Samuel Yates and his twin sister Mary were born on 14 August 1877 in Croft, Lancashire to local butcher Samuel Yates and his wife Mary-Ann.
​
They were baptised at Croft Unitarian Chapel on 19 August 1877.

​In the 1881 census the family are living on Warrington Road, Croft.
In the 1891 census they are living at Barracks Cottages, Mill House Lane in Croft.

In 1900, Samuel married Lizzie Hankin Meeks at Christ Church, Croft. They had a son, Harry in April 1901.
In the 1901 census they are living together at Jacques Houses in Croft.
They had another four children together, all boys. Robert, James,
​John and Frank.
In 1911 the family had moved to Orford.

Samuel signed up for military service on 4th December 1915 and was transferred into the Army reserve.

On 18th April 1917 he was mobilised and posted to the
Royal Garrison Artillery Depot.  On 11th May he was posted to the 1st Reserve Brigade.
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On 30th August 1917 he was declared a deserter. He was apprehended by civil police on 16th September 1917 and admitted to Lord Derby War Hospital on the same day. His diagnosis was ​‘Insanity aggravated by service’.
He was discharged from the army on 13th July 1918, his medical notes stating:

"On 22nd May 1918 he suddenly became acutely excited and confused, evidently in a state of extreme terror and apprehensiveness"
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His mental and physical condition worsened after his discharge. Whilst he himself was unwell, his 11-year-old son John tragically died in June 1920, and then Samuel passed away in Rainhill Asylum on 9 July 1920 at the age of 42.
His death certificate states both Insanity and TB as causes of death.
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He was buried next to his Mother’s grave at Christ Church, Croft with a designated Official Commonwealth War Grave Commission Headstone.

He was one of 55,000 men who returned from war with TB and one of the 18,000 who had died from it by 1922.
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His father Samuel Yates was still living on Mill House Lane, Croft when his son died. Three years later when he passed away, he joined the family grave at Christ Church.
 
Samuel was the Great Grandson of Samuel and Ellen Yates, who together built Croft Unitarian Chapel on Lady Lane, Croft.
​
The Yates Family were well known butchers in Leigh and Warrington and the company is still in business today as 'Yates & Greer'.

Despite having an official CWGC grave and being born, bred and buried in Croft, Samuel is not named on the Croft War Memorial in the church or at
​Croft Village Memorial Hall.
There is currently a campaign running to include him, and others who were missed off.

They all made the ultimate sacrifice.

​The Memorial Hall have now made the decision that Samuel Yates will not be added to the plaque outside the hall or at the church. This is because unfortunately there is no evidence to show him actually going to war.

​I have provided them with the following, which is everything that is available:

Death Certificate, CWGC Roll of Honour Certificate, War Pension Card, Medical Discharge Form, Enrolment Papers, Imperial War Graves Commission Headstone Inscription Form, War Dead Listing for Warrington Rural District.

Without proof that he actually went to fight, the Memorial Hall committee believe that rather than being missed off the plaque due to error, that it was a decision made by villagers at the time and they do not want to change that.

As with the other soldiers, he will be included on the new memorial which we are fundraising for.

A fifty-five-year-old railway signalman is staging a lone battle against Lancashire County Council.
He is also taking on the divisional education committee of South West Lancashire, Warrington Rural Council and the Parish Council on which he has served for the past 24 years.

Mr Jim Hampson, of Oak Street, Croft, will be the sole objector at a public inquiry at Warrington next Wednesday.
And yesterday he received a letter from Warrington Rural Council asking him to withdraw his opposition to the siting of a new primary school in Mustard Lane, Croft. But last night Mr Hampson said he had no intention of withdrawing.  "This is a matter of principle," he said. "No-one else has been granted planning permission to build on any site at Croft earmarked for Green Belt, and I cannot see why the rules should be broken now when land originally chosen for the new school is still available half a mile away from Mustard Lane."

So, the battle of Mustard Lane will go on.

For months Mr Hampson, a member of Croft Parish Council, and chairman of Warrington Rural Parish Council's Association, has been campaigning against the decision to build the urgently-needed primary school opposite to the present school in Mustard Lane. In the first instance the county council suggested that it should go up on the site in Smithy Lane which is owned by Warrington Rural Council.
The rural council, however pointed out that they had plans for the building of sheltered accommodation for old people on this site. This was a proposal which evoked a sharp reaction from Mr Hampson.
"As much as I appreciate the needs of old people, a new primary school is much more urgently required," he said.
But the county council eventually agreed with the rural council, the divisional executive committee and Mr Hampson's fellow members of Croft Parish Council that the Mustard Lane site was suitable.

Since then, the railway-man has organised a petition signed by 310 Croft householders and originally he found a powerful ally in the Ministry of Agriculture who supported his contention that the Mustard Lane site should be retained for agricultural purposes.
As a result, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government ordered next week's public inquiry.
This week, however, it was learned that the Ministry of Agriculture had withdrawn their objection, and the rural council wrote to Mr Hampson pointing out that he was now the only objector.
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"It cost them 3s 5d to send the letter by registered post asking if I would be prepared to withdraw my objection," said Mr Hampson. "I have no intention of doing so. I fought against the encroachment of the Warrington New Town into the Croft green belt area and I think that the same thing applies in this case especially as the site originally chosen for the school in Smithy Lane is still available.”

​For those who don't live locally, the school was built on Mustard Lane eventually!

After June’s D-Day anniversary, it came to light that there are no WWII deaths remembered on Croft Village Memorial Hall. I spent some time looking up the details of those fallen in the second world war, who had lived locally.

I found the information for three of them, which I think should be added to the memorial.
The missing WWII dead are:
 
Driver James Swindell
Of Lymm View, Risley (Formerly Risley Primitive Methodist Chapel)
Died of wounds Italy 23/10/1944 Aged 21
 
Lieutenant Richard Moores
Of 3 Lords Lane, Risley
Died Italy 31/10/1943 Aged 29
 
Lance Bombardier James (Jim) Wood
Of Lord Street, Croft
Worked at Oak Tree Farm for Lewis Birchall
Died Algeria 05/12/1942 Aged 35

Feedback has suggested that a handful of people think that the Memorial Hall was built originally as a WWI memorial and it should stay that way. However, the majority feel the names should be added.

If it is decided that the Memorial Hall should stay as a WWI memorial, then we really shouldn’t be holding WWII services there and could perhaps consider Christ Church in future.

After looking much more deeply into the names of the fallen, there are some local names missing from the WWI list.
The memorial hall plaque, which was unveiled in 2014, has the same 20 men as are listed on the Christ Church memorial. 

Christ Church on Lady Lane has two official
Commonwealth War Graves Commission graves from WWI.
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Both soldiers are buried in the churchyard.
Both died from wounds obtained in WWI.
Both died after the war had ended.

Only one of them is on the memorial list.

Gunner Samuel Yates is not included on the memorial.
​
(The plaque in the church was unveiled whilst he was still alive, so it’s clear why he was missed off at first. I can only assume that by the time the plaque was next updated in 1945, a whole different generation was in charge, and he was sadly forgotten.)

There are three WWI gravestones at Croft Unitarian Chapel, one being an official Commonwealth War Graves Commission grave (Harold Houghton).
Harold Houghton is rightly named on the Christ Church and Memorial Hall plaques.
The other two are Lance Corporal William Whittle and Private George Daintith.
 
George Daintith’s stone was originally in the grave space of Harold Houghton’s grave and reads

IN MEMORY OF HAROLD’S COMRADE
PRIVATE GEORGE DAINTITH
LIVERPOOL REGIMENT
KILLED IN FRANCE
JUNE 25TH 1916
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I can’t imagine how Harold would feel knowing that he was named on the village memorial whilst George wasn’t.
William Whittle is named on his parent’s grave, with the quote
​‘DUTY NOBLY DONE’.

The Risley War Memorial

This memorial was re-erected after the demolition of Risley Presbyterian Church in 1971. The triangular stone had previously topped the clock of Risley Presbyterian School (Closed as a school in 1932)
John Winterburn writes:
‘…the school was closed and became merely a polling station. Now (1974) there is nothing but the site, and a wooden hut on it at election times. Two relics only remain. Croft Parish Council have kept the War Memorial Tablet and old clock which were part of the school fabric. Someday, they hope to erect them again in another place.’
Taken from A History of Education in Culcheth.

Named on the memorial from WWI are:
Harold Houghton
George Daintith
William Whittle
Norman Gibbins

Again, only one of these names is on the Plaque at the Village Hall and in Christ Church.

So altogether, there are four names missing from the Memorial Hall Plaque which I believe should be on there.
 
Gunner Samuel Yates
Private George Daintith
Lance Corporal William Whittle
Gunner Norman Gibbins
 
The Church may have had (and may still have) other reasons for not including these names, but as the Memorial Hall is for the use of all residents and is in the centre of the village, I think the Croft community should add the missing names from WWI to the Village Hall memorial.

Alan Sharpe’s book states that the names on the church plaque were taken from the Croft 1901 census. This can’t be true for several reasons:

- The records were sealed until 2001
- If they had special access to a census, the 1911 census would be much more accurate than 1901
- Harold Houghton lives in Leigh, not Croft on the 1901 census, yet still made it onto the list
- Even on the 1911 census, both Harold Houghton and George Daintith lived at the Old Noggin Inn in Risley, yet Harold was on the list of Croft war dead, without George. 
​

Why Should We Add Missing Names?

Adding missing names ensures that the memorial accurately reflects all those who sacrificed their lives. It honours every individual's contribution and maintains the integrity of the historical record.

Every person who served and died deserves recognition. Updating memorials to include missing names shows respect for those individuals and acknowledges their sacrifice.

For the families and communities of those whose names were initially omitted, adding their loved ones' names can provide a sense of closure and recognition. It validates their loss and ensures their relatives are remembered alongside their peers.

A complete memorial serves as a more comprehensive educational tool, providing a fuller picture of the war's impact on the community. It helps future generations understand the breadth of sacrifice made during the wars.

Omissions may have occurred due to oversight, lack of records, or other reasons. Correcting these omissions is a matter of historical justice, ensuring that every individual's contribution is duly noted and remembered.

Updating memorials to reflect all who served and died maintains the memorial’s role as a true representation of the community's history and collective memory. It reinforces the values of inclusivity and thoroughness.


​I will be approaching the committee for the Memorial Hall with this information and would also welcome any feedback from residents.

Update 07/11/24
​Decisions have now been made. Read the details here.