Search results

Thanks, Clowe. The reason that I ask about initials is that there are no less than about a dozen "G. Davieses" listed in the 1941 HG Officer's List for Western Command of the Home Guard (covering most of the Western counties of the U.K.) and none sounds an obvious contender. The list...

Any chance of your sharing them with Forum members, please, Clowe? Do you know if Gilbert Davies had any other initials? I have quite a bit of information online about the 12th Worcestershire (Warley) Battalion which includes a number of images and the story of the Danilo Platoon's involvement...

This practice continued well into the 20th century - I remember a house in Streetly built in ca 1915 with one just outside the scullery door. And surely a time to be re-invented, in these ecologically aware and climate warming times! Far tidier than water butts for garden watering and, because...

Yes, sorry everyone, the C. Hodgetts we have been discussing is definitely the wrong one. It emerges that my "C" is Cyril, b., I think, around 1894, again in the Black Country but now Cradley. It now seems possible that he didn't even serve in the Great War - he was a chain maker and this may...

I believe that during the war years, and perhaps beyond, the owner of Fillerys Toffees was a gentleman by the name of Tom Fillery. Tom was a leading light in the Birmingham Home Guard and I have information about him. Amongst other things, in the summer of 1940 he organised the local platoon...

........containing, as I recall from about 75 years ago, a number of fine conker trees........ (Welcome to the Forum, hughthackway). Chris

Thank you so much, everyone, for the really useful information - and so rapidly supplied. Could you hang fire, please, for a short while. I'm starting to get the jitters as to whether the initial card I have been given in good faith is definitely the "correct" Worcestershire C. Hodgetts and am...

I am struggling to make sense of this WW1 Medals record card and should be very grateful if anyone with a bit more experience could give me a hand. It tells me that it is a Gloucestershire Regiment record, issued in Warwick and dealing with men who have a different regimental affiliation. The...

Perhaps you could post a good quality image of the original record, Castella. This might give further clues. Chris

Thank you, Zenoura, you have given us an interesting mystery! How and why did a Kynoch machine find its way to Paraguay? The Kynoch company did have overseas interests in the early part of the 20th century but these were mainly connected to its explosives business. There is no mention of any...

Steve, so disappointing - let's hope that one day, somehow, the mystery about the circumstances surrounding Robert's death will be resolved. There is also the question of Robert's first cousin, William Silk of 108 Henry Street, who died only a few weeks later at 117 Francis Street, presumably...

On the way back from the corner shop this morning with the newspaper, I caught the eye of a little brindle terrier on its lead. As is my wont I bent down and gave his neck a little tickle. "He must have seen your poppy and thought he recognised you", said his owner, a nice little old lady...

A warm welcome to the Forum and thanks for a fascinating contribution. I hope that someone will be able to come up with some thoughts on this. Is there any chance of your posting the photograph, please? I’m sure it would be of great interest. Chris

My family was very lucky not to have lost any close member during either the Great War or WW2. So today I'd like to remember two of the survivors, both wounded on the Western Front, both repatriated, both survived. Harry Myers (1899-1974), my father, born Birmingham, Cameron Highlanders...

Alison, I promised to let you have a bit more detail about the two sets of Family Histories which I am lucky enough to possess. I won't go into the detail of the two branches of my extended family which these Histories cover. I have summarised them at length previously, on this Forum thread...

I have quite a bit of information online about Harry Pollitt who was Works Manager up to 1984. There's a link to it in my post #36 above. It's safe to click on. Chris

Welcome to the Forum, Mike. I hope that any member who was at Wild's at that time will respond. And do please let us have further memories of your own. Chris

Full military powers, I think. And undoubtedly needed. This is the first set of orders from Battalion HQ at Aldridge to my father's Little Aston Platoon received at 23.15 on July 5th, 1940: Information. Reliable reports state that attack on this country is imminent. Attack may take the form of...

Yes, sort of, but on nothing like the same scale. They were called the Volunteers. I have a couple of pictures, one of the Sutton unit and the other of the Knowle and Dorridge which includes my grandfather as a serving member and also my father, standing there as a guest whilst on convalescent...

Not quite Birmingham, I'm afraid, but not too far off it - Kenilworth Castle. I've recently been given one or two quite remarkable photographs of a gathering there, demonstrating the might of a mobile Home Guard unit and, especially, a big gathering of Beaverettes, the nearest thing to an...