by Mark Barrow
AS SADDLEWORTH remembers the Great War, Mark Barrow looks back on what the period meant for Saddleworth. (With research from Saddleworth Museum and local archives)
THE OUTBREAK of war in 1914 caused patriotic concern across Britain – and Saddleworth was no different in helping the cause, despite the confusion that engulfed the valley.
For the first few days, there was a struggle for foodstuffs amid panic that food shortages were inevitable, which saw people acquire as much flour and sugar as they could.
This panic-buying soon largely subsided in Saddleworth after the Co-operative societies, who provided around four-fifths of the area’s trade, soon only allowed customers to purchase their usual weekly amounts.
The war’s outbreak also coincided with the annual Saddleworth Wakes. People normally went to the seaside at this time of year yet locals were urged to save their money for the prospect of increasing prices and rising unemployment.
There were even some tales of people having to make hasty cancellations of holidays already arranged in Blackpool and Scarborough – this no doubt caused frustration.
The fear of unemployment was suffered by many Saddleworth manufacturers who saw orders cancelled by their buyers in the early weeks of the war.
It is often forgotten that the First World War was also fought, to some extent, on the home front, as Zeppelins and German Bombers became common sights above British towns and cities.
Saddleworth did provide some protection as residents enlisted and also signed up to help the cause locally.
But local defence groups, such as the Greenfield Civilian Corps, suffered from a lack of essential equipment and supplies.
They often went on parades with walking sticks and an occasional gun, while the reservoirs were defended by Boy Scouts.
