Born during the September quarter 1912 in the
Manchester R.D. - ref: 8d/502, the son of John
Snetterham & Bertha Aykroyd (nee Farrell).

Married - Beatrice Maude during the June quarter
1930 in the Manchester R.D. - ref: 8d/489.

1939 National Registration - 19 Enville Road,
Manchester.    Norman Aykroyd - Married - born on
the 7th August 1912 - occ: Engineering
Draughtsman.   Beatrice Aykroyd - Married - born
on the 30th September 1908 - occ: Unpaid Domestic
Servant.

Attached to the Home Guard from the 63rd County of
Lancaster Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers.

Courtesy of the Ramsbottom Heritage Society.    
"Five men attached to the Home Guard were killed
as a result of an anti-tank bomb explosion at
Holcombe Rifle Range on Saturday afternoon.
Sergeant-Instructor Almuth Prestwich (22) is
stated to have removed the shear wire from the
bomb remarking that it was “quite safe” and,
while demonstrating to a class in a hut on the
range, he hit the table with the bomb.
 
There was an immediate explosion and he received
grave injuries to which he succumbed immediately
afterwards.
 
Of the eight Home Guards receiving instruction in
the use of grenades, four died later and three
were seriously injured. Only one of the class
escaped. He was Home Guard Corporal Robert
McGowan, head postman at Blackpool.     The dead
are:

Almuth Prestwich of Salford, aged: 22 - James
Dean, aged: 35 of Manchester - Norman Aykroyd,
aged: 30 of Manchester - Norman Victor Gill, aged:
44 of Stockport - George Dudley Allan Hullett,
aged: 43 of Blackpool.
 
James Dean and Norman Aykroyd died some hours
after admission to Bury Infirmary, Norman Victor
Gill on Sunday afternoon and George Dudley Allan
Hullett on Tuesday morning.
 
Still lying seriously ill in the Infirmary is
James Delaney of Manchester.    Two others
injured, Charles Alexander Hey, of Blackpool, and
Lance Corporal Fred Loach, of Castleton, were
transferred from the Infirmary to a military
hospital on Monday".