Heaton Park to commemorate the Somme centenary

A national commemorative event to mark 100 years since the Battle of the Somme, when 19,240 allied forces lost their lives in the initial assault, will be held in Manchester in July, and Heaton Park will be playing a major role in recognition of the large number of soldiers from Manchester and the North West who perished. The tramway will be heavily involved in the events on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd July.

On Friday 1st July, the tramway will be playing host to visiting school parties who will also be able to visit an ‘Experience Field’ near Heaton Hall, with various wartime displays and demonstrations. From 1500 to 1900, the tramway will be operating for the general public before an evening concert is held in the park grounds. Trams will also run from 1000 to 1700 on Saturday 2nd July, with a special evening service also being provided for exhibitors at the Festival of Model Tramways taking place at the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport over the same weekend. The festival also runs on Sunday 3rd July but no further events connected with the Somme anniversary are planned for that day.

Turning to the trams themselves, and both Manchester Corporation cars 173 and 765 are to be specially decorated for the ‘Manchester Pals’. 173 will be towed from its normal home in the Lakeside Depot to Middleton Road a few days prior to the event, and then displayed on the nearby siding on the Friday and Saturday manned by Society volunteers. It is intended to run 765 in passenger service on both days along with Hull 96, with Blackpool 623 also available if needed. Blackpool 619 will be used to carry school bands, and should then run alongside 96 on the Sunday, with 623 and 765 on stand-by.

Hopefully this event will showcase the Heaton Park Tramway to a much wider audience than usual, and the fact that the MTMS have been asked to be involved with such an important occasion reflects well on their standing at Heaton Park and within the wider local community.