My Gt Uncle Fred worked as a cleaner at LNWR Monument Road, Birmingham, enlisted with Royal Berkshire Regiment and went MIA at Memetz Wood, Somme on what my father said was his 21st birthday. LNWR provided a commemorative book to the families of their employees that died in WWI. There are 46.5 pages and 80 names per page (approx 3700), plus additional people that won medals including three VC awards to JA Christie, E Sykes and W Wood. If you have a family member who worked with LNWR and was either KIA or MIA, their name will be listed in the book. I attach a scan of page 1 of the book.
I still have the original copy of a letter that Fred wrote to his parents dated 16/10/15, which must have been before letters were censored. A couple of quotes:
"our fellows going over at 2.5 pm as cool as if they were going upstairs to bed."
"they say in the papers W.P. (Weekly Post?), that they must stop recruiting from the Railways and mines as there will be terrible shortages in a few months time, as they cannot get sufficient men as it is."
David
I still have the original copy of a letter that Fred wrote to his parents dated 16/10/15, which must have been before letters were censored. A couple of quotes:
"our fellows going over at 2.5 pm as cool as if they were going upstairs to bed."
"they say in the papers W.P. (Weekly Post?), that they must stop recruiting from the Railways and mines as there will be terrible shortages in a few months time, as they cannot get sufficient men as it is."
David
