Henry
Mozley 1854 – 1942
General Manager Burnley Corporation Tramways (& Omnibuses) 1901 – 1929
Henry Mozley, born in Beighton, Derbyshire, came to Burnley in 1882 after service with a railway company, to take charge of Burnley’s tramways then owned by the Tramways and General Works Co. Ltd. When, three years later, it was taken over by the Burnley & District Tramway Company, he was placed in charge. When the Corporation purchased the undertaking in 1901 he was appointed General Manager. In 1924 it became the Tramways and Omnibuses Department and he continued to be its administrative chief until his retirement in 1929. During his years of service within the industry there were many developments, including the changeover from the original horse drawn trams** to steam traction and then to electric tramways. He pioneered the vestibule car to protect drivers and introduced the system of collecting tickets by conductors to prevent loss of income from missed fares and to assist in keeping vehicles and streets tidy.
Although Mr. Mozley foresaw the developments of ‘bus transport even before the close of the 19th century, produced a ‘bus design in 1906 and ultimately saw the introduction of ‘bus services in Burnley, he remained a champion of the tramcar, maintaining that it was the best means of dealing with large numbers of passengers in thickly-populated areas and particularly with peak loads. He helped to build up a department that rendered useful service to the public of Burnley and district, and he commanded the respect and enjoyed the confidence of every employee in it.
When he left the service of the Corporation aged 75 he had been associated with transport continuously for nearly 62 years, but though he had earned the right to lay aside all his tasks he could not stay idle and found an outlet for his talents with the Burnley Chamber of Commerce, of which he was president for three years. Domestic reasons dictated his removal to South Cave, East Yorkshire in 1936.
Mr. Mozley, who was associated with St. Peter’s Church, Burnley, where he had held office as sidesman and rector’s warden. He was a past president of the Municipal Tramways and Transport Association, an honorary member of the British Engineering Standards Association and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. For many years he was a well-known contributor to the technical Press, and addressed numerous tramway industry conferences. He was well known in Masonic circles.
Henry Mozley died aged 87 years on 4th February 1942 and is buried in Burnley Cemetery. (See Footnote)
(Extracted from the Burnley Express and News February 7 1942)
** The reference to horse drawn buses does not necessarily refer to Burnley but to the industry as a whole, although the withdrawal of the steam locomotives in Burnley Centre necessitated the use of horse power until the problems with steam traction in the early months had been overcome. Editor)
BCN Society Website proves to be useful
Mr.
Nick Smith contacted the BCN Society by email to ask if we would be interested
in items of memorabilia relating to his great grandfather Henry Mozley, General
Manager of Burnley’s Trams until 1930. The items are a framed cartoon by
Cymco*, a Silver Jubilee Medal and a certificate from Buckingham Palace (also
framed) stating the command of the King to Henry Mozley to wear the medal in
commemoration of their Majesties Silver Jubilee 6th May 1935.
Although the items are of interest it was felt that they would be best
displayed in a museum and Mike Townend of Towneley Hall has agreed to accept
them. With the items mentioned Mr. Smith also sent a photograph of Henry Mozley
at his desk at Queensgate.
*
Cymco was the pen name of Mr. C.F. Simcock, an adept cartoonist who was a Press
photographer who worked for the Burnley News and later the Burnley Express from
1912 to 1949.
The
full cartoon is reproduced here along with the original accompanying text: -
THE TRAMWAYS MANAGER
No town has ever been served by a more efficient or enthusiastic public official than Burnley has been served by Mr. Henry Mozley, the General Manager of the Corporation Tramways. Thanks to his inventiveness, foresight and resource we have a system that is second to none in the country, and in some respects ranks easily first. The Burnley type of car, which is Mr. Mozley’s own design, is being copied by every up-to-date municipality, including Manchester, Birmingham and Bradford, but perhaps the compliment Mr. Mozley values even more than this is the recent testimony of the Transport Ministry’s inspector to the remarkable immunity from serious accidents on the Burnley System during the whole of the time that mechanical traction has been employed. Mr. Mozley’s only interest outside the tramway world, in which he is a leading figure, is his church.
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Authors’ note: Census records for 1901 show that Henry Mozley lived at 432, Colne Road, Burnley (quite near to Queensgate Depot). He was married to Sarah and had three children, Alice, Ruth and John. By 1923 he had moved to Oakroyd, Queen's Park Road, Burnley (perhaps to a house more suitable to his standing).
Burial records show that John died in July, 1916 aged 26, Sarah died in May, 1939 aged 83 and Alice died in September, 1939 aged 55. All are buried in Burnley Cemetery with Henry.
The grave of Henry Mozley and family.