"Marple Pals" Guided Walks with Andy Cook
In the summer of 2014 Friends of Marple Memorial Park and Marple Local History Society organised six guided walks led by Fire Fighter Andy Cook, co-author of the book "Remembered - Marple Men who fell in The Great War". The walks were Andy's way of paying tribute to some of the men of Marple who fell during WWI. He led up to 30 people at a time on two different routes around Marple Town Centre showing where some of the 141 men listed on Marple War Memorial had lived. He explained the lives they left to go to war and told how they met their ends in front of the homes they left behind. The walks illustrated the devastation that must have been felt by our town and other communities like it throughout the country.
Both walks were only short routes around the town. They gave an incredible insight into just how many men were lost to the war and how the families and communities left behind must have been devastated by these events.
At the end of each walk the people participating were asked to show their appreciation with a donation to the Poppy Appeal. We're proud to advise that an impressive total of £400 was collected over the six walks.
if Andy wishes to repeat the walks or do some alternative ones in the future we will be pleased to support these too.
"Marple Pals" Walk One
The first walk started at the War Memorial in the park and headed out of the main entrance onto Stockport Road, then up Market Street, past Derby Way and on to Church Lane. The route then carried on down Church Lane past the Hatters, took a detour to Ellesmere Avenue before going back onto Church Lane to the junction with Leigh Avenue. The walk continued down Church Lane to the junction with Stockport Road and Station Road, heading up Stockport Road until reaching Hollins Lane. At the end of Hollins Lane it continued with a right turn onto Station Road and then back into the park, finishing at the Bowling Pavilion built by soldiers who returned from the war in memory of their fallen comrades.
This walk was led by Andy three times, on Sunday 27 July, Sunday 3 and Sunday 17 August 2014.
The following men were included in Walk One:
Photos taken during walk one by Arthur Procter:
"Marple Pals" Walk Two
The second walk also started at the War Memorial but this time headed to the canal entrance by Lock 12 and then through the Horse Tunnel and along by the canal up Lock Side. The route continued to Top Lock and turned right along Marple Wharf service road and onto Church Street. Stopping off at Empress Avenue it then continued to the end of Church Street and onto Stockport Road. With small detours to Queen Street and Canal Street, it then headed down to St. Martin's Road before returning to the park via the cut-though near Oldknow's Warehouse and back into the park at the Lock 10 entrance. This walk concluded at the Coronation Bench around the Oak Tree planted in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's coronation.
This walk was also led by Andy three times, on Sunday 21 and 28 September and Sunday 5 October 2014.
The following men were included in Walk Two:
Photos taken during walk two by Arthur Procter:
