East Leeds vicar and the Battle of the Somme

BELLS TOLL FROM OUR CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS TO MARK THE START OF YORKSHIRE'S DARKEST DAY OF WW1

 

An East Leeds church will toll a single bell and open its doors all day to mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme in honour of all those who died locally.

 

St Mary’s Church, Middleton will join scores of churches across the Anglican Diocese of Leeds including the three cathedrals of Bradford, Wakefield and Ripon in tolling the bell at 7.30am on July 1 - the exact time the first troops went over one hundred years ago.

 

The first name inscribed on the war memorial inside the Middleton church is George Atkinson – a Leeds Pal - he was one of the first sent over the top - and died within ten minutes. 

And the Battle of the Somme is poignant for the vicar of Middleton, the Revd Andy Myers as his grandfather (his father’s father) served and survived the Somme.

 

His grandfather’s brother survived the Battle of Jutland – along with his Bible - which as a shy, retiring boy, Andy found refuge in, and it was his reading of the stories of Genesis that was to inform his future career. 

 

To mark the impact war has had on his life and the lives of those living in his parish, the church will be open all day and Andy is asking local people to come forward with any memories/memorabilia from any war to create a display in church.

 

Contact Andy at St Mary’s or email him on: andy_myers1@sky.com