Private Thomas Walton

 40226,  2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment

Born December 1881 Glenridding. Died September 1966 aged 85 in Fylde

Son of Thomas Winder and Agnes (nee Brumwell) Walton , of Bank Foot and the Post Office Glenridding

Husband of Celia Lloyd from Darwen Lancashire

Thomas Walton was born in December 1881 in Glenridding and baptised at St Patrick’s Church Patterdale on New Years Day 1882. His father Thomas Winder Walton was born in 1855 and ran the grocery store and post office in Glenridding. Thomas had married Agnes Brumwell in June 1879. Agnes was the daughter of a miner from Greenside. As well as Thomas, there were Jane Eleanor (born 1880), Amos Moses (1884), Mabel (1886), and Ada (1892). In 1891 in addition to their own children they also had a step son, John Rigg Brumwell living with them, who was born in 1878. All we know of his early years was that in 1881 he’d been living with his grandmother (Agnes’ mother), another brother Thomas, and someone we assume to be his father, John Rigg Brumwell. Mary Brumwell, aged 30, was also living with them, who was their niece.

In November of 1892, the year young Ada was born, tragedy struck when Thomas died aged just 36. He was buried in Patterdale on 2nd December 1892. Agnes continued to run the post office and store on her own and with the help of her children and by 1901 was living at the Post Office and being helped by her eldest daughter Jane, and Thomas was a “Grocers Assistant”. By now John Brumwell has moved away and was working, also as a Grocers Assistant in Salford. By 1911 Agnes was still in the Post Office, but by now assisted only by Ada and son Amos, who was the postman. Thomas had by now left home and in August 1910 had married Celia Lloyd, in Blackburn. At that time he was working as a shop assistant and living in Darwen.

When war was declared Thomas and Celia were living in Blackburn. He signed up as part of the Derby Scheme in December 1915. He was mobilised quite late compared to many others, joining the 4th Reserve Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment on the 23th April 1918. They were based in Scarborough where he did his basic training before embarking for France on the 7th September where he joined the 2nd Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. He arrived with the 2nd Battalion on the 22nd December 1918 and so is likely to have been involved in the final advance in the Artois region, which resulted in the capture of Douai on the 17th October 1918. He remained in France until his discharge on the 22nd February 1919.

So far we have not been able to trace Thomas after the war, although we know that he and Celia eventually settled in Fylde, Lancashire, where Thomas died in September 1966, and Celia in December 1972 at the age of 83.

Thomas’ mother Agnes had died in during the war, and was buried on the 28th January 1915. In terms of the other family members, John Rigg Brumwell had married Sarah Jane Langcake in Workington in 1901. By 1911 they was living in Sale, Cheshire, where he was a Grocers Assistant. They had two daughters, Ethel (born in 1903) and Ada Mary (1909). We have no way of knowing if he served in the war, although he would have been at the upper age limit. After that we have no information on John until his death in June 1960 in Prescot Lancashire at the age of 82.

Thomas’ elder sister Jane had married William Richard Chugg in January 1904. He was another miner from Greenside and in 1908 they had a daughter, Florence. By 1915 hey lived in the Township in Patterdale, and by 1939 had moved to Lake View in Patterdale. By the time brother Amos died in 1951 they were living in Blackpool, and at some point after that they moved to Dorset, where in 1962 Jane died, leaving everything to her daughter Florence, who by then was Florence Broughton, and was herself a widow.

What we know of Thomas’ younger brother Amos Moses is shown below. His younger sister Mabel married James (Jimmy) Dawson Thompson, a farm labourer from Braysteads in Patterdale in February 1905. They had 10 children, although sadly many of them died in infancy, and one son, James Dawson, died in 1936 aged 16. He is commemorated on the gravestone of his parents in St Patricks Churchyard Patterdale. His father James (Jimmy) Dawson died in December 1965, and is described as a “Fisherman, Hunstman, Writer” on his gravestone. Jimmy also served in the First World War in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Mabel herself had died in September 1930 aged 43.

Thomas’ youngest sister Ada continued to run the post office during the First World War and was named as next of kin for her brother Amos. After the death of their mother. During the war she married Albert Ernest Bennett, a soldier (whose story is also detailed on this site), and they continued to live at the Post Office. In 1916 they had a daughter Dorothy and in 1924 their son Alan was baptised at Patterdale Church although by now they were living in Alton in Hampshire where Albert was employed as a “Surveyor and Sanitary Inspector”. They were still living there when brother Amos died in 1951.

If you can add any more details to the story of Thomas or his family please contact us.

Private Amos Moses Walton

 266309/ 291285 Border Regiment and 2nd Battalion South Lancaster Regiment

Born 1884 Glenridding. Died 13th May 1951 at Bridge House Glenridding

Son of Thomas Winder and Agnes (nee Brumwell) Walton , of Bank Foot and the Post Office Glenridding

Husband of Annie Jackson from Penrith

Amos Moses Walton was born in 1884 and baptised at St Patricks Church Patterdale on the 1st June of that year. He was the younger brother of Thomas Walton, and son of Thomas Winder and Agnes (nee Brumwell) Walton. His early life is covered in the section above about his brother Thomas, and by 1911 he was working as the postman in Glenridding alongside his mother and younger sister Ada who were running the Glenridding Post Office. He was also working as a trainee Grocer under Tom Smith in Penrith, although by the time war was declared he had come back to help his mother and sister full time.

He enlisted on the 10th of December 1915 in The Drill Hall in Penrith, and was assigned to the Border Regiment. He had originally wanted to join the Royal Engineers and when he was mobilised on the 8th May 1916 he was initially sent to the Border Regiment Depot. He was quickly transferred to the Monmouthshire Regiment a week later , before being transferred to the Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire) Regiment where he completed his training. We embarked for France to join the BEF and arrived on the 10th April 1918, being transferred to the 2nd Battalion South Lancashire Regiment on the 13th April. He joined his battalion at the front on the 30th April 1918. They were attached to the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division and engaged in the end of the 1918 Battles of the Somme. On his first day at the front it seems Amos sustained a gun shot wound to the left leg. We was transferred to hospital on the front but by the end of June was well enough to rejoin his Battalion. However at the end of August he caught a serious case of Dysentery, and on the 4th September was invalided to England. He was admitted a day later to the Edinburgh War Hospital where he remained until the 9th October 1918. Following his discharge he spent some time working for the Army Postal service before he was finally demobbed on the 18th February 1919.

At some point towards the end of 1918 whilst on leave he had married Annie Jackson from Maiden Head, Penrith. When the war ended he returned to Glenridding and took over the running of the post office from his sister Ada who moved away with her family. Shortly afterwards he became the owner of the block of property next to the post office (what is now Sharmans store). He and Annie set about expanding the business and, as it said in his obituary in the Herald  the

“business of newsagent and fancy goods was extended and a grocery store opened. This was where his apprenticeship to the trade proved a valuable asset, for the success of this venture was never in doubt, developing into a store of the highest class”.

He also became involved at this time in local politics, gaining a seat on Patterdale Parish Council and then shortly afterwards becoming a member of the West Ward Rural Council and later of the newly formed Lakes Urban District Council.  In the autumn of 1927 the Keeple Cove Damn burst, one of the worst disasters ever to affect the Dale. Flood water caused serious damage to land and property, and the post office was in the path of the raging torrent and suffered “extensive damage to goods, furniture and a car and a motor cycle”. This is what is shown in the picture at the bottom of the page.

Amos was secretary of the Ullswater Hunt Committee for nearly twenty years taking over from the late Mr. C. R. Farrer. He was also actively involved in other aspects of village life, bring joint secretary of the King George Playing Field and the Local Commemoration and Appreciation Fund; a member of the Ullswater Sheepdog Trials, a school manager and a member of the Ullswater Mechanics Friendly Society from boyhood. He was also Past Master of the Penrith Unanimity Lodge, an officer in the Beacon Lodge and a member of the Royal Arch Chapter of the Freemasons.

He continued to run the post office at least until ill health forced him to retire in around 1948. He died just three years later whilst living at Bridge House Glenridding on Sunday the 13th May 1951. As his obituary stated

“He was a leading member of the community and his loss will be keenly felt in many spheres. Aged 67, he had lived in Glenridding all his life. He was best known as postmaster at Glenridding, a shrewd and successful business man and always helpful and obliging. By nature kind-hearted, he got a lot of enjoyment out of life by helping others less fortunate than him.”

Annie continued to play an active part in the community, including on the committee of the Glenridding Public Hall. For more information on Amos’ family please see the information we have on his brother Thomas above. We are grateful to Trevor Jackson, great nephew of Annie and Amos for visiting us in 2018 and providing some of great photos below and family information. If you can add any more details to the story of Amos or his family please contact us.

Annie and Amos with a friend in a 1905 Alldays & Onions 10HP Twin Cylinder Three Seater Car - Registration A0 348. Photo kindly provided by Trevor Jackson who also found that the car is still in circulation and was sold by auction house Bonhams in 2010. If you know who purchased it please let him know! You can see the auction information sheet here.

Family photo taken at Bridge House and provided by Trevor Jackson. Shown left to right are Connie Jackson, Terry Copperwheat, Amos, Shirley Ellis (nee Copperwheat), Annie and Christine Lightfoot (also shown in the photo above)

A picture of the Walton’s store and post office in Glenridding. We believe this picture was taken in the 1920s when Amos was running the store. With thanks to Trevor Jackson for the photo.

Below the Walton’s Post Office and Store in 1927 following the Keppel Cove Dam Burst. It is quite probable Amos is the main person in the photo.

A photo of the children at Patterdale School in 1889, which almost certain includes both Thomas and Amos. We have tried to identify as many of them as possible on our Patterdale School Then and Now page.

Amos’ Medal Index Card

Copies of Amos’ Service Record in World War One