The war memorial on Chapel Hill, Dukinfield, bears the names of 460 men from the First World War. Each one carries its own story, and it is those stories that led Mike Pavasovic to write “Men of Dukinfield – A History of Dukinfield During the Great War”. In the book, Mike recounts what happened in the town between 1914 and 1918, and gives details of the men who were killed. “Some of the Dukinfield stories are very poignant. Lt Percy Atack was a Sunday school teacher at St Luke’s Church. In August, 1914, when he announced to his class that he was joining up, all 19 young men immediately got to their feet and followed him.” “But the book also shows that Dukinfield men were involved in all the main battles and operations. As well as serving on the Western Front they were at Jutland and Zeebrugge.”
Mike has also written an accompanying booklet about the Dukinfield personnel who died in the Second World War. In “Dukinfield 39-45” you can read about people like Wing Commander Thomas Moseley who was killed alongside the Duke of Kent in an air crash in 1942. Sgt William Lee killed several of the enemy and took 14 prisoners attacking a machine gun nest.
On Friday, June 10 (noon to 1pm) Mike will be signing copies of both books at the Museum of the Manchester Regiment in Ashton-under-Lyne Town Hall . “Men of Dukinfield” has 70 pages and many photographs (ISBN: 1 65216 116 7) £4.25. “Dukinfield 39-45 is privately published £2.00.
