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Norley Wildlife Group

The Wildflower Walk in detail …

In honoured and grateful memory

 

Introduction

In the Great War, 88 Norley men went to war but only 78 returned – one, Christopher Fletcher, was so badly injured that he died from his wounds over 4 years after.  Since 2019, Norley has a “Tommy” Great War memorial in the churchyard at St John the Evangelist and in the church itself there is a beautiful stained glass window and several brass plaques but very few now know anything about these men. The walk is intended to take these names and put them back into the community where they, in the words of Lt Col McCrae. “In Flanders Fields, “….lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow loved and were loved….”. Two of the men are buried in the churchyard where the walk starts. A further 11 sites around the village are marked with memorial plaques, often close to where the men lived. Plaques in season are surrounded by wildflowers, red poppies in remembrance and other flowers they would have seen as they walked about the village all those years ago. Norley Wildlife Group has arranged a walk around Norley, passing all the plaques. Although you’ll be thoughtful, we do hope you’ll enjoy it too!

SUGGESTED ORDER OF WALK

The suggested route starts at the car park at St John’s church where you are welcome to park your car. You will see there is a lectern there with the map and more information. However, there is no special order to the memorials and wildflower sites. Enjoy any part of the walk as you like.

  1. St John’s the Evangelist–Private Christopher Fletcher, a gardener, aged 27 lived at Gads Brow, South Lancashire Regiment, who was injured at the Battle of the Somme in the summer of 1916  and died of those wounds in Frodsham Auxiliary Military Hospital on 10th December 1920. The brass memorial shows him as a Corporal, and he well may have had an unratified field promotion.
    Other graves close by include that of Private JH Sanders (see 9. below) and the Palfreyman family which includes an inscription for 2nd Lieut. Palfreyman. (see 2.below)
    St John the Evangelist. (http://www.nck.org.uk/) The church is locked outside times of service but arrangements can be made to gain access (Ruth Downes, 01606 6240076). There is a brass Great War memorial plaque in the church and other memorials such as for Corporal Fletcher and Captain Beazley, and four wonderful stained glass windows, one to the fallen in the Great War, one to the memory of Edwin Beazley (father of Capt’n Beazley) of Norley Bank and two made by the William Morris Co, to the memory of his mother Alice Maud, both of whom are buried in the churchyard at the chancel end. The car park is not locked and the Palfreyman family grave, the two servicemen’s graves and the Tommy Memorial and its memorial tablet are all accessed along the path from the car park by the lectern.  If you go the western end of the church by the entrance you will see the Commonwealth War Grave of Gnr. James Lewis who died on 13th March 1942 aged 28.
  2. The Wild Wood adjoining the church: Arthur Palfreyman, a gardener aged 23, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, previously Lance Corporal, 13313, was in the attack on Mortho Wood, which saw the final breakthrough into the “green fields beyond”. He died of wounds 9th October 1918. His father, a groom to stallions, lived at Leigh Cottage. He is buried in Five Points Cemetery, Lechelle, France and the headstone in St John’s is the Palfreyman family’s memorial to him.
    The Wild Wood has a “meander “path either side of which has wildflowers and in the spring daffodils and bluebells.  The plaque to Rob Appleton who was a Great nephew of Arthur Palfreyman is in tribute to all his efforts to ensure the creation of the wildflower walk.
  3. Horse Trough: Gunner Jesse Chapman, aged 19, Royal Horse Artillery and then Royal Field Artillery, died of wounds 10th September 1918. Buried in Terlincthum, British Cemetery, Wimille, Belgium. His father was a furniture dealer in Newton Heath.
  4. Planter outside Tiger’s Head: L. Cpl. Samuel Grindley, aged 35, East Lancashire Regiment, died 21 July 1916 on the Somme, lived at Wob Cottage; his sister lived in Cow Lane. He is buried in Serre road Cemetery No. 2.
    The Stores: – food, snacks, sweets soft drinks, hot coffee. (Dave Gee, 01928 787044).
    The Tiger’s Head:- a public house also serves food cooked in-house (https://www.thetigershead.com/01928 788309) has lots of old photos of Norley including Wob Cottage where Sam Grindley lived.
  5. Planter at bottom of Maddocks Hill: Private Alfred Rutter, aged 25, Manchester Regiment died 14th July 1916 during the attack on High Wood on the Somme. He lived at School Bank. With no known grave, he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme along with his other 72,336 comrades.
    Methodist Chapel – There are two benches for weary walkers and a garden with wildflowers.
  6. Norley Village Hall: Private Edward Parrott, Cheshire Regiment, was a groom and lived at Norley Bank with his parents. He disappeared during the Battle on the Somme in an attack against a fortified farm on the 5th September 1916 aged 20. His battalion of nearly 800 men had already been reduced to about 280. With no known grave, like Alf Rutter he is also commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
    At the Village Hall there is a car park and as at St John’s, a lectern showing the map and giving further information.
  7. Hambletts Hollow-: Private Wilfred Shallcross, aged 18, was originally in a (Young Soldiers) Battalion and then the Manchester Regiment; he never went to France but died on 14th November 1918, from Influenza in Bodelwyddan Military Hospital. He lived at Hamblett’s Hollow, with his widowed mother Hannah. He is buried in a family grave at St Mary’s Church Weaverham.
  8. Memorial Garden: Captain John Roland Beazley, Royal Fusiliers, He was a 2nd Lieut, in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), Gazetted for gallantry between 21st – 30th August and awarded the Croix de Chevalier Legion d’’Honneur, was badly wounded at Veuilly in Picardy on 10th September 1914. His parents lived at Norley Bank. He died 4th January 1938, aged 47, Memorials at St Mary’s in Eastham, the Wirral and St John’s Norley.
    There is seat at the Memorial Garden. A lectern gives information about the garden and its designation as a wildlife haven.
  9. “Jack” Sander’s Corner: Private John Henry Sanders, aged 19, Cheshire Regiment, was wounded in Belgium and died of those wounds at Dover Military Hospital 15th May 1915. He lived at lvy Cottage. Flaxmere, His father was a labourer. He is buried in the family grave in St John’s churchyard.
  10. Planter at Fortune Palace: Private Heber Robinson aged 29, East Yorkshire Regiment, joined up on 28th Aug. 1914 and was in the British Expeditionary Force. He died on 12th April 1918 during the German Push. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium. He lived at Lyndon Cottage, School Lane with his wife Janet (married Nov 1911) and one son, Harold (born 9th October 1912).
    Delamere Fortune Palace Chinese restaurant (see http://delamere-fortune-palace-restaurant.co.uk/01928 788293)
  11. Signpost near to the Carriers: Private Samuel Sanders aged 40, Cheshire Regiment, with only 61 officers and men surviving out of a battalion of over 1000, following a tough, disease ridden campaign in Doiran, Macedonia. He died at Jackson’s Ravine on 18th September 1918, with no known grave his name is recorded on the Doiran Memorial.
    The Carriers Inn, lots of old photos of Norley and Hatchmere,  (see http;//carriersinnhatchmerelake.com , 01928 371109)
  12. Junction of Crabmill/ School Lane: Private David Thomas Malcolm, aged 18, Welsh Regiment, died of wounds on 3rd June 1918 in Flanders. He is buried in Vitry le Francois Cemetery, France. He was born in Norley, but at the time of enlistment he was a Kingsley resident so is commemorated on its War memorial and also on the Brunner- Mond memorial at Winnington, where he worked as a cooper (making, repairing wooden barrels). In those days barrels were multi- purpose containers, so the ones he made contained washing soda not beer or whisky.

WILD FLOWERS

Wildflower Walk Flowers

POLLINATORS

Wildflower Walk Pollenators

Acknowledgements

The walk would not have happened without the generous support of the ‘Norley Parish Council, The Stores, The Tiger’s Head, The Fortune Palace, The Carriers Inn, Deryn and Simon O’Connor, lan Stockton, the late Keith Reed, Ashcroft Veterinary Surgery, Brown Moss Equine Clinic, Norley Women’s Institute, Catriona & Konstantin Levshankov, Clare Hocking, Okells Garden Centre, Burleydam Garden Centre, Morrey’s Nursery, Forresters, the late Brian Burgess, the late Neil & Rob Appleton, and Cheshire Military Museum. The Plaques were made by Kestrel Signs, Helsby, Information board layouts by Mel Mountney. The wooden stands lecterns & boards by Dr. Peter Hills, the- ‘Keep off – wildflowers” signs by Stuart Coglan, and Ann Crawford was our amazing mapmaker.

Thanks too to Henry, Chris and Sean from CWAC who put the plaques in. Thanks too to all the Norley Wildlife Group volunteers and help and advice from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, the Grow Wild Team, the National Wildflower Centre at Knowsley, Graham Evans MP and last but not least our own dear Norley News.

If you liked the walk and wish to donate something to ensure that every year wildflowers will continue to commemorate these men contact NWG’s treasurer Sheila Hills 01928 787122  Copies of the Map and guide can be purchased at the Stores where there is a collection “Box”.