Poignant re-discovery of uncle's name carved into landmark Fireman's Rock 80 years ago
The name of a teenager carved into Fireman's Rock and hidden from view for more than 60 years has been re-discovered, to the emotional joy of his family. John Sowray is pictured above by the uncovered name of his uncle J. Sowray. The ancient boulder, on the moorland path between Nab End and Windgate Nick, is known to countless walkers for its carved depiction of a fireman's helmet and the inscription of A. Moore November 1939 (pictured below).
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The family of Arnold Moore told the Keighley News in 1964 that as a 17-year-old Arnold and his pal Jack Sowray had incised their names and two helmets into the rock shortly before enlisting for service in the Second World War. For more than 60 years it has been assumed that the carved name of Jack (pictured left), who was killed while serving in France in 1944, had disappeared, probably lost to time and the elements. But a series of coincidences in 2021 has led to the remarkable re-discovery of his name at the rear of the rock, where it is overshadowed by the dry-stone wall that borders White Crag Plantation. Amazingly, the finding was made by Jack's niece, Lesley Sowray, earlier this year. She had been alerted by a former nursing colleague, Mike Fizio, of Swartha, who was researching the rock's history. Lesley, a keen walker, had passed the rock many times over the years without knowing her family's connection. Arnold Moore and Jack Sowray were the sons of serving fire officers in Bradford and grew up together in the staff quarters at the Nelson Street fire station. The Moore family owned a small holiday bungalow at Silsden, in Light Bank Lane, below Nab End where the moorland path to Ilkley starts. The teenaged lads spent many hours exploring and climbing in the area and planned to follow their fathers into the fire service. Arnold and Jack created the carvings when war broke out. Arnold survived the conflict and became a leading fire officer. Jack lost his life aged 22 in August 1944 when he was hit by a German sniper and is buried at Bayeux War Cemetery (pictured below).
Meanwhile, work continues (in the foreground of the above photograph) on Barratt Homes' Saxon Dene development in Belton Road, where 230 houses are being built, many of them already completed and occupied. The photograph, also taken from a hillside across the valley, shows on the right in front of the Hawber Cote fields Silsden's new primary school, which originally was due to be ready for the new term.
Above: at the other end of town Skipton Properties is developing fields bounded by Nab View, Townhead Farm, Rotary Works (formerly occupied by Airedale Factors) and Bolton Road. Skipton Properties acquired the site after it was the subject of a successful appeal to allow up to 62 homes to be built.
More local fields will be lost if allocations go ahead to meet government housing targets. Land between the canal and Woodside Road (pictured above) has been scheduled for 146 new homes. Fields either side of Sykes Lane, including smallholdings by the canal, have been earmarked for 145 houses. Altogether eight Silsden sites accommodating 580 new homes have been designated (see my blog posts of February 24th, 2021), in addition to the Barratt and Skipton Properties developments.
