MANTLE, Joseph

Joseph Mantle was born in Cradley and lived at 3 Connops Lane. Lye. He attended Colley Lane School, Cradley, and became a Sunday School teacher and President of the Band of Hope at the United Methodist Church. He moved to Manchester to work in the gas department of Manchester Corporation and became a popular speaker in the Manchester Pleasant Sunday Afternoon movement. He enlisted in June 1916 in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was eventually sent to the 1/6th Manchesters in the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, joining them in January 1918. They were driven back and suffered badly in the first German Spring offensive during the battles of March and April. They returned to the stabilised front line in July but this was still a war of shells and bombs. At some point Private Joseph Mantle was severely wounded and taken to a military hospital at Rouen where he died. He is buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension (Q 3 J 26) and commemorated on the Cradley and Halesowen Memorials.