HUGH REGINALD HOLDSWORTH
 

Hugh Reginald Holdsworth, of 48 Heath Crescent, and Shaw Royd, Halifax
[1884-1957]

Hugh Holdsworth

[1884-1957] Hugh Reginald Holdsworth, the fourth child of Clement Holdsworth, was born 24 June 1884.

In 1905, Shaw Lodge Mills threw a large party for his 21st birthday, and presented him with a grandfather clock with two different chimes.
The clock is presently in the care of Rupert Holdsworth in New Zealand.

Hugh Reginald Holdsworth married Dorothy Anne Frances Bethune [Jul 14 (1894?) - Mar 27 198(4/9?)], daughter of Commdr. Henry L. Bethune R.N. of Penarth, on 16 Oct 1915 at St. Peter's Church, Sowerby.
Dorothy became president of the Halifax Division of the British Red Cross.

He served as Captain, 3rd Batt. Duke of Wellington's Regiment 1914-1919, and as a company commander in the Home Guard in WW2.
Resided at Shaw Royd, and Heath Crescent, and he was church warden at St. Peter's, Sowerby, where he is interred along with Phyllis Evelyn.

Father of Phyllis Evelyn [Jul 17 1916 - Jul 26 1916], Patricia Mary 1918, David B. 1922, Rupert Lindsay Bethune 1930 and Anne Doyne 1933.

Hugh was given 48 hours leave in order to get married to Dorothy. Immediately after which he returned to duty. At the wedding ceremony, Hugh had to borrow trousers from his cousin, a size too big, so held up by a large belt, as his were ruined in the trenches.
Their daughter Phyllis Evelyn was born in 1916, but died in infancy, suffering from Asian Flu.
Hugh was still serving in France, wounded, and was missing in action. He had a bullet lodged in his spine.
Eventually Hugh showed up, and left the army as an invalid.
Hugh became managing director of Mark Dawson's, woolen and worsted spinners in Bradford.

In 1928 Hugh moved to The Galtrees, Easingwold near York, a Victorian mansion, the centrepiece of the town. Here Anne Holdsworth was born, but Hugh lost all his wealth in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, when she was still a baby, so he had to sell it, and she does not recall the house well. There used to be a wall around the entire property, and large wrought-iron gates opening to a long driveway to the house. That was all torn down, so it is now very sterile and open, with all the trees gone.
On a visit to the house in the 1980's, Dorothy said "We seemed to have nearly all the local events in the garden - church fetes, Red Cross and many others."

Moved to Sowerby Bridge, then later to 48 Heath Crescent, Halifax, eventually retiring to Black Bull Cottage in Husthwaite.

Whilst living at 48 Heath Crescent in Halifax, where Anne Holdsworth grew up, the family attended St. Paul's Church, King Cross. When Hugh died in 1957 Anne's mother Dorothy had a beautiful rood carved there in his memory.

Churchwarden at St. Peter's Sowerby, and later of St. Paul's Halifax.
Keenly interested in music, and an accomplished singer and violinist, he gave many years of service to Halifax Choral Society, and was for some time the society's treasurer.

Hugh Reginald Holdsworth died suddenly at home at Black Bull Cottage, Husthwaite, in September 1957.

From the Photograph Album