Harrogate, July 1916 by Rob Dransfield
Wednesday October 7 th 2026
This talk will focus on the experiences of the Simpson Bell family of 87 East Parade Harrogate who played a prominent part in Harrogate’s history, immediately before and during the First World War. The family consisted of parents Annie and Smith Simpson Bell and their seven children. Best known of these was Donald Simpson Bell who won a posthumous Victoria Cross for gallantry during the first few days of the Battle of the Somme. He was the first professional footballer to sign up in the First World War, at which time he played for Bradford Park Avenue one of the top teams of the day.
Rob Dransfield’s grandmother was Dorothy Bell the sister of Donald. He has drawn on family recollections, letters, diaries, other notes and records from the Harrogate Herald to draw together the threads of family experiences during this momentous period.
The talk highlights the landmarks and locations that were particularly significant leading up to, during and after The War including Grove Road Cemetery, The Cenotaph, The Harrogate Herald Offices, East Parade, The Grammar School, and The Imperial Café. This perspective is coupled with scenes from France outlined in Don Bell’s letters home.
The Simpson Bells were part of the Methodist Community which was particularly active in Harrogate. Smith Bell had been the choir master at Wesley Chapel and his daughters were known as ‘ The Merry Peal of Bells ’. The talk will show ways in which faith and values underpinned the worldview of other Methodists and non-conformists and show the contributions that these groups made to the development of Harrogate, for example, in the form of major construction projects including, new housing, schools and chapels.
The talk will reveal the importance of letters and parcels sent from home to troops (particularly by mothers) and will show ways in which families and the town of Harrogate pulled together in the good days as well as the darker ones. For example, the Simpson Bell relatives would meet every week to share the news sent home – initially at 87 East Parade and then at The Imperial Café and that this tradition continued every Saturday morning until the 1970’s.
Rob Dransfield is a former university lecturer who started working on this topic in the 1970s in discussion with grandmother Dorothy, and has more recently picked up the threads in the form of family archives kept by other relatives as well as research materials available from the Carnegie Library.
He has published a book this year ‘ Memories in the river stones ’. The river stones signify stones collected at Crimple Beck which represent the events and letters that appear in the book. The book will be available for purchase at the talk. There will also be a display of some of the artwork that was assembled for the book and which was produced by Major Roger Chapman of the Green Howards Regiment who lives not far from Harrogate.
He has also written an article which explores the importance of letters and gifts sent by relatives, particularly mothers, to troops during war time.
The Forgotten War – The Civil War in Yorkshire 1642 – 1643 by Mike Turpin.
Wednesday November 4 th 2026
Most accounts of the English Civil War tend to concentrate on the southern counties between Oxford and London with perhaps a passing reference to the ‘Battle of Adwalton’near Bradford and of course refer to the decisive battle on Marston Moor. His talk looks at the start of the Civil War and argues that the war started in Yorkshire with Charles coming North to claim his arsenal at Hull. It then describes the engagements between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians in mainly West and East Yorkshire culminating in the battle of Adwalton.
Mike was a school master who took early retirement to run his own successful I.T. training company which specialised in business database reporting systems. When he finally retired he discovered community archaeology and is now chair of South Leeds Archaeology which is the last surviving group in Leeds doing practical fieldwork, currently at Temple Newsam.
A Pictorial History of New Park Community by Terry Williams
Wednesday December 2 nd 2026
The community of New Park began in 1840 with the building of ‘ The Little Wonder ’ coaching inn and from there it was to grow into an independent, energetic community which provided many of the amenities needed by Harrogate as a Spa resort. Wrapped around this was an amazing social life in so many ways. As such we will be following both the working and social side of this vibrant community.
Terry is a retired teacher from New Park School who founded and has been looking after the New Park Heritage Centre at New Park School since it opened in 2000. Over 40 years he has collected many documents and artifacts on the history of New Park some of which are displayed in the Heritage Centre.
