LEES, Cross Roads and Bocking commemorated the Great War by creating a recreation ground, complete with a tennis court, bowling green, children’s play area and, most importantly, a “neat little building” called – at the time – a rest house.
This contained tablets listing the 39 local men who had died and 260 who served.
This was the official opening on Saturday, July 16, 1921, a ceremony that featured the Keighley Borough Band and the united choirs of St James’ Church, Cross Roads Primitive Methodists and Bocking Wesleyans.
The Last Post and Reveille were sounded and hymns sung, including the emotive O God, Our Help In Ages Past. The photograph seems to have been taken during the hymn-singing.
Afterwards, 100 ex-servicemen were treated to a meat tea, together with the widows and families of those who had died. As seen here, such post-war occasions attracted large crowds. When Keighley’s War Memorial was unveiled in 1924, an estimated 25,000 gathered for a service of dedication.
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