Sheffield Man - J G Graves

[Plain Talker]

Hi,

I own F.G.Thomas at 25 Surrey st and was doing some research to find out when F.G.Thomas was first located on Surrey St.

I found that a J.G.Graves was located at 25 Surrey st in 1891 and was listed as a watch repairer.

Could this have been the same J.G.Graves you are talking about.

Gary

 

I an not sure if it is the same JGG, (what was his father called? was he named for his father?)

 

I understood that the Alderman JGG ran a warehouse and distribution type company up round the back of Division Street area? (although I am a little foggy of mind this early in a morning, so I may be wrong)

[shovelmonkey]

There is some info about Samuel Holberry' grave here http://www.gencem.org/explore/residents/holberry.html

 

Wolfstalin- If you are interested in what can be done about the state of his grave, perhaps a good place to start would be the Friends of the General Cemetary - theres an email address in the 'Contact Us' section of the same website.

[hillsbro]

I understood that the Alderman JGG ran a warehouse and distribution type company up round the back of Division Street area?

 

J.G. Graves ran one of the country's (indeed the world's) first mail order businesses, and his warehouse was on Durham Road, just off Glossop Road - I used to see the building (with the name of the firm in large stone-carved letters) on my way to King Edward's School in the 1960s.

 

As "peterw" wrote (post #5) J.G. Graves fell foul of the General Post Office in 1900-01. His mail order business posted vast quantities of small registered packets. Graves contended that the G.P.O. (which was getting a good income from his business) should collect them from his premises, and they refused. So the ever-resourceful J.G.G. had an idea. He began to deliver vast numbers of packets to the main P.O. in Haymarket using a fleet of horse-drawn vehicles, just before the end of the day's business. This overloaded the post office (whose clerks had to check each packet and issue receipts) and caused traffic chaos. J.G. Graves had the public behind him, and the emerging popular press had a field day, depicting the local Head Postmaster, one G.E.E. Noble, in unflattering caricatures etc. Mr Noble eventually backed down and arranged for his vehicles to collect the packets from Graves' warehouse, this practice being later endorsed by G.P.O. headquarters in London. J.G.G. was in fact ahead of his time, as the free collection of bulk business mail by the G.P.O. (and later by Royal Mail) became a normal service which still continues.

[hillsbro]

Was he was decorated with a V.C. for this?

 

Yes - Sergeant Arnold Loosemore, V.C. is one of Sheffield's heroes. Sadly, he died in 1924, aged just 27, from injuries sustained in the First World War. He lived in Stannington Road, not far from where I was born at Woodland View. His son (also Arnold) kept the local off-licence shop, just opposite Carlby Road until the 1960s. There was quite a local controversy when Arnold Jnr. decided to sell his father's V.C. in c. 1966-67 - I seem to recall that it was expected to make about £2,000 at Sothebys. See for example http://www.chrishobbs.com/arnoldloosemore1917.htm

[The_Bear]

I have to say that I'm ashamed of the way sheffield has thrown away its history, anyone ever heard of this guy?

 

On 11 August 1917 south of Langemarck, Belgium, during the attack on a strongly held enemy position and his platoon having been held up by heavy machine-gun fire, Private Loosemore crawled through partially cut wire, dragging his Lewis gun with him and single-handed dealt with a strong party of the enemy, killing about 20 of them. Immediately afterwards his Lewis gun was destroyed and three of the enemy rushed at him, but he shot them with his revolver. Later he shot several enemy snipers, and on returning to the original post he brought back a wounded comrade under heavy fire.

 

Or how about the guy who invented the Plimsole Line?

 

Private Loosemore actually has a road named after him. Its about two thirds of the way up Gleadless Road S12 on the left hand side.

 

There was intil last year a blue plaque mounted on the wall at the start of the road giving information about him. Sadly it appears to have been stolen sometime last year.

[The_Bear]

Anyone know where his grave is. One of the above links suggests Ecclesall?

[hillsbro]

I've never visited the grave but as far as I know it is in Ecclesall churchyard. Arnold's family came from that part of Sheffield (he was born in a house in Dyson Lane [now Dyson Place] just off Sharrow Vale Road).

[wolfstalin]

Anyone know where his grave is. One of the above links suggests Ecclesall?

 

Arnold was buried five days later on 15th April 1924 in the new churchyard of All Saints Churchyard in Ecclesall.

[retep]

 

Or how about the guy who invented the Plimsole Line?

 

 

Samuel Plimsol was born in Bristol, he stood for Sheffield Central 1855, I have one of the Plimsol Medals chucking about somewhere.

[Greybeard]

J.G. Graves ran one of the country's (indeed the world's) first mail order businesses, and his warehouse was on Durham Road, just off Glossop Road - I used to see the building (with the name of the firm in large stone-carved letters) on my way to King Edward's School in the 1960s.

 

At one time the business was run from what is now called Cambridge House the old Sheffield Water Company offices on the corner of Division street and Holly street.

 

There s a photo in one of my Sheffield books, I think taken in the 1920s, of the building in use by Graves and with a host of horse drawn GPO vans lined up waiting to collect the mail.