Monkey Town: The History of Heywood

In September 1898, the 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers engaged in the Battle of Omdurman , Sudan. This took place 13 years after the famous seige of Khartoum and was part of the eventual recapture of Sudan by the British. Among the Heywood men who took part in the battle was Private J Carruthers, who later wrote this letter home: The Battle of Omdurman, 1898. (Purton Museum, England) The following account of the battle is from a Lancashire Fusiliers website : ('2LF' = 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers): "The 2nd September 1898 was a Friday. At 0400 hrs, the Division was stood to, Lyttelton's Brigade was on the left of the Infantry position, with its left thrown back to protect that flank. They had the Nile at their backs. The Brigade was formed as follows:- 2nd Rifle Brigade on the left, then 2LF, then 1RNF and 1 Warwicks on the right. The Brigade had 6 companies in the front line and 2 companies in reserve. And so they waited......  At 0630 hrs

To search for specific keywords or subjects in this page, press 'Ctrl' and 'F' on your keyboard. Places & Themes Key The 'places and themes' content of each entry below is divided into the following categories: BIO: Biography BUS: Businesses and occupations CLT: Clothing COM: Commemorations and Celebrations EDU: Education EL: Entertainment & Leisure FD: Food FLK: Folklore HIS: History HOM: Home life IMM: Immigration LAW: Crime, policing, courts MED: Medical MUN: Municipal ORG: Organisations and clubs PL: Places and landmarks PUB: Public houses REL: Religion SPT: Sport TRN: Transport WAR: Wars Vol. 1, JAN 1990, p.3 Title/author: ‘Snippets of a Heywood Childhood’ by Cliff Lever Type: Reminiscences Setting: 1925-32 Places/themes: BUS: Old market, stalls lit by naptha flares; Cotton waste warehouse (formerly dyeworks), next to Langton Arms, Miller St.; Stable; Well; Ramsbottom’s Smithy, Aspinall St.; Charley Dean, Marke

To search for specific keywords or subjects in this page, press 'Ctrl' and 'F' on your keyboard. Places & Themes Key The 'places and themes' content of each entry below is divided into the following categories: BIO: Biography BUS: Businesses and occupations CLT: Clothing COM: Commemorations and Celebrations EDU: Education EL: Entertainment & Leisure FD: Food FLK: Folklore HIS: History HOM: Home life IMM: Immigration LAW: Crime, policing, courts MED: Medical MUN: Municipal ORG: Organisations and clubs PL: Places and landmarks PUB: Public houses REL: Religion SPT: Sport TRN: Transport WAR: Wars Vol. 6, WIN 1991, p.4 Title/author: ‘Life in the Workhouse’ by Percy Brown Type: Reminiscences Setting: 1894 on Places/themes: BUS: Entwistle’s Mill, Wash Lane COM: Whit Friday Walks; Christmas at the Drill Hall; EDU: Birtle School; HOM: Food and meals ORG: Bury Union Workhouse, Jericho; PL: Gentlemen’s’ House, Deeply Vale; Nam

There have been bridges around Heywood for centuries, the first one probably being Heap Bridge. When did Heywood's major bridges open? This page is updated as new information comes to hand. Any further information that readers can provide on this subject is always welcome. Heap Bridge : 1884 Heap Bridge, circa 1910. The current bridge dates from 1884, but there would have been a bridge at this spot centuries earlier. The waters are quite shallow here, which in pre-bridge days would have made it a convenient place to cross the river and provide a route to and from Bury from the south-east. Queen's Park Bridge : 1933 Queen's Park Road over the bridge. Prior to the construction of this large bridge, the road (then known as William Street) only ran as far as the park gates. The name was changed to Queen's Park Road with the opening of the bridge. Hooley Bridge : ?? Hooley Bridge. This would have been an important north-south route in early ce

The full flight history for two Heywood Spitfires (MK Vb W3898 and Mk Vb EP646) has been revealed for the first time, thanks to Councillor Alan McCarthy. Both Spitfires had work completed on them at the RAF Maintenance Unit in Heywood (35MU)) during the Second World War. 35MU closed in 1967 and is now the Distribution Park. Spitfire MK Vb W3898 The Spitfire MK Vb (tail number W3898, code LO W), designated as a low-level fighter, was built at Eastleigh and first flew on 17 September 1941, presumably having had long range tanks fitted at Heywood 35MU on 19 September. W3898 transferred to 602 Squadron 25 September 1941. 602 Squadron originally formed in 1925 as a light bomber squadron, its role changed in 1938 to army co-operation and in 1939 to that of a fighter squadron. During the Second World War, the squadron flew Spitfires and took part in the Battle of Britain. In July 1941, it arrived in south-east England to take part in sweeps over France for a year before mov