Church bells that bade farewell to an emigrating family 100 years ago will ring again for their ancestors’ return.
Andrew and Florence Lomas and their three children left home in Gawsworth to start a new life in Canada in 1913.
To mark the occasion the community staged a unique bell ringing performance which involved members of the large family.
Now 12 descendants are making the 4,000-mile journey to meet their distant relations – most of whom they have never met – to mark the anniversary.
The highlight of the trip will be a specially organised peal of the bells at St James’s Church in April to mark their return 100 years to the day.
Jacqui Twigg, from Broken Cross, a relative of the Lomas family, said there was a great amount of anticipation about the reunion. She said: “It’s amazing to think about the history of our family and the journey many of them went on all that time ago. A century on all these generations will come together. It’s going to be really special.”
The Lomas family has strong connections to Gawsworth dating back to the 19th century.
Andrew was one of 13 children to Andrew senior and his wife Susan, who were the landlords of the Rising Sun pub, which still thrives in the village.
But family documents reveal Andrew and Florence’s quest for a new life was not plain sailing.
In 1917 Florence was so unhappy she told her sister in a letter she said would gladly ‘brave the German submarines’ to return to England.
The family stayed in Canada despite constant tragedy. In 1921 Andrew got a job managing a dairy farm in Vancouver but within months the deal soon turned sour and they were forced to leave. The same year Andrew learned of the death of his father in Macclesfield who was killed by a bicycle ridden by his nephew Percy.
By 1929 Florence could bear it no longer and returned to Macclesfield with their daughter Irene. But life at home was no better and she returned to Canada.
In 1930 the family took the gamble and started their own dairy business, but within three years it had collapsed and five years on they had also lost their home.
As the Second World War started the family had hit rock bottom when Andrew was recruited by a cathedral in Victoria as a bell ringer and caretaker.
Andrew died in 1949, aged 75. His ashes were flown back to Gawsworth and interred in the family grave as friends held a farewell hand-bell ceremony.
In 1913 the bell-ringers who said farewell to Andrew included his dad, uncle, three brothers and two cousins. This time around members of the church’s bell ringing group will take the honour.
Among the organisers of the reunion is Canadian Mitch Wallace, great-great nephew of Andrew, who got the idea after visiting relatives in Gawsworth three years ago.
He said: “Looking at my family’s history I noticed the 100-year reunion was approaching and that it would be pretty special if we could organise the family to come together 100 years to the day of this peal taking place.
“It will truly be an unforgettable moment for my family both in Canada and in Gawsworth and an event that will be pretty significant for the village.”
