Did Hawes Side Lane suffer more than most?

Hawes Side Lane, Marton runs between Waterloo Road in the North and Highfield Road in the south of Blackpool, less than one mile of one of the main arterial roads, via Common Edge Road to St Annes from Blackpool. At the time of the first World War, there were probably less than a hundred houses along the length of the Lane. In all 11 of these homes and families were affected by the war.

Crossland Road Mission Roll of Honour, now Lost. (Courtesy of Keith Robinson)

All are commemorated on local War Memorials: Crossland Road Mission; Waterloo School; Waterloo Road Methodist Mission; Baines Council School and the three identical memorials at St Nicolas School, Marton Methodist Church and Mereside Community Centre, as well as on the Cenotaph in Blackpool. One or two are recorded on South Shore memorials. The Crossland Road Mission Roll of Honour records those who served King & Country as well as those who died: 144 served of which 34 died. It’s clear from looking at the list of names that the young men of family groups were serving: 14 Cardwells; 6 Boardmans; 5 Fishers; etc.

Waterloo School Memorial Window

Each of the memorials gives a slight clue as to the lives of the young men, aged between 17 & 33; where they worshipped and went to school. Help from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and local newspapers provides just a little more about the lives and loves of the men of Hawes Side.

Some of the men died as ‘ordinary’ soldiers, others with some distinction, all of them gravely missed. What follows is an account of the men, where they lived and just a small taste of how the news of their deaths must have impacted on the family and community.

The research was undertaken by 2 local historians, Clarence Edgerton of Thornton and John Baker of Marton, both of who were keen to shed light on those who lost everything in the cause of principle and honour. I’m grateful to them for the work they’ve done and for the details held and available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website at: http://www.CWGC.org.

Please Note: The houses on Hawes Side were re-numbered in around 1929 to accommodate new housing and shops development. The odd numbers 15 -139 became even numbers 10-132 and the even numbers 2-342 became numbers 15 -377. The numbers below are the original ones and will have been changed during that period. Unfortunately, there is no confirmation available for the old and corresponding new numbers.

A table records the addresses and details of those who died. They number 26 from Hawes Side Lane and the near vicinity lost in World War One. Download the Table here.

NOTE: You will need a PDF Reader to view the Table.