Wombwell, St Mary's Church, 2Lt J S Mitchell & Men of Mitchell Main & Darfield Main Collieries

Memorial window to Joseph Spencer Mitchell and the men of the local collieries
(photographs taken 13 September 2014)

Detail of soldiers in lower middle panels - click to enlarge

A close up of the inscription at the foot of this window - click to enlarge

Links:

War Memorials Archive listing

The above listing suggests that there are 121 names associated with this window - however it also describes it as a five light window, which it isn't.  

From the Mexborough and Swinton Times 9 October 1920, p.2:

'First reading out the names of 97 men of Mitchell Main and 24 men of Darfield Main who gave their lives in the war, the Rector [Rev. James Cropper] proceeded: "In memory of 2nd Lieut. Joseph Spencer Mitchell and the men of Mitchell Main and Darfield Main who fell in the war." ... Mr Squance [a director of the Mitchell Main Collieries Ltd] said that it was deeply significant that it had entered into the hearts of Col. and Mrs. Mitchell to associate with the memory of their son the memory of the men of the two collieries who also gave their lives in the service of their country.'

The article included a list of the men from both collieries who fell in the war, presumably that which was read out during the service:

Mitchell Main Colliery

F. Ashton	W. Greaves
T. Askew	H. Guest
A. Atkinson	A. W. Hall
J. H. Bailey	T. Hall
J. Barber	J. Hammond
S. Barker	J. Haywood
W. Barraclough	J. R. Higginbottom
W. H. Beaman	A. Hilton
J. Beighton	R. Hill
W. Beighton	R. Hudson
J. Binns	W. Hinchcliffe
J. E. Bower	A. O. Howard
W. Bradley	E. Hyde
J. A. Brookes	S. Jackson
G. Brown	W. Jones
H. Burford	H. Kilner
H. Burton	F. Lax
J. Buckley	B. Leach
C. Chapman	H. Lloyd
W. Cooper	T. Lockwood
R. Cope	J. Minety (C. L.)
W. Cottingham	E. Nutter
A. Crawford	H. E. Owen
J. Crawford	J. T. Parker
W. W. Crawley	G. Parsons (I.)
T. Crowe	A. (or W.) Popplewell
W. H. Denman	D. Raymor
W. Dennis	A. Robinson
H. Dobson	R. Scott
W. Docker	H. Shaw
W. E. Elleway	J. Shelton
F. Ellis	J. Shepherd
S. Ellis	W. Skidmore
A. W. Ferneyhough	A. Smithson
J. Finan	C. Stowe
W. A. Flatters	Jos. Swaine
G. W. Flint	E. Swift
A. Foster	H. Swift
A. Glover	J. C. Tate
A. Greasley	J. Taylor
M. Thompson	F. Ward
T. E. Thornton	J. W. Ward
(E.) G. Thorpe	C. Waterton
J. T. Townend	A. Watkin
Fred Turton	G. Wigglesworth
A. C. Tutill	A. E. Williams
T. (or F.) Wall	J. Vaughan
E. A. Walker	R. Vaughan
F. Walker

Darfield Main Colliery

L. Barker	J. W. Luty
O. Brear	W. McManus
T. Beevors	J. W. Marrow
T. Cherry	T. Poskett
J. Clegg	E. Richards
F. Ellis	J. W. Ramsey
J. France	J. Shannon
W. Gill	E. Sanderson
J. H. Hill	J. Turner
J. A. Hill	A. Watson
L. Hingley	W. Wittlestone
W. H. Harmon	W. Walker

War Memorials Online listing

Further Information:
Yorkshire Indexers page about Joseph Spencer Mitchell

Photographs by Pete Schofield

Inscription:
Greater love hath no / man than this that / a man lay down his / life for his friends

In loving remembrance of our son / 2nd Lt Joseph Spencer Mitchell / R.F.C. accidentally killed whilst flying in / France 5th October 1916 and buried in / Communal Cemetery Gezaincourt / and in grateful appreciation of sacrifice made by / men employed at Mitchell Main & Darfield Main / Collieries in the Great War 1914 - 1918

Joseph Spencer Mitchell is also remembered on the WW1 Memorial Plaque in All Saints Church, Wath upon Dearne and on his own Memorial Plaque in the same church.
 
He is buried in Gezaincourt Communal Cemetery Extension and commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.  


BWMP #WMB01