Marsden will be honouring its fallen from World War One this weekend.
The event, simply called Marsden Remembers, will be held this Sunday and volunteers who carried out the research have discovered that 147 soldiers from the village lost their lives during the conflict.
The parade will leave the British Legion Club off Grange Street in Marsden at 10.40 am, led by Marsden Silver Prize Band. It will make its way to the cenotaph in Marsden park for a service of commemoration at 11.10am. The parade will then continue to St Bartholomew’s Church where a service of remembrance will follow at 12noon.
A bugle belonging to 22-year-old Marsden-born soldier Harry Beardsall who was killed during the battle of the Somme will be played by principal cornet player Jason Evans from Marsden Silver Prize Band.
This bugle recently travelled 12,000 miles to New Zealand where his great, great, great niece Charlotte Osmaston recently played the Last Post at her school assembly at Nelson College for Girls.
Until then it was 98 years since the bugle, which was made in London in 1906, sounded its last chord when Harry used it to lead his comrades onto the battlefield on July 4, 1916, shortly before he died. Three generations of Harry’s family are due to attend Sunday’s commemorations.
The bugle is normally on display at the Bankfield Museum in Halifax which has a collection of military memorabilia and is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
Sunday will also see the opening of the exhibition at St Bartholomew’s Church which will feature photographs, artefacts and memorabilia. It will remain there until September.
Most of the research work has been done by Valerie France, helped by Helen Royston. Valerie said: “Colne Valley High School along with Marsden Nursery and Infants School and Marsden Junior School have made excellent contributions to this exhibition as has Marsden History Group and Marsden 14th Huddersfield Scout Group. Golcar British Legion has also contributed a display including a World War One uniform.”
A book of remembrance will feature the names and include stories such as that of the three Goulder brothers from Marsden who all died. Pte Sydney Goulder worked as a mender at Robinson Bros in Marsden and died from gunshot wounds in France.
Pte William Goulder worked in a dyehouse in Marsden and suffered shell wounds in the arm and leg and died in a casualty clearing station in France from his wounds. Gunner George Thomas Goulder lived in Slaithwaite and was killed in November 1917.
Sadly the tragedy did not even end there for Jane Goulder, sister of the three brothers, also lost her husband, Private Henry Hirst, who also lived in Marsden. He died of broncho-pneumonia in hospital at Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, in January 1916.
* The Royal Dragoon Guards will be having a freedom march through York on Friday, August 15, and Saturday, August 16 to mark the war’s 100th anniversary.
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