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My grandfather was invalided out of the army after being wounded at the Somme. He had part of his right hand shot away, so he could no longer fire his rifle. The army sent him back to UK after being first treated in a field hospital. I know this from his war record. However, I have been unable...

My grandfather's name was Ernest Minchin. I watched a programme on tv about the trains going to the Somme to take soldiers and weaponry to the front line. Those same trains were then used to transport injured men back to field hospitals. From there, the soldiers would be brought back to UK, and...

Wow! I thought maybe one person might have heard of the company, but the comments I've seen on here since I asked my question have filled in quite a chunk of my aunt's limited involvement in the Gun Quarter. I can imaging her answering the phone to customers, or dealing with queries. The company...

Thank you for this information

Thank you for that.

That is quite possible. In my mind I thought it was HB Pottier, but I could have reversed the two initials (after all it was about 65 years ago). I suppose gun manufacturers could have been listed as Engineers, which is what I'm guessing Engs is short for. Thanks for this, anyway.

My grandfather fought at the Somme with the Gloucestershire regiment. He also 'popped up' with the Inniskillen regiment. I know his right hand was injured by a bullet at the Somme, and he could was sent back to UK. He was unable to shoot a gun, so he was no use on the front line any more. He had...

My aunt (by marriage) worked for the gun company H B Pottier's (not sure of the spelling). I remember as a child that when my Mom telephoned her at work |(because they didn't have a telephone at home) she would answer 'H B Pottier's' and my Mom would retort 'You get pottier and pottier every...

I know it's quite a while since you posted this, but I was wondering if you knew anything about the firm your grandfather owned in Loveday Street. My aunt worked there for a number of years.

Hi Christy I don't think I can be much help on your specific research quest, I can only tell you what I've got. After my father died, I went through some papers and found the pension entitlement for his father (my grandfather). It said that he was entitled to receive a full pension because of...

Hello Philip. The newsagents was where I used to get my comics from. It was only a couple of doors away from where we lived, so I was allowed to go there, feeling very grown-up, and My Higham would greet me with "Here's your Tiny Tots for little dots" (Tiny Tots was the name of the comic.) When...

Don't know where that was - anywhere near the group of houses with the unadopted road? I used to think that was a really funny thing to put on a road sign! We left in about 1953. I had gone to Cape Hill school until then. I used to go up Raglan Road each day to get there, rather than walk up...

You put this message on quite a while ago, but I haven't been on this website for some time. My memory of the Beehive goes back to the early 1950s. My grandparents lived on Cape Hill, and there was a back entrance to their garden. It was how they got their car up the back and into the garage. As...

My grandfather Joined the Gloucestershire Regiment, and was wounded by having his thumb shot off. He was sent back to England, where he must have been admitted to hospital, even if only for a short while. I was interested to read about the numbers of wounded men sent to hospitals in Birmingham...

Following on from the questions Terry Carter has been asking concerning Tilton Road, I was very interested to see the photos of that road. My grandmother was living in School House, Tilton Road, when she married my grandfather in December 1920. Her father worked at a number of schools during his...

My maiden name was Minchin. My grandfather owned a business on Cape Hill, Smethwick. It was opposite the main gates of the Mitchells and Butlers Brewery. My grandfather's family were from Gloucestershire, but he moved to Birmingham to find work after the Great War. He met and married my...

I have relatives in Uplands Cemetery, but it is in Smethwick, not Handsworth. Maybe the graves you are looking for are there. The cemetery is closed to new burials, but as your relatives died a number of years ago, then you might find them here. Hope this helps. I know it's a while since you...

I've got two flags from the cupcakes, as my husband and I had one cake each!! I thought it was a lovely keepsake of the ocassion. We left quite a while after you - I think it was getting on for 1 pm when we went outside, and then I took a couple of photos. We crawled slowly up Cape Hill, as I...

Thanks for your concern. The M6 behaved itself on the way south, so I got there in 65 minutes. I knew it was due to start at 11.30, and when I got there at 11.15 the car park was nearly full, and the room likewise! I managed to get myself 5 books. One for me, one for my Dad (who I got a couple...

All set to travel down the M6 tomorrow, and looking forward to seeing Mark and buying a couple of copies of the book. I hope there's a good turn-out for him.