War tales

AN Oldham soldier who met Winston Churchill during the Boer War and also fought in the First World War, has had a plaque put up in his memory at what used to be his local pub.

Anthony Clare (52) never met his grandfather, George Radcliffe, as he died of heart disease in 1960 — a year before he was born.

But after hearing numerous stories about him, he decided to get a plaque put up in The Manor pub, on Abbeyhills Road, as a way of paying tribute to him.

The pub was George’s local for 28 years, where he was often seen supping a pint and entertaining the regulars with monologues and playing the accordion.

A memorial service will be held at The Manor on Friday from 12.30pm.

Grandson Anthony has also arranged for a headstone to be placed on George’s grave in Greenacres Cemetery, which is currently unmarked.

Born in Oldham in 1880, George lived on the Abbeyhills estate in Oldham. He served in the West Yorkshire regiment as a saboteur in the Boer War, blowing up the train tracks in South Africa to defeat the enemy.

His daughter June Clare, of Crewe Street in Hathershaw, said: “He was a lovely man. He was tall, always had a bushy moustache and he used to walk with a military stick. All the neighbours used to call him ‘colonel’ though he never was a colonel.”

George talked about South Africa very often. He though it was very advanced, as it was there that he first rode on a tram. The regiment mascot was a baboon, which kept the soldiers entertained with its shenanigans.
To read the full version of this story see the Chronicle’s digital e-chron digital edition or buy the newspaper.