Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    Your Family in the "Great War" 1914-18


    Recommended Posts

    We have all nationalities here on the forum, British, German, American, Italian, French etc. etc....

    100 Years ago relatives of many members were getting rifles ready to go and do battle... I am sure they had no thought that 100 years later their relatives would be on the internet comparing medals and helmets....

    How about showing items you have that are directly related to yout Family? The Great Grandads Trio, the wifes Grandfather Gasmask.... I would be very curious to see what you have....

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    My great-uncle on my mother's side, a miner, was a sapper in the Royal Engineers and was one of the men who tunnelled under the German lines to lay huge subterranean mines. He was killed in action at the Somme in 1917. Unfortunately, I don't have any mementoes of him, other than a photograph.

    My grandfather on my father's side fought in the infantry and was wounded by artillery fire at Arras in 1917. He carried the shrapnel in his wrist until the day he died, in the 1970s.

    Although I have his medals etc., the best military thing I inherited from him was this.

    Picked up during his post-1918 service with the police.

    It's a British army issue Brodie helmet with cruise mail visor, re-issued to the police during the General Strike.

    It still has the original army paintwork inside the shell and the liner is standard army pattern.

    I believe these cruise helmets are not easy to find.

    Other photo shows one in wear during WW1.

    Edited by Robin Lumsden
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Chris.

    To protect their eyes during the strike demonstrations..

    You'd be amazed what gets chucked at the polis during riots. ;)

    I recall the time I was petrol-bombed in the early 1980s ........................... :violent:

    The 1926 strike battles in the UK were like something out of the Freikorps era ...........................

    These pix show what I mean.

    Edited by Robin Lumsden
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Hi Guys,

    i am fortunate to have the medals of my paternal grandfather,J.H.Westley 66258,R.F.A - R.A.

    The Old Contemptibles badge is a recent addition as i was told by my father that he did have one.

    I have a couple of nice photo's of him also.

    Cheers,Martin.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Sadly,all i have of my maternal grandfather is this photo.He was in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during WWI.

    His name is Charlie Ward and is standing center in the photo.

    I also have a photo of his brother,my great uncle George Ward who was in the R.A.

    Regards,Martin.

    Edited by Martin W
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Hi Guys,

    i am fortunate to have the medals of my paternal grandfather,J.H.Westley 66258,R.F.A - R.A.

    The Old Contemptibles badge is a recent addition as i was told by my father that he did have one.

    I have a couple of nice photo's of him also.

    Cheers,Martin.

    That is a fine set of Medals indeed!

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I wish I could claim some WW1 Family connection, but my Great Grandparents were either still too miffed at the British because of the Boer war on one side, and off in distant places on the other side to get involved.... My Wifes family was full on the game though....

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Also during WWI my maternal grandmother,Lucy Ward worked in the munitions factory at Woolwich.

    This is not her badge but one i picked up as a commemorative to her "On War Service".

    Regards,Martin.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Good Morning Everyone......

    Just a few pictures for you.......

    GRAND FATHER ON MOTHERS SIDE

    No medals for these people but still looking......

    GRAND FATHER ON FATHERS SIDE

    BROTHERS OF GRAND MOTHER ON MOTHERS SIDE

    Mike

    Edited by QSAMIKE
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Thank You Martin......

    The Male line on both sides was completely wiped out.....

    My father who was a baby when his father died served in WW2 North Africa, Italy and Burma.....

    It was my Grand Father who in a way started me collecting medals when I was about 8 he gave me his medals and the memorial plaques of my Grand Mother and I was bitten by the military history / collecting bug and have now been at it for nearly 60 years.......

    Another interesting item is that my Grand Mother worked on the airships R100 and R101 and I still have her sewing kit.....

    Mike

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    No mementos of him, but my Dad very occasionally refers to my Great Uncle, 636904 Private Frank Maurice 'Whitey' Deacon, who joined the 155th Battalion (Bay of Quinte) but went to France as a reinforcement for the 21st Battalion.

    Frank was a clerk in civilian life, which I think explians why he spent 18 months in England. He made it up to Sergeant in the 155th but got busted back, fined and jailed for missisng the 'tattoo' just before the unit shipped overseas. He went to the 21st as part of a draft to replace the battalion's Vimy Ridge losses and was invalided out with 'impetigo' just before the big push in September '17, so he was one lucky guy. He never spoke of the war to my Dad but used to have my dad and his brother down to visit and they'd play euchre with Frank and one of his comrades. Died in 1975.

    Two weeks ago I got my first, and probably last, tattoos: a replica of the Canadian cap badge which many of our 660,000 men wore in the Great War. My small tribute to Frank Deacon and his comrades.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Posted before elsewhere in site - My Great Uncle George's last letter home to a friend. He was in the 19th Lancs Fusiliers (3rd Salford Pals) and the letter refers to the battalion's attack on the Leipzig Redoubt south of Thiepval on the First Day of the Somme. He died of wounds received at Ovillers la Boiselle 8 days after sending this letter. The letter was a gift of the recipient's great niece, who I met on the internet. Incredibly generous.

    Colin

    Edited by ColinRF
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I have my maternal grandfather's discharge papers. He was from New York City and posted in Motor Truck Company #435.

    My wife's family had Clarence Clevenger, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division, killed in action September 28, 1918. He is buried in the Meuse Argonne American Cemetery.

    Edited by paul kennedy
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Two of my family members served in WW1, both in the Royal Navy.

    My maternal great-grandfather Peter Mejlaq and also Emanuele Zammit from my father's side of the family. Coincidentally both were at Gallipoli. All that has survived are a few photos and postcards from my paternal great-grandfather (who served on the Hibernia), some of which are quite interesting as they show a particular naval ship on the obverse and on the reverse contain notations such as 'this ship was blown up by a mine on' a certain date. Will try to dig them out from amongst the family pile...

    Unfortunately all the medals were either lost or looted as both houses were destroyed during WW2 bombing raids.

    Edited by redeagleorder
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Two of my family members served in WW1, both in the Royal Navy.

    All that has survived are a few photos and postcards from my paternal great-grandfather (who served on the Hibernia), some of which are quite interesting as they show a particular naval ship on the obverse and on the reverse contain notations such as 'this ship was blown up by a mine on' a certain date. Will try to dig them out from amongst the family pile...

    If you "dig them out" please post them.

    Regards,Martin.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 3 months later...

    My great grandmother's brother Pte Peterson served during WW1. He was one of those soldiers that was on the battlefield and then wasn't. Presumed KIA. Never found him. Have a photo of him somewhere in my study amongst other photos. R.I.P.

    Regards

    Norman

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.