General Chat

Today, 2nd July 1916 was the most terrible day for the women and families of Britain and her Allies. That was the day after the terrible Battle of the Somme when 20,000 British soldiers died in a single day.

The 2nd July was the day when the wives, mothers, girl friends and families began to receive the dreaded telegrams:

"Regret inform you your son..........has been killed in action........."

"Regret inform you your husband............is missing presumed dead......."

"Regret inform you that your son...........has been reported missing........."


Whole streets and villages were quite literally left without young men. What a wonderful generation of women they were to recover from such a tragedy and raise families which made our country what it is.

My grandmother was one of them, she was left with an eight month old baby, (my Dad). What a wonderful woman she was.

I have a newspaper cutting which shows my gt grandmother looking for her son - my great uncle - apparently she was unaware he had joined up - the article appeared in the local newspaper the day he was killed in action in France -

My great Uncle lost his only child in the Battle of the Somme. I read the newspaper in Leeds Library saying that they had received a letter saying that he had an injury to his hand but he was fine and would write again soon. The day they received his letter was the day he died from an infection in the wound on his hand.

My great grandfather was badly injured in the Battle and his lieutenant and sergeant risked their lives to get him back to safety but he died shortly after. Within two months of his death the officers and the doctor who tried to help him had also been killed.

God bless them all.

The sadest thing I've seen was a family bible ( part of a school touring exhibition). There was the record of a marriage then a telegram glued in informing the young bride of her husbands death a couple of months later :-0

Such a dreadfully sad time my g/mother also got telegram telling her about her son. I wonder Does anyone think we the world population/governments/anyone - will we ever learn from the mistakes we have made in history?

No Nolls, I don't think any of us/them learn from any mistakes other than our own :-(

I don't think we will ever stop wars. However, in the western world at least I think we have ended the mass slaughter of armies that occured during the Great War of 1914-1918. By the Second World War, Generals such as Montgomery kept their troops informed about what was going on and the war was about tactical movement, it never degenerated to the attrition of trench warfare on the scale of The Somme, Gallipoli or Ypres.

However, what the soldier, sailor and airman once had to bear has now fallen on civilians and casualties amonst women, children and the aged far outweigh those of the armed forces. In WW2 the civilian death toll was far greater than that of service personnel and this has continued in Korea, Bosnia, Syria, Afghanistan, etc. etc.

Such is the futility and utter waste of conflict.

I am utterly astounded and ashamed that this thread has had so few comments.
Only four people have troubled to post replies to my original thread.

Perhaps those 20,000 men died and over 100,000 relatives grieved so that dozens of replies to Home and Away, Big Brother and other celebrity based threads could thrive.

I should have posted earlier, but to be honest the scale of the losses and knock on effect on the loved ones of those killed are almost too much to get my head round.

I often think while doing my research how I would have been affected if I had been that mother, wife, sister, child etc of the servicemen involved in the fighting and it is unbearable to think of the horror of it all.

Today, it is still happening.............the numbers are less but the suffering is the same. :-( :-( :-(

I have just seen this thread BarneyKent.

It prompted me to get my Family history folder out and check the date that my Great Uncle, my Nans brother Joseph Helm died. I have a display record of commemoration for him from the Thiepval Memorial which is in Somme France

Joseph died on Saturday 29th July 1916 age 22. He was in "C" Bty, Royal Field Artillery.

So many lives lost so young. He was the same age as my eldest child is now.

RIP Joseph and all those brave men who gave their lives.

Teresa

Hang on there a mo' BarneyKent, it's only 3.20pm :-) many peeps might still be at work and log in later. For example, I have only just logged into GR, I don't come on here very often at all these days :-)
I certainly would like to think more would contribute to a thread such as this too :-) perhaps, in time.

Back to the thread.....
The thing which must have hit very hard was that a big proportion of those men killed in WW1 all came from the same villages or towns, having joined Pals Battalions, enlisting together in local recruitment drives. In theory it was thought they would serve better if they were alongside their neighbours, friends and colleagues. In reality, if the Battalion suffered heavy losses or was wiped out, then whole communities lost their menfolk.
One of the most notable losses of this kind in the Somme offensives of 1916 was the 11th Battalion (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment, better known as the Accrington Pals. On the opening day of the battle, in the space of 20 minutes, from an estimated 700 Accrington Pals, there were 235 killed and 350 wounded.
God bless them all.


Karen

I assumed he was killed in action but now wonder if he was wounded and died as result of his wounds, I suppose I will never know now. It said he had died so it could mean either way poor man

Teresa

Thanks Kitty and Cooper, its nice to know that you care enough to post on this thread and think of those brave men and women from that sad time.

This was said to be " the war to end all wars" and still war continues.

That's true Karen, perhaps I am being hasty - my apologies but I do feel strongly about this subject. I feel really humbled by the strength of the women of that era who had to step into men's places to keep the country going and then pick up the pieces afterwards. A great generation.


Hey Cooper - there is a way you can find out what happened. A Death Certificate was issued for all the dead of the wars and can be obtained (at a cost) from:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

It won't say much but it will at least give cause of death as KIA (Killed in action) or DOW (Died of wounds).

At least you would find that much out.

The 29th was Armed Forces Day,,,,lots of parades were held up and down and my nephew took part in a fly over.

I havnt found any connections yet to Somme but an horrific tragedy,so many lost generations from one family.

I have a photograph of women taring the road in Paddington during WW1.

one of my Dad's brothers name is on the Thiepval Memorial - he was only 19 and was shot and killed with the rest of his group whilst crossing a field alongside a forest - he was buried where he was shot but later the burial ground was bombed and that's how he ended up on the Thiepval Memorial My grandmother never knew he had been buried but one of his sisters, who died a few years ago aged 104 was so pleased when I told her that he had actually been buried

A friend of mine researched his death and took a video of the actual field, told me the time of day and even what the weather was like at the time

I went to Ypres before I knew all this and searched high and low for his name, but for any of you who have never seen the Menin Gate, there are literally thousands of names on there from all over the world, and of course I never found him.

Thankyou BarneyKent, I will have a look at the link.

Teresa

Thanks BK I have just ordered the certificate. I will let you know how I get on when it gets here

Teresa

You are welcome Teresa. I have got my Grandad's Cert. He was killed in 1915 in Belgium.

I go every year to see his grave. In 1915 on the anniversary of the date, (5th June), my son, 2 nephews and myself, with our partners are going to make a special centenary pilgrimage.

Best of luck, look forward to hearing from you.

Barney.