The Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project
Stephen Oswald Sharp
Stephen Oswald Sharp was the third child born to Herbert Joseph Sharp, a coal merchant, and his wife Minnie (Mary Nelson Bigg) Sharp. Herbert was born in Rotherham and Minnie was Irish, from County Down. The couple married in around 1887 and in 1891 the family consisted of Herbert, Minnie, and three small children; Minnie Dorothy, Philip Herbert and Stephen Oswald, with Stephen having been born on 8th June 1890. The children were each separated by only a year and were all born in Conisbrough. The family lived at that time at ‘The Poplars’; also residing at that address and immediately following the family on the 1891 census is Robert Henry Sharp, his wife Mary and four children; records show that these are Herbert’s parents and younger siblings – Stephen’s grandparents and aunts and uncles. Sadly, records show that Stephen’s older brother Philip died later in 1891 at the age of two.
At the time of the 1901 census, the entire family are boarding at ‘Craiglands Hydropathic Establishment’ on Cowpasture Road in Ilkley; now the Craiglands Hotel. Also with them is Robert Henry Sharp, who at the age of 7 is the youngest Sharp child. An hydropathic establishment was one which in today’s terms may be referred to as a ‘spa’, but at that time was an establishment for the treatment of ailments and general benefits to health and well being, using the spa water from the Ilkley Hills. The Craiglands was one of the best hydropathic establishments in the country, and was built in 1859.
The Sharp family on the 1911 Census (click for larger image)
In 1911, at the time of the census Stephen is back at home with his parents and younger brother Robert Henry. Herbert is still a Coal Merchant, and Stephen himself is listed as a ‘Modern Language Student’. Robert is an Agricultural Student and the census shows that the couple only had four children, of which three now survive, following Philip’s death. In 1911 the family are living at “Kenilworth”, on Avenue Road in Wheatley. A look at the road today shows a succession of large, semi or fully detached houses and the census corroborates this; in the section for ‘Number of rooms in this dwelling… Count the kitchen as a room but do not count scullery, landing, lobby, closet, bathroom; nor warehouse, office, shop’ is the number ‘10’. The family had a housemaid, 18 year old Ada Thomas, and a cook, 38 year old Lizzie Rouse.
Stephen was very well educated. He attended Retford Grammar School where he had been in the sixth form, Senior Boy and Captain of School, and he is listed on their Roll of Honour. He had also been an undergraduate at London University and between 1909 and early 1912, Stephen was a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge. As the 1911 census states, he was studying Modern Languages and his application for admission to Pembroke states that he had a view to becoming a schoolmaster. The records at the College show that he failed the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos in 1911, but passed both parts of the General Examination for the Ordinary Degree later that same year, followed by further studies which eventually enabled him to achieve his BA on 15th June 1912. The Cambridge Review Roll of Honour lists Stephen as being “a keen sportsman, playing cricket, football and hockey with success.”
Stephen served firstly as a Private, and then as a Lieutenant in A Company of the 13th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment; the 1st Barnsley Pals. The 1st Barnsley Pals were brigaded with the 2nd Barnsley Pals (14th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment), the Sheffield City Battalion (12th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, also known as the Sheffield Pals) and the Accrington Pals (11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment). Together they were part of the 94th Brigade of the 31st Division and until March 1916 had been guarding the Suez Canal in Egypt.
"A keen sportsman, playing cricket, football and hockey with success."
Cambridge Review vol. 38 (1916-1917) p. 26
On the day Stephen died – the infamous ‘first day of the Battle of the Somme’ – 1st July 1916, the four Pals battalions took part in the attack at Serre, a village north of Beaumont Hamel in France which was held by the Germans and strongly fortified. The Barnsley Pals were the reserve battalions for the Sheffield and Accrington Pals and the division as a whole suffered around 3,600 casualties. The 13th York and Lancaster themselves suffering 275.
The battalion war diaries for 1st July show that the day started at 5am with the men “formed up in assembly trenches ready to advance.” The account of the day is lengthy and detailed and as such, this account will, where possible, focus specifically on the movements of A Company, which Stephen was a part of.
At 0730 the attack on Serre commenced, with the battalion being the right reserve battalion, supporting the Accrington Pals. Two platoons of A Coy (of which Stephen was a part) followed the second wave of the Accrington Pals, and were a ‘clearing up party’ – designated to ‘clean up’ behind the advancing men, ensuring that lines were held and the enemy either killed or taken prisoner. At 0740 the remaining two platoons of A Company advanced into the front line.
The diaries state that;
“The advance was carried out in perfect order under a terrific hostile artillery bombardment and magine gune fire; Major [name illegible] and all his Officers, as well as those of the ‘clearing party’, being killed or wounded before reaching the front German line.”
Battalion War Diaries: 13th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, 1st July 1916
The diarist refers to the bombardment as a "perfect tornado of fire". The company had been largely decimated and as a result, C and D Companies were recalled back to the allied lines, reforming in Monk Trench. It is highly likely that Stephen had already been killed.
At 11am a few men of A Company were holding the original front line trench, which had been “practically levelled to the ground.” A very heavy bombardment continued on the trenches throughout the afternoon. 5pm saw C Company being sent out to relieve the surviving members of A Company who were holding the front line, and they were also withdrawn to Monk Trench. The diary states “The available strength of the Battalion at this time was about 280 all ranks.” More than half the initial strength of the battalion had become a casualty (missing, wounded or dead).
Stephen was one of those casualties, and he is buried at Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps. The cemetery was begun as a front line burial ground during and after the attack on Serre. All but five graves in Plot 1 constitute the original 501 graves, although the cemetery has been expanded since the Armistice with graves being brought in from smaller cemeteries in the surrounding area. Stephen is buried in Plot V, which shows he is one of these ‘collections’. The site at Serre where the Pals Battalions were situated is now a memorial park called Sheffield Park. There are memorials to all four battalions, and several small cemeteries (of which Euston Road is not one).
Following Stephen’s death, records show that his father Herbert received £90 2d 2s – around £3000 or so – from Stephen’s will or probate.
We visited Stephen at Easter 2015 and have visited Sheffield Park several times.
A view of Sheffield Park and the memorial 'arch' from just in front of Railway Hollow Cemetery. Looking up towards the front lines from behind the lines. The crater in the middle ground is large enough to lose a 6' tall man in from the vantage point here.
A view of Sheffield Park taken from the memorial arch, looking back behind the lines towards Railway Hollow Cemetery. Seen in the foreground, the large crater.
Above: Sheffield Park.
Below: Memorials found at Sheffield Park.
Click for larger images and descriptions.
This plaque is found inside the memorial arch at Sheffield Park.
One of several pieces of shrapnel picked up in Sheffield Park.
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