As the page turned over immediately I posted this I am taking the liberty of reposting as I asked questions of Jon, The Whaley One, Shall cross and all forum contributors. I am afraid they will probably miss it otherwise.
“It is a long time since this topic was first aired but something relevant may have come to light.
Part of the deliberations by the Park Committee and The Council in 1924 concerned the placing of captured German guns in various places in the Park.
This was initially agreed upon but then it was thought it might somehow be disrespectful so where the guns ended up I have no idea. But I have got a photo of a gun arriving in Whaley in 1918. It says under the photo that the gun is on its way to the Drill Hall.
Now I am not an expert in guns of any sort so I shall have to rely on Jon, The Whaley One on this occasion for expert information.
Is it German or British and why was it on its way to the Drill Hall in 1918?
Is it possibly one of the German guns that was later in its life going to the Park for our enjoyment? Did several German guns arrive in Whaley that day? There were certainly plenty of spectators to greet them.
And why would we need a large British gun in Whaley in 1918? Where did it end up anyway?
I’m sure we shall get the usual daft answer from G Jackson which we can ignore.
But the 2 people I am relying on here are Jon with his munitions expertise and also Shallcross who will no doubt have the same photo and will also know a lot more about it than I do.
Incidentally, and I had never noticed this until today despite seeing this photo for years, there is just a glimpse of the Gents urinal at the corner of the Railway Hotel. This must have drained into the ‘goat’ that turned the water wheel of the Corn Mill on Bridge Street.
Talk about employers taking the ‘you know what’.
Anyway there you have it.
Anybody any ideas?
And we don’t want ideas like; “Oh it was brought in to wake The Whaley Eleven up” I know they might seem like a bunch of old fossils but they weren’t all in office in 1918.”
R. S-S