Centenary of Gallipoli oak in memory of Rochdale teenager killed in WW1

A one-off event is to take place to celebrate the centenary of the planting of a lone English oak tree that helps keep alive the sacrifices of local men killed at Gallipoli in the First World War.

In March 1922, the parents of a teenager killed in service with the Rochdale, Middleton and Todmorden Territorial Army battalion took the sapling of an English oak tree in a bucket of water across the Mediterranean to Turkey.

The grieving parents, James and Mary Duckworth of Dunsterville, Rochdale, planted the tree near to where their child, 19-year-old Eric, had fallen on the battlefield in August 1915.

Eric was an officer with the 1/6th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, which included men from across Rochdale borough and the Calder Valley, including the father of the poet laureate Ted Hughes.

 

 

One hundred years on, and courtesy of local gardeners working for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the lone English oak continues to thrive in what is now a Turkish National Park.

Standing proud in the Redoubt Cemetery, which is full of local men, it is visited regularly by battlefield tourists and plays a vital job in helping to keep the sacrifices of the fallen local men alive.

To mark the centenary of the planting of the oak, a unique event will be hosted at Todmorden Central Methodist Church on Saturday 26 March from 1.30pm-3.30pm. 

The award-winning Greater Manchester trio Harp & a Monkey will perform songs and stories relating to the tree and local men, and there will be short talks by the historian Dr Martin Purdy as well as Liz Marsland of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who will talk about the horticultural commitments of the commission.

Dr Purdy, who co-authored the book ‘The Gallipoli Oak’ about the local territorials and the planting of the tree, said: “We really felt that this centenary should not go unmarked. It is a story of great local sacrifice, and ultimately one of great friendship and respect – as we shouldn’t forget that it is the Turkish gardeners who have kept this alien species thriving for all these years on their soil.”

Tickets for the event are £6 for adults, whilst children under the age of 16 can attend for free with an adult.

They are available in-person from Todmorden Information Office or online via https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/todmorden/central-methodist-church/the-gallipoli-oak-centenary-event/e-kxygyv