Lance Corporal Horace George Parkin: Horace was the son of William and Elizabeth Parkin, who lived at 4 Carrington Terrace in Kiveton. Horace had been a miner, already working at Kiveton pit at the age of thirteen when his family lived in the New Rows, at number 227. Horace died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916. This was a disastrous day, when tens of thousands of men were killed in the initial attack because days of artillery bombardment failed to destroy the German defences. Horace served in 12th battalion of the Yorks and Lancaster Regiment, better known as the Sheffield City Battalion (12/11611). They attacked at the very north edge, the left flank, of the British offensive, attacking over a wide no-mans land against the village of Serre. Horace’s death was reported in the Worksop Guardian of 28th July 1916:
Lance-Corporal Horace Parkin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Parkin, Carrington Terrace, Kiveton Park, is officially notified as having been killed in action on 1st July.
Lance-Corporal Parkin, who enlisted in the Sheffield City Battalion, (Yorks & Lancs) shortly after the outbreak of the hostilities, was 29 years of age, and was employed at Kiveton Park Collieries. He was a prominent member and supporter of Kiveton Park Football Club. He was also a member of the Young People’s Class of the Kiveton Park P.M. Chapel. His mother has worked assiduously for the soldiers all through the war, her work in connection with the Wales Church Ladies’ Sewing Party being very valuable.
He leaves a widow and three children to whom he was passionately attached. Our sympathy is extended to them in their great loss.
He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, with 72,114 other men who died on the Somme but had no known grave. His name is on Pier and Face 14A and 14B. His name also appears on the Wales Square and Kiveton Colliery memorials.
Private Arthur W Prestidge (b.1890, Kiveton) was the son of Joseph and Annie Prestidge who ran the Central Stores in Kiveton. He joined the Yorks and Lancs, Labour Corps (25424; 251783) and received a serious facial injury while on duty as reported by the Worksop Guardian of 27th October 1916:
Private Arthur Prestidge, West Yorks., son of Mr. and Mrs. J. J . Prestidge, Central Stores, Kiveton Park, has been seriously wounded in action in France, the nature of the wounds being shrapnel in the face. He was a married man and had a flourishing newsagent’s and general dealer’s business in Wales Road, Kiveton Park, but he joined up with his group without troubling the Tribunal, and has been in France some considerable time. His wife is pluckily carrying on in his absence. Another brother, Private Arnold Prestidge, enlisted soon after the outbreak of war, and has seen a long period of active service, and the only remaining brother is working on munitions.
Arthur was invalided out of the army and given the Silver War badge which was worn by civilians to show that they had served their country and been discharged honourably from the army.
His brother Private James Arnold Prestidge (b.1889, Kiveton) who appears to have been known as Arnold, served with the York and Lancaster Regiment, 12th Battalion (12/485) and described his profession as ‘newsagents’ at attestation.
Joseph Pritchard is named on the St John’s church roll of Honour. He was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Pritchard, born around 1896, and lived at 11 Springfield Terrace, Kiveton. Joseph, his father and 3 brothers all worked at Kiveton Park Colliery. We think that he joined the Royal Field Artillery, West Riding but have been unable to locate his service record.