems by the Brougham Street School Old Scholars' Choir (under the direction of Mr. Townsend), solos by Miss D. Wear and Mr. Clifford Townsend, and an address by Mr. Gaunt.

In a few introductory remarks Mr. Townsend explained the object of the service, which he said was one of praise rather than of sorrow for the splendour of the lives that had been laid down. - The anthems were 'O God, protect with Thy strong hand' (Greig), 'Rest for the Weary' (Gounod), 'The Lord is my Shepherd' (Smart), and 'Peace to the Souls of the Heroes' (Callcott), and in all these and in Nicholson's setting of the 'Magnificat' the girls' voices blended with pleasing effect, the singing being marked by a very fine tone and clear enunciation, showing evidence of careful training. Miss D. Wear sang most acceptably the exacting solo 'I know that my Redeemer' (Handel) and Mr. Clifford Townsend gave a meritorious interpretation of 'The trumpet shall sound' (Handel). In addition to playing the organ accompaniments with the customary taste and efficiency, Mr. W.H. Green contributed as a solo the 'Hallelujah Chorus.'

In his address the Rev. L.H. Gaunt expressed his pleasure that the Congregational Church should have been used for a service of that kind and said he would rejoice if it could be used more frequently for public gatherings in which not only comparatively small circle of their own congregation might join, but in which the whole town might feel that it had some part. He also expressed his agreement with what Mr. Townsend had said as to the view they ought to take of the death of their boys, and said he felt that the Bishop of London - despite the fact that he had been taken to task for his expression of opinion - was right when he said that they ought not to think of the death of their boys as sheer calamity and overwhelming sorrow. They ought to think of them as having made a sacrifice bravely and heroically at the call of their country and for humanity, and those who were left behind to cherish their memory would honour them best by thinking of that sacrifice as a victory and not as a disaster; and their remembrance of them should come as a call to follow their example, to live so that they would be worthy of the sacrifice of their loved ones, and to bring to their lives into harmony with the great high note that they had struck in their sacrifice. They thanked God for what their boys had done and suffered, and most of all for what they had been and were now, and to ask His grace to follow in their train.

A collection was taken on behalf of the proposed new memorial of the Brougham Street School, which will probably take the form of a scholarship fund.

30 November 1917

SKIPTON BAPTISTS' MEMORIAL TO SOLDIERS

On Tuesday afternoon a three days' sale of work was commenced in the Baptist School, Otley Street, Skipton, in aid of the Soldiers' Memorial Extension Fund, by means of which it is intended to extend the premises in memory of the young men associated with the place who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the war. Seventy young men belonging to the church and school are at present serving with the Colours, of whom two, H. Maudsley (deacon and Sunday School superintendent) and H. Birch have been missing since May 3rd and August 17th respectively, while the following have given their lives in the great cause:- S. Bishop, J. McIntyre, J. Duckworth, G.A. Wilson, H. Greenwood, D. Collins, B. Peel (Sunday School secretary), H. Scott, A. Bruce, J. Metcalfe, A. Gill, W. Barraclough, E. Platt and W. Ireland...