Thomas William Ward (industrialist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Ward was a scrap metal
merchant and shipbreaker from Sheffield
, England
, most famous for the establishment of his company Thomas Ward Ltd, and its First World War-era 'employee' Lizzie the Elephant.
, sister ship to the Titanic, which was broken up at his yard in Morecambe
, and the Olympic
, which was finally towed to Inverkeithing
.
Thomas Ward was elected to the prestigious office of Master Cutler
in 1913 and his brother Joseph became Chairman of the Scrap Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Munitions.
Ward died on 3rd February 1926 and was buried at the now defunct Wardsend Cemetery, Hillsborough
, Sheffield
.
After his death Thomas Ward Ltd was able to survive throughout the Second World War and was ran by Ward's family up until the early 1980s when it was bought over by an international company.
area of the city was said to have used camels also from Sedgwick's Menagerie in place of their own horses.
Unfortunately walking around the cobblestone
d streets of Sheffield damaged Lizzie's feet, and although she continued to work for Ward's firm for sometime after the end of the first world war she was eventually returned to the circus.
Lizzie has gone down in Sheffield legend, and many stories and legends surround her, including her breaking the window of a house to get to a pie cooling on the work surface inside, eating a schoolboy's cap, and even pulling a traction engine caught in the snow free during winter. She also gave name to the popular Sheffield sayings "done up like Tommy Ward's elephant" - meaning someone carrying much weight, and the self-explanatory "like trying to shift Tommy Ward's elephant".
Lizzie has recently had a Sheffield Community Transport
bus named after her. The bus is called "Lizzie Ward" and is an Optare Solo
model.
Scrap Metal
Scrap Metal were a band from Broome, Western Australia who played rock music with elements of country and reggae. The members had Aboriginal, Irish, Filipino, French, Chinese, Scottish, Indonesian and Japanese heritage. The band toured nationally as part of the Bran Nue Dae musical and with...
merchant and shipbreaker from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, most famous for the establishment of his company Thomas Ward Ltd, and its First World War-era 'employee' Lizzie the Elephant.
Life
Thomas William Ward was born in Sheffield, England in 1853, and began work as at the age of 15 as a coal merchant. He was soon drawn in to Sheffield's famous steel industry and became a successful scrap metal dealer in the city, helped by the great demand for the product during the early 1870s. Ward became an expert at dismantling big structures, and rose to considerable fame as a skilled shipbreaker and tradesman with his company Thomas Ward Ltd, established in 1894. He owned breakers' yards at ports around Britain, and was well known for his resourceful nature, recycling everything on the warships and redundant luxury liners given over to his care, down to lamps and carpets, and even the timber being used for garden furniture. Some of his most famous shipbreaking projects included the MajesticMajestic
Majestic is one of the first alternate reality games , a type of game that blurs the line between in-game and out-of-game experiences. It debuted on July 31, 2001...
, sister ship to the Titanic, which was broken up at his yard in Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
, and the Olympic
Olympic
Olympic may refer to:In sports:* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece between 776 BC and 393 AD...
, which was finally towed to Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
.
Thomas Ward was elected to the prestigious office of Master Cutler
Master Cutler
The Master Cutler is the head of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire established in 1624. Their role is to act as an ambassador of industry in Sheffield, England. The Master Cutler is elected by the freemen of the company on the first Monday of September of each year and the position taken in the...
in 1913 and his brother Joseph became Chairman of the Scrap Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Munitions.
Ward died on 3rd February 1926 and was buried at the now defunct Wardsend Cemetery, Hillsborough
Hillsborough
-In Canada:*Hillsborough, New Brunswick*Hillsborough, Nova Scotia, in Inverness County*Hillsborough , a defunct Prince Edward Island federal electoral district-In New Zealand:* Hillsborough, Auckland...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
After his death Thomas Ward Ltd was able to survive throughout the Second World War and was ran by Ward's family up until the early 1980s when it was bought over by an international company.
The First World War
At the outbreak of World War I, 1,235 people were on the payroll of Thomas Ward's company and a thousand tons of scrap metal per day was being fed to the country's steel makers. However with demand so high, and many of the horses Ward had previously used to transport his goods around Sheffield conscripted by the military he had an increasingly difficult time to match supply with demand. Lizzie the Elephant was brought in as a solution to this problem.Lizzie the Elephant
Lizzie the Elephant was drafted in from Sedgwick's Menagerie, a travelling circus ran by William Sedgwick (1841-1927). The elephant was said to be able to do the work of three of Ward's horses and soon got herself the name 'Tommy Ward's Elephant' as she became a familiar site carrying goods around the city, controlled by her trainer Richard Sedgwick (1875-1931) (son of the circus ringleader William Sedgwick). Lizzie was said to have inspired other Sheffield firms to creative means with their wartime transportation and a company in the WickerWicker
Wicker is hard woven fiber formed into a rigid material, usually used for baskets or furniture. Wicker is often made of material of plant origin, but plastic fibers are also used....
area of the city was said to have used camels also from Sedgwick's Menagerie in place of their own horses.
Unfortunately walking around the cobblestone
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
d streets of Sheffield damaged Lizzie's feet, and although she continued to work for Ward's firm for sometime after the end of the first world war she was eventually returned to the circus.
Lizzie has gone down in Sheffield legend, and many stories and legends surround her, including her breaking the window of a house to get to a pie cooling on the work surface inside, eating a schoolboy's cap, and even pulling a traction engine caught in the snow free during winter. She also gave name to the popular Sheffield sayings "done up like Tommy Ward's elephant" - meaning someone carrying much weight, and the self-explanatory "like trying to shift Tommy Ward's elephant".
Lizzie has recently had a Sheffield Community Transport
Sheffield Community Transport
Sheffield Community Transport is a non-governmental organisation with charitable status which provides transport services in Sheffield. Funding from SPT comes from South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive , Sheffield City Council, South Yorkshire Objective 1 programme, Yorkshire Forward,...
bus named after her. The bus is called "Lizzie Ward" and is an Optare Solo
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
model.
External links
- http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/jungle/index4d3.html
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/makhist10_prog13d.shtml