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Life in Birmingham during WW1

brummiemummy said:
Chris,
Your story brought a tear to my eye too. We really don't know we're born these days.

On the subject of correspondance my grandmother Elsie Bourne lived in Greet in Birmingham durring WW1. She was born in 1900 so was just a teenager when her Uncles went off to fight. Uncle Ben never came home and died in Flanders 1916 but Uncle Bill would write when he could and she used to look forward to his postcards. She also lost a sweetheart in the fighting but never spoke much about it so I don't know what happened. She didn't marry till 1933 as so many men never came home. My grand dad was five years her junior and too young to have been a soldier during the war.
View attachment 84985View attachment 84986View attachment 84987View attachment 84988View attachment 84989 William Bourne left on first photo
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Hallo brummiemummy. I've been studying your photos. Do you know much about William Bourne ? I notice he is a sergeant in the picture and have been trying to identify the medal ribbon he's wearing. I also notice, thanks to the quality of the photo, that William's companion is wearing the trade badge of a machine gunner.
 
Thanks Alan for posting this account of what happened. I knew about his date of death but had no idea about what happened.
I'm afraid I don't know anything about any of the other soldiers.
I have photo which an elderly relative said was Benajmin Bourne in his uniform I wonder if anyone can identify his regiment for verification. Another photo shows him with his brother William when they were younger but I am not at all convinced Benjamin is the same person so it's a bit of a family mystery.Benjamin Bourne.jpgWilliam and Ben Bourne.jpg

Photo on right is taken at back of 149 Warwick road some years earlier and shows brothers William left, Ben right.
 
Hi Maypolebaz,
I can tell you that my gguncle William Bourne was awarded the DCM and bar. Terry has posted a brilliant account of how he came to receive them on page 2 of this thread. William's sister was my ggrandmother. Mom's, mom's mom. I have a photo of William's daughter May wearing the medals to dress up, taken about 1928. When she was a pensioner they were stolen from her home in Sparkhill. We had copies made. William survived the war and worked in the building trade till retirement. On day while helping a group of people to cross a busy road he was knocked down by an impatient lorry driver and dragged along the road. He survived that too but lost a leg as a consequence and was in hospital for months. The driver was prosecuted.
Mabel Holmes (Mays Half Sister), May Bourne, Ciss Needham, bob Needham, and jim Needham,.jpg May Bourne seated wearing a white hat
 
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Sorry, I'd missed Terry's account. I noticed in that first photo that William was leaning on a walking stick, as opposed to his companion who has the usual swagger stick.
 
Hi brummiemummy

below are some pictures of the Thiepval Memorial taken last weekend. Benjamin Bourne in the panel that my mate Dave is looking at
 

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Last weekend on the Somme was really cold with snow drifts several feet deep. That is me at the rear of the Thiepval Visitor's centre, near the memorial.

Terry
 

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Terry. I found Thiepval the most poignant of all of the cemeteries.
We were there in the summer of 1992, not a sound only the birds singing, so very different to the horrors of War.
 
Thanks Terry, I really appreciate this. I'm making a family tree scrapbook for my mum and will include this. Hope you had a good trip, albeit one tinged with sadness I suspect.
How's the book going?
 
Hello There

Sorry for late reply. It is going OK. I have plenty of material and once the New Year starts I will be giving it my full attention to get it finished

Cheers

Terry
 
Hi Terry

A colleague of mine at our Xmas re-union started talking about Tunnellers.
After carefully working things out his Dads brother he died on the 14th December 1918.
His name was Sapper W H Clarke 79264 184th Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers.
His intial Army No was 14044 South Staffordshire Regiment. Unfortunately cannot trace Enlistment
documents. he is buried at Cologne Southern Cemetery in Germany.
He appears to have been taken POW in April of 1918 when the Germans over run the British Lines.
It appears he died from Drowning? Nobody understands how after the Armistice what happened to POW,s
I presume from the 11th Nov to 12th Dec he was still held in German hands.
It dosent get any better War deaths list 2 death certificates . He was a young fit Miner
Any help waiting on Death cerificates.

Mike Jenks
 
terry carter said:
Hello There

Sorry for late reply. It is going OK. I have plenty of material and once the New Year starts I will be giving it my full attention to get it finished

Cheers

Terry
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That's great news. I've just discovered your other book Birmingham Pals and plan to read it. My son has just started learning about WW1 at secondary school and thanks to you and others on this forum I have been able to bring characters to life and tell him about our ancestors who fought and survived and fought and died. Also the ones who played an important role at home. I think there will be a real interest revival in WW1 this year and your new book should be timed perfectly. Good luck with everything.
 
I'm reading "Birmingham Pals" at the moment, (they've just joined 5th Division), on kindle.
I'm happy to say that the book reads very well, some kindle books are dreadful but sadly the photographs on "Pals" haven't reproduced very well.
 
Thank you for your kind remarks about my book.

Mike was Sapper W H Clarke a Birmingham man? he might have some info regarding his death in the local newspapers of the time

Terry
 
Hi Terry

Sorry he is a Nuneaton man his details are on the War Memorial.
Its the facts around POW,s dying just after the War ended via drowning
and 2 Death Certificates that are intriguing me.
There were many Camps in the Cologne area and I suppose the Cemetery
was used by both sides. When ive got some details I will send you the files

Mike Jenks
 
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