Springhill, in common with the rest of the country, was touched by the events of World War 1. Some men of the area are known to have fought, sadly some died in service. Others supported the war by various acts at home. Some may have objected.

This page records their actions and the effect of WW1 on the community.
Those who fought

The 1911 census records 108 men of the Springhill and adjacent Higher Cloughfold area who were of call up age during the war. Five of these are known to have died in the war, it is unknown how many served and survived.

CEMSEARCH UK has published a database of WW1 casualties as determined from the obituary columns of the Rossendale Free Press. This has 39 as being 'of Cloughfold', of which 3 are from the Springhill/Higher Cloughfold area.

CWGC records 33 men as being 'of Cloughfold'. Of course the number of men of call up age from the broader Cloughfold area is much greater than the 108 from the immediate Springhill area.

Springhill casualties:
Harry Dawson
Rifleman, R/9916, 8th Btn King's Royal Rifle Regiment d 24/08/1916 age 21. Commemorated Pier and Face 13A and 13B, Thiepval. ‘Killed in action’
Address 1911 22 Dobbin Lane, cotton weaver, single, two older sisters at home.
Born Cloughfold.
He left 'all I have to my mother'.
CWGC records 'son of Thomas and Mary Jane Dawson of Springhill Lodge'.
James Driver
Private, 28981, 2 Bn East Lancashire Regiment, d 15/03/1917 aged 28 (RFP has 37). Commemorated Pier and Face 6C, Thiepval.
Address 1911 Meadow Head Farm, Stone Mason, single, 4 sisters and 3 brothers at home.
He left 'all of my property and effects to my mother'.
CWGC records 'son of James and Margaret Driver of Cross Farm, Cloughfold'.
Harry Hart
Private, 52219, 19 Btn King's Liverpool Regiment. d 23/06/1917 aged 23. Commemorated I B 5 Perth Cemetery China Wall, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Address 1911: 199 Bacup Road Cloughfold, single, 1 brother and 1 sister at home. Son of the late James and Maria Hart. Obituary says 'of Higher Cloughfold'.
Cotton spinner in 1911, later assistant librarian Rawtenstall library, Librarian, Burnley Mechanics Institute on enrolment
Harry's brother, John Hart, later bought the Springhill properties in 1923 and left a bequest to the Peace Pledge Union in 1947.
Thomas Harvey
Private, 44257, 1st Bn Loyal North Lancashires, d 2/10/1918 aged 34 (RFP has 36).
Commemorated A 46 Senquehart 1.
Address 1911 3 Lodge Fold, carter, married, no children.
CWGC 'husband of Mary Harvey, 5 Cherry Tree Cottages, Cloughfold'.
Wellington Pilkington
Private, 14959, 9th Btn East Lancashire Regiment d 27/12/1916 aged 29, Salonika.
Address 1911: 17 Green Hill, cotton weaver, married, 1 son and 1 daughter at home.
William Place
Private, 325131, 2nd/7th Bn Royal Warwickshire d 13/05/1918 age 20. Commemorated I F 14 Robecq.
Address 1911: 5 Nuttall Row Dobbin Lane, cotton weaver, single, 1 younger sister at home.
Joseph Harold Taylor
Private, 35136, 2nd Bn East Lancashire Regiment, d 02/04/1918 age 28. Commemorated Panel 42 and 43 Pozieres Memorial.
Address 1911 Edge Lane Farm, house painter, single, 1 sister at home.
CWGC 'son of Mr and Mrs E Taylor of Edge Lane Farm, Higher Cloughfold, 'husband of Annie Ashworth (formerly Taylor) of Ash Lea, Manor Drive, Cleveleys, Blackpool'.
Fred Taylor
Private, 30886, 2nd Btn Loyal North Lancs d 20/10/1918 aged 18.
Address 1911: 1 Patrick Square. Son of John Taylor, cotton weaver, one older sister and younger brother at home.
Others who served:
Joshua Craven Hoyle
Lt-Col, 5th Btn East Lancashire Regiment, entered Egypt Nov 1914, invalided from Egypt 8 Feb 1915, initially for 6 months. Did not return to the theatre. Awarded Silver Star 19/12/1916 no 3257.
Address 1911: Lea Bank Hall, Cloughfold, with wife, daughter aged 16, 8 servants and 2 visitors.
After return, provided much of the finance for the military hospital on Newhall Hey.
Appointed War Office representative for the Rossendale division June 1914.
Stray Zeppelin bomb dropped in his estate Sept 1916 with no casualties.

2nd volunteer Btn, East Lancs Regiment, commission into 5 Btn East Lancs 1 April 1908
Awarded the Territorial Decoration 17 Dec 1912. He styled himself as VD (Voluntary Officers' Decoration), but this was abolished in 1908.
Justice of the Peace
Elected Mayor of Bacup Nov 1911, he grew up in the town.
Deputy Lieutenant Lancashire 1915
By 1926 was living in Yealhampton, Devon, when he was appointed Sheriff.

Craven Hoyle was not strictly a resident of the study area but lived within 400 yards and was an important local figure. It is said that the first telephone in Rossendale was installed in his house.
Consequences at home

Many of the men and women who remained behind supported the war in a number of ways. The war also affected the life of the community directly, with Zeppelin bombs falling less than half a mile away.
E L Compston
Practising GP and homeopath, active in the St John's Ambulance and Medical Director of the Auxiliary Military Hospital at Newhall Hey.
Elizabeth Jane Bradshaw
Waitress/pantry maid, QMAAC, enrolled 6/6/18 age 20. Posted initially to Chadderton Camp, Royton, then 53 (YS) Bn South Wales Borderers 16/7/1918. Moved to the dispersal Camp Shoreham-on-sea Oct 1918 then to Sommerton Camp, Eastbourne on 4/4/19. Discharged 5/12/1919 on termination of engagement.
Described as 4'11", 100 lbs, hair and eye colour omitted. Described as 'small very nice bright girl, seems suitable' by M E Quinlan on her application form.
Address 1911: 7 Nuttall's Row Cloughfold, weaver cotton age 12, 3 older sisters, 1 younger sister and 2 younger brothers at home.
Further details available in the transcripts of her service records.
Zeppelin bombs Sept 1916
Just before midnight on 25 Sept 1916 a Zeppelin flew NE-SW over Cloughfold, dropping a device adjacent to Lea Bank and another at Fall Barn, as described in this Rossendale Free Press report from 50 years later. The path of the Zeppelin is here. It is thought that the airship followed the wrong train from Todmorden, thinking it was going to Manchester.
Opinion at home
Rector's letter, Newchurch St Nicholas, Sept 1914
Those who objected

I am not aware of any conscientious objectors in the Springhill area, which is interesting given its links with early Quaker and Baptist history. The minister of Sion Baptist Church, Rev J Barton Turner, gave evidence in support of conscientious objectors in April 1916 during which he denied having said that if didn't matter if Britain was ruled by King or Kaiser.


Late victims of the war?
Spanish flu.
Bacup and Rawtenstall were two of the earliest areas in the UK to be affected by the Spanish flu epidemic and were severely affected in the early stages. In the week ending 29 July 1918 the mortality in Bacup was 33.3/1000 and in Rawtenstall 18.6/1000, the highest and third highest in the country at that time. There was much speculation at the time that the severity of the epidemic was in part to the population being weakened by the war. Whilst Bacup and Rawtenstall certainly had areas of overcrowding and malnutrition they were not alone in manufacturing areas in having these conditions and it is unclear why they were so severely affected as such an early stage in the epidemic.

Interestigly, whilst Rochdale and Bacup were severely affected Whitworth which lies between them was not. Haslingden, two miles west of Rawtenstall, was relatively lightly affected.

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