New Mill Branch Royal British Legion

31/10/2026

What a fantastic first day of poppy selling at Aldi today!

A massive thank you to all our cadets and staff who gave up their time to support this important cause. Your enthusiasm, commitment and fantastic effort throughout the day were brilliant, and you did Thongsbridge Army Cadets proud!

A special thank you to Sean Lockwood for bringing along TB’s amazing mascot, Daisy Bee the Tractor 🚜🐝, who certainly helped bring a few extra smiles to the day!

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who genuinely donated. Your generosity and support mean so much and help us continue to support the Royal British Legion and remember those who have served and sacrificed.

We couldn’t do it without our amazing cadets, staff and supporters.

Day 1 – What a success!

Thank you all.

30/10/2026

29/10/2026

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM 🇬🇧
🌺 Remembering Sergeant Gilbert Hebblethwaite
Royal Air Force | Died 27 August 1942, aged 24

Today as part of our “We will remember them” series, we remember Gilbert Hebblethwaite, a young man connected to our own Holme Valley community whose life was cut short while serving his country during the Second World War.

✦ FROM NEW MILL TO THE SKIES OVER GERMANY

Before joining the Royal Air Force, Gilbert served in the British Army as a dispatch rider being evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940 where he had been carrying vital messages and orders. He later transferred to the RAF, serving with No. 156 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, as a Sergeant and second pilot.

His journey from Army dispatch rider to RAF pilot was a remarkable chapter in his wartime service.

✦ HIS FINAL MISSION

On the evening of 27 August 1942, Gilbert took off from RAF Warboys in Cambridgeshire aboard a Vickers Wellington Mk III bomber, serial number X3367, as part of a bombing operation against Kassel, Germany.

During the mission, the aircraft was attacked by a German night fighter and crashed near Epe, Germany.

Tragically, all six members of the crew lost their lives.

Gilbert was just 24 years old.

✦ A LOCAL MAN

Gilbert was the son of Edgar and Charlotte Hebblethwaite with connections to Wooldale and New Mill.

Behind the uniform and service number was a young man with a future that would never be fulfilled.

His story is also part of a wider family history, with connections stretching from Wooldale and New Mill in Yorkshire to Canada. Though separated by thousands of miles, generations and oceans, family connections help keep the memory of those who served alive.

His story reminds us that the men we commemorate were not simply names carved into wood and stone. They belonged to families, communities and a shared history that continues across the world.

✦ REMEMBERED AT HOME AND ABROAD

Gilbert is remembered on local war memorials in the Holme Valley, including the Holme Valley War Memorial in Holmfirth and the Wooldale Free Church War Memorial. His name is also associated with a memorial at Lydgate Unitarian Chapel.

He lies buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany, far from the Yorkshire community connected with his life.

From New Mill to Canada, and from the Holme Valley to his final resting place in Germany, Gilbert’s story reminds us that the legacy of those who served reaches far beyond the battlefield.

Today, we remember Sergeant Gilbert Hebblethwaite, his five fellow crew members and all those who gave their lives in the defence of our freedom.

Their sacrifice must never be forgotten, and their stories deserve to be passed on to future generations.

🇬🇧 WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

🌺 Lest We Forget.

21/10/2026

🇬🇧🌺 WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

PRIVATE HARRY HILTON

8th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers

📍 Born in New Mill | Killed in action 16 August 1917

As part of our We Will Remember Them series, we remember Private Harry Hilton, a young man from New Mill who lost his life during the First World War, aged 22.

🏡 LIFE IN NEW MILL

Harry was born in New Mill around 1895 and was the son of George and Sarah Hilton, who lived at Sude Hill.

He attended New Mill National School, the Parish Church Sunday School and its Young Men’s Class. He was also a member of New Mill Working Men’s Club, where he enjoyed playing billiards.

Before joining the Army, Harry worked for Messrs Mitchel, cloth finishers, at Folly Hall, Huddersfield, part of the textile industry that shaped so many lives in our local area.

🎖️ HIS MILITARY SERVICE

Harry served as Private 201767 with the 8th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He embarked for France on 16 June 1917.

Just two months later, on 16 August 1917, he was killed in action during the period of the Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele. The precise circumstances of his death remain unconfirmed.

🌺 THE SPOON THAT HELPED RESTORE HIS NAME

One of the most remarkable discoveries in researching Harry’s story comes from an original military burial document.

Initially recorded as an “Unknown British Soldier”, the entry for his grave lists the means of identification as “SPOON” and confirms that a piece of the spoon was forwarded to base. Handwritten amendments identify the soldier as Private H. Hilton of the 8th Northumberland Fusiliers.

The document does not explain exactly how the spoon established his identity, but it preserves an extraordinary link between an everyday possession and the young man who carried it.

Thanks to this identification, Harry did not remain unknown. His name could be restored to his final resting place.

🪦 HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE

Harry is buried at La Brique Military Cemetery No. 2, Belgium, in Plot I, Row D, Grave 9.

He is also commemorated on the Rolls of Honour at New Mill Working Men’s Club and Fulstone War Memorial. His photograph remains displayed in the New Mill Club Memorial Room, connecting us today with the young man behind the name.

🌺 WE WILL REMEMBER HIM

Harry was a son, a former pupil, a churchgoer, a keen billiards player and a textile worker from our community. He left New Mill to serve his country and never returned.

More than a century later, his photograph and the remarkable story of the spoon that helped restore his identity allow us to remember not just a soldier, but a young man whose life was rooted in New Mill.

Of particular interest is that our branch chairman Neil Tinker is the great nephew of Harry.

Private Harry Hilton
8th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers
Killed in action: 16 August 1917

Born in New Mill. Remembered for ever.

🇬🇧 WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

🌺 With remembrance and respect from New Mill Royal British Legion.

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

🇬🇧🌺WE WILL REMEMBER THEM 🌺🇬🇧

Private Lewis Booth

21st April 1918

This week, in our “We Will Remember Them” series, we remember a man from our own community — Lewis Booth of New Mill.

Born 24 October 1882 in Wooldale, Lewis lived at Hollingreave, New Mill, with his wife Ann.

He served with the 17th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment and was captured at Guillemont Farm in France on 31st August 1917, with shrapnel wounds in the leg and foot.

Treated at Le Cateau, he was held at POW camps including Stendal and Limburg, later recorded at Quedlinburg in February 1918. He died of pneumonia on 21 April 1918, aged just 35 and is buried at Niederzwehren Cemetery in Kassel, Germany.

His death left Ann a widow, and records show she was still living in the Holmfirth area in 1939. His story reminds us of the heavy cost of war.

We Will Remember Them.

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11/10/2026

Very apt memorial as we keep a picture of Tom on proud display in The New Mill memorial room

11/10/2026

DID YOU KNOW? THE STORY BEHIND THE POPPY APPEAL 🌺

As we approach Remembrance Sunday, have you ever wondered how the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal began? 🇬🇧

The story goes back more than 100 years, to the aftermath of the First World War.

🌺 THE POPPY THAT STARTED IT ALL

In 1915, Canadian doctor Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the famous poem In Flanders Fields, inspired by the poppies growing among the graves of fallen soldiers in Belgium.

The poem helped establish the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance. American campaigner Moina Michael and French humanitarian Anna Guérin subsequently helped turn that symbol into a movement to raise money for those affected by the war.

🌺 1921: THE FIRST POPPY APPEAL

The British Legion was formed in May 1921 to bring together ex-Service organisations and help those who had served, along with their families.

Later that year, Field Marshal Earl Haig supported the idea of selling poppies to raise funds for struggling veterans and their dependants.

On 11 November 1921, the first official British Poppy Appeal took place.

The response was remarkable! The poppies sold out, raising more than £106,000 — an enormous sum at the time.

That money helped former servicemen who were struggling with disability, unemployment and poverty after the horrors of war.

🌺 MORE THAN JUST A POPPY

In 1922, the Poppy Factory was established to provide employment for disabled ex-servicemen, allowing them to earn a living making poppies.

This captured the real meaning behind the appeal: remembering those who had fallen while also supporting those who had returned home.

Over the decades, the appeal has continued to grow, supporting generations of the Armed Forces community and their families.

🌺 WHY DOES IT STILL MATTER TODAY?

More than a century later, the message remains just as important.

The Poppy Appeal helps fund the Royal British Legion’s charitable work, supporting eligible veterans, serving personnel and their families with issues including financial hardship, housing, health and wellbeing.

The people who serve our country do not stop needing support when they leave the Armed Forces.

And remembrance is not just about looking back — it is about the responsibility we have to those who have served, those who still serve, and the families who stand beside them.

❤️ HERE AT NEW MILL ROYAL BRITISH LEGION BRANCH, we believe that remembering our fallen and supporting our Armed Forces community go hand in hand.

Every poppy worn is a personal act of remembrance. Every donation helps support the Legion’s work. And every name remembered is a life that must never be forgotten.

This November, as you wear your poppy, remember the remarkable story behind it — and the generations of service personnel and families it represents.

🌺 WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. 🌺

11/11/2025

Today marks a solemn anniversary—an occasion to pause and honor the countless individuals who served, sacrificed, and stood for something greater than themselves. Their courage and quiet resolve continue to shape the freedoms we often take for granted. Remembrance Day invites reflection, gratitude, and a renewed commitment to uphold the values for which they gave so much.
We thank them and will remember them always 🫡