AEGT #2A: Southfield Memories Short Multi
The cache, a camo-taped pre-form tube, is hidden near the start of this ancient pathway - which leads on to Hollow Way and thus connects with the rest of the AEG Trail circuit. See AEG Trail #2B: Great Meadow & Hollow for more info on the fascinating local history of this area.
It should take under 5 minutes to complete and can be done either a) as a one off Park 'n' Grab (park @ or near the published coordinates N 53 56.558 W 001 53.135) or as a 100m there and back detour from the AEG Trail series between #1 and #2B.
1. Look north across Southfield Lane from the published coordinates at the lamp post on its northern side on which at the adjacent fence top height is the number A.
2. Now locate the blue plaque on the wall of the last of the row of terraced houses which commemorates Addingham's - and this terrace's - terrible losses during the Great War (WW1).
You will be shocked to learn that of the 41B men of the village who served in the war C3 (1 in 5) died and the fact that of the 3D men from this terrace who went off to war only 2E returned.
The cache is hidden nearby at:
N 53 56.(A-1)(B+1)(C-3) W 1 53.(D+1)A(Ex2)
Some key facts on WW1 . . .
1. It started on 28 July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918 (now celebrated annually as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day) - a total of 1,568 days. The red poppy worn by many at this time is a key symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.
2. It started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his pregnant wife Sophie were assassinated. He was heir to the throne of Austria and Hungary which blamed Serbia for this and so declared war. Other countries then joined in, making pacts to help each other in the war.
3. It was fought between The Allies (The Entente Powers): Great Britain, France, Belgium, Russia and the USA and the The Central Powers: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. See here for an excellent video summarising the highly complex war in maps and here for a fascinating and impressive series of 40 maps explaining the war.
4. The Victoria Cross award recognises extreme bravery ('valour in the presence of the enemy') by
members of the British Armed Forces - 628 were awarded during the war
5. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history - around 9M were killed in combat (including some 886,000 British and about 2M German military personnel), and over 5M civilians died from occupation, bombardment, hunger or disease. Millions of additional deaths resulted from genocides within the Ottoman Empire and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war.
See here for a short video visualising the loss of life statistics.
Local history notes: From the upper (footpath) section of Southfield Lane, looking north through the trees and down across the fields, you will see a large stone building. This is Burnside Mill, built in 1886 for silk spinning and manufacture of velvets by one of the sons of William Watson who had come from Scotland in 1859 to join Lister's as manager at Addingham.
It was driven by steam using soft water from the Town Beck for its boilers and is best remembered for its ‘gassing shop’. After spinning, the thread was passed through a small gas flame to burn off the loose ends and the women working there ended each day covered with fluff. Eventually in 1906 it amalgamated with Lister's, and the Watson family continued as managers and managing directors of Lister's for another 50 years.
[extracted from Kate Mason's 'Woolcombers, Worsteds and Watermills']
With the decline of the textile industry after the disruptions of WW1, the mill was closed, remained derelict for a while and was eventually converted into luxury apartments (dates unknown)
See here for a fascinating short video on Addingham and its role in the founding of the Yorkshire Textile Industry.