“I think this accursed war will soon be over now, and that will settle all those worries for you, once and for all.” This was a line written by 19 year ...
Walter Kimberley’s wartime experience is one of hardship, effort, determination… and ultimately death, though not by any bullet wound. His is a story that shows war can claim casualties away ...
Although George V reviewing the troops before Gallipoli on the London Road is now a well-known story, at the time this significant event was not covered in any of the ...
The First World War created some extraordinary friendships – we have all heard of the Christmas Truce, when soldiers put down their weapons to play football together. Here is one that ...
While most people know that Meriden has a long-standing claim to be at the very heart of England, perhaps fewer are aware it is also home to the National Cyclists’ ...
During the First World War, The British Red Cross set up temporary auxiliary hospitals/convalescent homes across the country for less seriously wounded servicemen who often just needed time to recuperate.
They ...
A strong wind was blowing across the trenches. A putrid smell lingered in the air, a mixture of chlorine gas, mud, filth, and flesh. It was approaching lunchtime in the ...
Herbert John Reeves was born in 1899, in Tamworth. Later moving to Kingsbury, where he worked at Kingsbury Colliery.
On 17th September 1914 at Brook Street in Birmingham, Herbert joined the ...
Thomas Fredrick Reeves was born in 1896, in Fazeley. Later moving to Tamworth and then to Kingsbury, where he worked at Kingsbury Colliery.
On 6th August 1914 in Whittington, Staffordshire, Thomas ...
This unusual pub name refers to the famous song from the First World War ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’. The author – Harry Williams – was born in Aston ...
Walter’s wartime fighting experience was brief. It was merely months into the war, when he was taken prisoner on 9th September 1914 at Maubeuge, after the French surrendered. He had ...
We have seen in the previous article that Walter’s war experiences had seen him endure great hardship. Alas, that was not to improve. With the conditions in the camp, it ...
Many existing organisations responded by providing financial and other support. Warwickshire County Council organised the provision of accommodation for Prisoners of War, and also the creation of allotments to combat ...
Daily life on the front would vary depending on which area the soldiers were fighting in as well as whether their unit was currently actively engaged in combat or had ...