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Birmingham Post and Mail

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llamafarmer

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Is there an archive of Birmingham Post and Mail anywhere? Ive learned my grandad Samuel Arthur Smith was arrested by civil police in Birmingham in July 1925 when he deserted from the Army, he was on the run for 7 months so i imagine it would have caused quite a stir - he was taken into Army custody but spent a week in army hospital first (think the coppers gave him a good hiding) he was sentenced to 83 days detention quarters before turning over a new leaf... any info would be gratefully received
 
I think that the Central Library in town has all the past newspapers. If you email them they will let you know what they have. They will also give you an idea of search costs if you want their archavist to do a search for you.

archives.heritage@birmingham.gov.uk or Tel: 0121 303 4549

Having looked at your smith family for you I'd be interested in what you find about Samuel.:)
 
Thanks Di, your a star... from what i know about my grandad he was apparently a bit of a character when he was a lad...

although you wouldnt have thought that the mild mannered quietly spoken man had it in him

he grew up in the area around summer lane which had a reputation of a bit of a hard area... he followed after his dad and joined the army between the wars but absconded twice from the army (the first time about a week into basic training) before deserting for 7 months...

after this he went straight and when he was posted abroad he spent just under 6 years continuously overseas ranging from sudan, egypt, palestine and bombay...

it was here that he suffered the injury that ended his career and ensured he wouldnt fight again, they used to wear gaiters, anklets to stop sand, stones etc... from entering the boot, unfortunately they rubbed and caused open weeping sores on his legs which became infected in the hot weather. He suffered from this for the rest of his life... he worked as a driver for a scrap metal work company in brum after WW2 and so the story goes whilst stepping down got his leg caught in the footplate of the truck literally ripping all the skin from his already open wounds :stressed:

He died in 1979 but i have fond memories of pops, he had a penchant for whiskey (something i have inherited) and also i remember his fondness for sterilised milk and him using a bucket for a wee at night... both throwbacks of living back to back... sadly missed but fondly remembered
 
hi lama farma
yes they do keep the old newspapers from way back then and they keep them on the fith floor and if you can get there
or have any relatives in brum whom can go for you
they can help themselves to the index cabinets
where all the news papers of every name and years are kept
look on the cabinet draws for the year and if it was published then you will see it in detail and you can get a phot copy for fifty pence
other wise you will have to pay a fee for around a fiver or seven pounds for there staff to locate it
oh by the way when you get your news reel from the cabinet take it over to one of the machines a micro fiche film and runit through
on to the screen but it is a time comsumeing job
scrolling through the sections of the periods to try and spot the story best wishes astonian;;;
 
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