Memorial cairn for tragic boy, 6 who died on hill
ACARING granddad has created a new memorial to a tragic six-year-old who froze to death in 1930.
On a chilly day in 1930, six-year-old Alec Jenkinson, from Shore, Littleborough, headed out to play with his friends on Crook Hill about Watergrove in the heavy snowfall.
It was a foggy day and the moor was misty, and as a blizzard came in, Alec became separated from his playmates.
Search efforts were quickly carried out, but without modern technology and due to the blizzard and the fog, the search for the child was hampered.
Sadly, it was five days before Alec’s body was found, with a coroner’s report revealing he had died of exposure.
A cross was erected in his memory on Crook Hill, but as time has gone by it is only the older residents of Shore who remember Alec, and his memorial was gradually erased by the sands of time.
Now, older resident David Longley, 69, who lives on Shore Road has created a cairn to remember Alec, at the highest point on Crook Hill.
During lockdown, David carried stones up one by one to create the memorial to Alec, who is known as the “lost boy” in the area.
He said: “I have lived here all my life and it’s quite a well-known story with the older residents.
“There used to be a cross up there but it has diminished over the years until there was virtually nothing left.
“The main reason I did it was because the original memorial was gone.
“It needed something more permanent.”
The story has touched the hearts of many, attracting nearly 900 ‘likes’ on Facebook, with many who still remember what happened to Alec Jenkinson.
Some of Alec’s family still live in the area, as his parents had another son two years after his death.
To visit the memorial, at the side of the King Bill, go straight up through Sykes farm gate.
At the top of the lane go through the gate at the bridle way.
Go across the bridle way up the stony track until reaching the stone shelter.
It’s important to take the path to the right of the stone shelter, and the cairn is 400 metres at the highest spot on Crook Hill.