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Home » Rawdon » Events Rawdon » WW2 1939 – 1945

WW2 1939 – 1945

Hargreaves Family Broadcast 1943

Title Hargreaves Family Broadcast.
Date 1943
Location Rawdon
Photo ID T539
Comment See below …

Family group: on the left Moira Hargreaves aged 6, then mother Joan Hargreaves nee Lee, Paul Hargreaves aged 9 and Lesley Hargreaves LAC RAF.

Lesley was sent to Lagos, West Africa, a message from him to his family was read out on the Forces Broadcasting Network.

   

Hargreaves Family Broadcast 1943

T540 – Hargeaves Family Broadcast, 1943.

WW2 – 1939-1945

Hargreaves Family Broadcast – 1943 – A clipping about the event from the Wharfedale Newspaper and the actual message, below.

Hargreaves Family Broadcast 1943

T540 – Hargeaves Family Broadcast, 1943.

WW2 – 1939-1945

Hargreaves Family Broadcast – 1943

Message

Hello Joan dear, hello Paul and Moira, this is Daddy calling, do hope you are listening to me. I am keeping very fit and trust all of you are the same. Mammy says you are doing well at school Paul, keep it up Daddy is very proud of you. You are a big dirl Moira now aren’t you, and I wish I was at home to play with you. I do miss you Joan darling and think you are managing wonderfully well at home. Hello everyone at Headingley and Pool thank you for writing me. Bye Bye Joan, keep smiling, God bless, I’ll be back.

30Bn Home Guard 1944

T749 – 30th Bn. Home Guard, 1944.

WW2 – 1939-1945

The 30th Battalion Home Guard Rawdon, despatch riders on motor bikes.

Image courtesy of Horsforth Museum.

Editor’s Note: From an undated newspaper cutting: A picture from Joy and Donald Foster, of Batter Lane, Rawdon, of the 30th Battalion (Rawdon) Home Guard. They are despatch riders in 1944 and their headquarters and training grounds were situated where Benton Park School now stands. The driver of the motor-bike and sidecar is the late Bill Bancroft, of Horsforth, and Donald Foster is third from the right. Note the “blackout” headlight shields which made driving in bad weather hazardous.

Ed: Bill (Billy) Bancroft owned a motorcycle business in Horsforth on New Road Side where ES Motors now stands though the original premises has been demolished, it was still in business in 1968 when I sold my Thruxton Velocette 500 Production Racer there for the deposit on my first house. JB. 16 January 2024.

Consolidated by J Brayshaw. 16 January 2024.
Last Updated: 18 January 2024 – Photo ID: T539, T540, T541.

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