Hoylake News, Views and much more!
While there’s still presumably quite a lot of work to complete before a Spring 2012 opening, the revamped Kings Gap Hotel is very much starting to take shape. I’d imagine that they’ll start recruiting staff early in the new year – a small number of vacancies were advertised a few weeks ago.
As you can see from the photo below a large, modern extension has been added to the original building.
What do you think? Do you like it?
Pictured above is the grave of John O’Neill VC MM at Hoylake Cemetery, Trinity Road.
The photograph was taken exactly six years ago in 2005 when the Chairman of the Leinster Regiment Association laid a commemorative wreath on the grave. The Association was instrumental in recommemorating the resting place of Sgt John O’Neill on 31st October 2004.
On the 13 and 14 October 1918 toward the end of the Great War, as part of the 29th Division of the IInd Corps the 2 Battalion Leinster Regiment were fighting in the Ledeghem sector near Courtrai (Kortrijk) in Belgium. The Leinster Regiment were the advance troops of the 88th Brigade. On the morning of the 14th Sgt. O’Neill received news that his brother, a member of the 36th Ulster Division who was also fighting on the right of the Leinsters, had been killed in action. At the start of the days artillery barrage, presumably to avenge his brother, Sgt. O’Neill charged ahead of the barrage and led the Leinster attack being the first man in many enemy strongholds. In the village of Staceghem he teamed up with another sergeant from the 4/Worcester Regiment and between them commenced to clear several houses of enemy combatants.
John O’Neill was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V in Buckingham Palace on the 2nd August 1919.
John O’Neill was born in Airdrie, Lanark and enlisted in to the Leinster Regiment at the age of 17. Within four years he had been honoured with the Military Medal, the Victoria Cross, Médaille Militaire , and the Légion d’Honneur. He also served in the RAF as an Armourer Sergeant when he served alongside Lawrence of Arabia and in the Pioneer Corps as Lieutenant O’Neill during WW2 (1941) defending Liverpool’s docklands from air attack.
John O’Neill died of heart attack on the 16 October 1942.
Medal entitlement of Lieutenant John O’Neill – 2nd Bn, Prince of Wales’ Leinster Regiment:
On the 13th February 1962, John O’Neill’s Victoria Cross medal group was placed into the care of B.A. Seaby, a numismatic (definition) company, for sale in their forthcoming auction. On the same day a gang of thieves parked a van outside the motor showrooms on the ground floor of Seaby’s premises. They forced the showroom door to reach another door giving access to the coin dealer’s offices. The gang then carried oxy-acetylene apparatus hidden in rolls of linoleum into the building and spent the next ten hours burning open three safes.
Coins and medals valued at £30,000 were stolen, including the medals and decorations awarded to General Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, after whom the Queensland capital is named, and the WWI Victoria Cross medal group awarded to Sergeant John O’Neill, 2nd Bn, Leinster Regiment. They are valued at £2,750 and £535 respectively.
An immediate reward of £2,000 was offered by Tyler & Co, city assessors, and warnings were circulated by the International Association of Professional Numismatics to markets in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France. To date, no sighting of John O’Neill’s Victoria Cross has been made.
Sources: http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/bboneill.htm http://www.leinster-regiment-association.org.uk/admin/pr02.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_of_Remembrance
Here’s one we prepared earlier. And the one below is when we set it on fire!
Yes, it was the Hoylake Sailing Club bonfire earlier this evening and my not-so-great photo below attempts to capture the bonfire and the fireworks. I took the “before” photo earlier this afternoon when the volunteers were adding the final planks of wood to the pile.
I’d guess that there were more spectators on the prom this year than last. Fortunately the rain stopped not long before the start at 6pm and just about managed to stay away for around an hour.
If you missed this evening event or just like watching fireworks then West Kirby Sailing Club hold their own event tomorrow evening from 5.30pm at the end of West Kirby prom.
Here’s another old image courtesy of Syd Bird. Pictured are a group of Hoylake fishermen down at the bottom of Trinity Road. I’d suggest that the building behind them is the former Fellowship House for the blind (the big purple coloured building that’s there today).
Syd suggests this photo must have been taken before the current promenade wall was constructed in 1897/8. Fellowship House has a plaque on it dated 1889 so it seems we can date this photo to within 10 years.
Good on the beard-less chap …it doesn’t always do to follow the current trends in personal grooming 
Or perhaps he was one of forefathers of Movember?
If by chance you recognise an ancestor in the above photo, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Do you remember these two semi-detached houses that once stood opposite the Green Lodge car park in Kings Gap?
These attractive Victorian houses were purchased and then, a long time later, demolished to make way for the retirement apartments that are there today. As planning permission wasn’t granted for what was probably a few years, the houses were boarded-up and stood vacant. The properties were demolished in March, 2007. The right-hand semi (number 18, The Kings Gap) in my photo above was, according to a land registry research, sold in 1995 for £80,000 (those were the days hey!). Oddly, I can’t find any data for number 20, so perhaps the records don’t go back far enough?
Many thanks to Richard Davies for sending in the above of photo the rails being replaced on the Merseyrail West Kirby line.
New track is being laid with wooden sleepers being replaced with pre-formed concrete ones. I have noticed however that some of the line up to West Kirby hasn’t been replaced – I don’t know if it’s being left as-is or will still get replaced at some point. Of course, trains haven’t been running from and to West Kirby and the seemingly unpopular rail replacement bus service has been in operation.
Richard doesn’t say but I think the above photo might well have been taken from Meols bridge, looking towards Manor Road Station. I crossed the line at that foot crossing the other week and walked along a footpath that leads to fields behind Fornalls Green Lane. By the way, just about all the trees facing the line along Bertram Drive North have been cut down. Was that due to the track works or for some other reason?
Did you know? There’s a second, “secret” fishing lake in Meols. Most people know of the lake right next to Meols station that Birkenhead Angling Club use. But there’s another lake nearby. By chance, I read that there’s a private lake in the fields over the line from Bertram Drive North. If you use the satellite view in google maps, it’s clearly visible.
Many thanks to Ian Powers for sending in a press cutting dating back to 1960 and featuring a crash at Elm Grove crossing that must have been a major incident.
As you can see from the image above a train crashed into a furniture delivery lorry that had become stuck in the rails at the unmanned crossing at Elm Grove. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the collision despite the train hitting the 5-ton lorry.
The article reports that the lorry was making a delivery to the cottages over the line at Harrington Avenue. As the lorry went across the level crossing at around 5.45pm a front wheel slipped off the sleepers and became stuck. Apparently, Herbert Norris, the driver from Liverpool, only managed to jump clear seconds before the train hit. Mr Norris was with a colleague and his 15 year old son. During the impact the petrol tank on the lorry was damaged and the leaking petrol caused a fire.
Crews working through the night, cleared the line that then reopened for normal service the following morning.
Do you recall this incident? If so, what are you memories of the event?
*click for larger
Another good, rare image from the Syd Bird archives – so thanks to him.
Here’s St Hildeburgh’s Church being constructed at the top of Stanley Road with both The Green Lodge and Kings Gap Hotel in view to the rear. Today of course it’s The Kings Gap Hotel that is under construction.
Anybody care to date this photograph?
Hoylake has been hosting the 2011 European Land Yachting Championships this week and there’s been quite a bit of activity down on North Parade and out on the sands of course. I think today was the last day of competition.
I’ve walked along the prom a few times this week and enjoyed seeing the pilots getting themselves and their yachts ready. There have been parked cars with registration plates from various European countries including France, Germany and Belgium. Very cosmopolitan hearing a bit of French and German being spoken on the prom at 9am!Apparently a chap from New Zealand was also taking part, so maybe the Commonwealth championships were being surreptitiously held too!
Skoda Cars had a sales display next to the Lifeboat Museum and race organisers were also driving out on to the sands (not usually recommended) in brand new Skodas too.
It’s great to see Hoylake hosting events like this, so well done to all concerned for the behind-the-scenes organisation. By the way, did anyone else spot the Police quad bike down on the sand today – I was wondering if they use those while policing the cockling nearby?
I’ve taken several photos, a few of which you can view in this week’s Friday Photo. Local photographer Steve Deer has also published a couple of good quality shots over at flickr the photo-sharing site.
Many thanks to Graham Thwaite for this week’s Friday Photo.
Pictured are the kite buggies out on the sand bank off Hoylake competing last week in the 2011 European Championships.
The event should not be (though it has been, including by me) confused with the land yacht championships that are scheduled to start tomorrow (Saturday 17th). I’ve seen a few competitors arrive and park-up their land yachts on the sand behind the promenade wall and there were a few motorhomes at the bottom of Hoyle Road last night.
Do take the opportunity to come down to the beach as it’s great to hear a wide variety of different languages spoken by the competitors and the colours on the yacht sails make for a vivid display and an excellent photo opportunity.
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