LETTERS WRITTEN by a young Greenfield solider who died in World War One will take pride of place at the village cricket club after being unearthed among old memorabilia.
Harold Schofield, who played for the club with his brother and father, penned the letters while fighting in France from April 1915.
His short notes inform his parents he is safe and thank them for sending cake and gifts – as well as asking for local cricket results and all the details of Whit Friday.
But the correspondence ended in July 1915 when a letter from Harold’s mother was returned with a ‘killed in action’ stamp after the 23-year-old soldier died from a gunfire shot to the neck.
The fading letters were only discovered recently when the club was undergoing alterations and fresh copies have been typed out so others can read the touching dialogue.
And a memorial board featuring some of the letters, a picture of Harold Schofield and his medals has been put together by club member Craig Lees and will hang on the clubhouse wall.
The letters and board were unveiled at the club’s first Remembrance event this year, when Friezland Brass Band played and poems were read out, as well as a wreath being laid.
Fred Bottom, a club member, said: “We just found the letters in a corner with lots of old photos. They are quite poignant and something we want to share with people.
“We’re pleased to be hosting our first Remembrance Event and if it is a success then we will make it an annual thing.”
Meanwhile a memorial bench was unveiled outside the clubhouse near the spot where a bomb landed during World War II but did not explore – known to many as Germans’ Corner.
The bench was the idea of Saddleworth Parish Councillor Neil Allsopp, who made the donation for it to be fitted, and it sits next to others placed in memory of loved ones.
Bernard King, from the Saddleworth branch of the Royal British Legion, inscribed the bench with ‘Dedicated to past and present members of Saddleworth British Legion Servicemen and Women’.
Cllr Allsopp, who also had a bench installed in memory of his father in 2007, said: “Our armed forces are the finest in the world and we are rightly proud of their bravery and their sacrifice.
“I hope that by installing a bench dedicated to our servicemen and women, past and present, their families and friends would have a simple place locally where they could sit quietly with their thoughts and memories.
“Hopefully, it will help them to feel that bit closer to their loved ones and help bring them peace of mind.
“It’s also a place where those who can’t attend a service or visit a memorial on Remembrance Sunday can still come, sit and remember.”
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