Emily Merryweather of Scarborough
Emily Merryweather was killed by shrapnel during the German bombardment of Scarborough in December 1914 aged just 30 years old.
On Wednesday 16th December 1914, through the early morning fog, German ships emerged and proceeded to bomb the town.
Many buildings including the Grand Hotel, Scarborough Lighthouse, businesses and domestic dwellings were damaged.
A total of 18 souls lost their lives during this tragic event.
One of the fatalities was Emily Merryweather.
Emily was born in 1884 to parents Thomas and Charlotte Mason of 2 Somerset Terrace, Scarborough.
In 1911, her widowed mother moved to Prospect Road in the town.
Then in 1912 Emily, married George H Merryweather.
His parents ran a grocer’s store and post office in Prospect Road.
Emily was a grocer’s assistance, and on that fateful morning in December 1914, on hearing the noise and commotion, she endeavoured to gather neighbours together so they could shelter in the shop’s cellar.
As she returned with her friends, a shell struck the main pillar of the door and Emily was hit by the resulting shrapnel.
She fell to the ground stating she had been wounded and sadly died soon after.
Crowds turned out for the funerals which followed a few days after.
Seventeen out of the eighteen fatalities are buried Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery, and thanks to the sterling efforts of Friends of Dean Road and Manor Road Cemetery, there is now a plaque in place marking Emily’s bravery.
Similar plaques mark the other 17 people who lost their lives that day.
In April 2025, a new green space on the corner of Gladstone Road and Northway has been renovated and named after Emily: this little haven is called the Merryweather Garden.
