Selby Wolstenholme

Selby Wolstenholme was born in 1886 to Selby Wolstenholme senior, a scythe smith, and his wife Rachel Moore née Toulson; his elder sister, Nellie, had been born in 1883. Sadly, Rachel died in 1887 at the age of only 24, and in 1891 the widowed Selby and his daughter Nellie, were living with his parents, John and Jemima Wolstenholme, at the Totley Rolling Mill. Selby junior, aged 5, was living with the neighbouring Laws family, as their “nurse child”. Selby junior attended Totley All Saints School, though we do not know for how long. He did not follow in his father’s footsteps as a scythe smith: the 1901 census shows him living, as a butcher’s apprentice, living in the household of the butcher Colin A Thompson
- presumably his employer - in Totley Rise. In 1909, Selby married Nellie Sprentall, and by 1911 the couple were living at Greenwood Mount in Dore. As Selby again gives his occupation as butcher’s assistant, he was presumably still working for Colin Thompson, who had a butcher’s shop in Greenwood Mount, and was probably living over the shop.

Selby junior enlisted as a private (268728) in the 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters, and was killed in action on 19th September 1918. He is buried in the Chapelle British Cemetery, Holnon, Departement de l’Aisne, in Picardie. He is also commemorated on the family gravestone in Dore churchyard. After his death, his widow continued to run the butcher’s shop in Greenwood Mount until at least 1956.

His father also served in the armed forces during the First World War. In 1916, Selby senior was still a scythe smith working for Tyzack Sons & Turner Ltd, though he was now working at Little London Works, Heeley, and had moved to 118 Broadfield Road, Heeley.

Surprisingly, although he was well over the age of conscription, he too enlisted in the army on 27th December 1916, in the Royal Engineers Railway Construction Companies. He served with the British Expeditionary Force in France from 12th February 1917 to 10th April 1918, as a Pioneer – the Royal Engineers’ equivalent of a Private; his regimental number was 225734, and later 22082. He said that he was employed in roadmaking, smithing & tool sharpening. However, on 11th April 1918 he returned to England, and on 17th May he was discharged as no longer physically fit for war service. Despite this, Selby lived to the age of 78, dying on July 2nd 1939. He is buried in Dore churchyard with his second wife Mary who died in 1940, and their daughter Mabel, who had sadly died in 1906.

Selby junior has the unfortunate record of being probably one of the two last men from Dore to die, with Edwin Taylor who died on 5th November 1918.