'Lest We Forget' New Year Resolution?

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Dorrie,

Many thanks for your post and positive feedback.  I think this is a very thoughtful idea of yours to consider researching a fellow shipmate of your Grandfather, who also perished at sea, serving on HMS Narborough.  I think the descendant's of whoever you choose will no doubt be very grateful for your time and effort and will be touched when they learn why you chose to research this particular person - because of the link to your Grandfather.  I think whichever war group you send your information to will be immensely grateful too.  I totally agree that we must not forget the sacrifice that those who served gave. 

I, too, suppose that most of us have researched "our own."  I started by researching my Great Uncle John Conroy and my Grandfather's cousin Jacob Conroy and I sent my research to a local war society.  However, I noticed that most of the others on the monuments they were named on do not appear to be researched.  I then decided last year to 'do my bit' so to speak and to start researching people on local monuments in my area.  It is relatively easy to do the research but because of the scale of the slaughter of those who served in WW1 in particular it is a huge undertaking and quite time-consuming to work on. 

My idea is that if RootsChatters resolve to research just one name this year on a local monument this will add up to a lot of extra people being commemorated for their sacrifice.

[JenB]

What a great idea.  Not sure who there is locally to send the information to though.

It’s well worth looking out for regional recording projects.
Here in the north-east of England we have the North East War Memorials Project which continues to record and monitor war memorials. They welcome input on individuals and any relevant photographs, old or new.

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Viktoria,

Many thanks too for your post and positive feedback.

This is so sad that your Grandfather knew comrades who never received comforts from home such as knitted items, cigarettes or chocolate which would have practically demonstrated that someone cared about them and loved them.   We must remember them each and every one for what they went through. 

When I read your post this reminded me of a man I researched for my local war society.  This man fortunately appeared to have a family who cared for him.  However, I found a story about him in my local paper.  A school girl from his locality had received a letter from him thanking her effusively for a pair of socks she had knitted and sent out to the front.  The family must have sent in the letter to be published.  What comes acrossin his published letter is his immense gratefulness.  He said that receiving a letter was like receiving a five pound note  and how pleased he sounded to get the socks!

I suppose socks would have often been a real life saver to those in the trenches.  They were at risk of 'trench' foot and losing their feet and legs through infection by standing in water for long periods.  No wonder they were so grateful if they could get a dry pair of socks occasionally as this may have helped them get through the war with their two legs, that is if they were not, slaughtered in the fighting.

I think it is not just those who had no one to care for them who are at risk of being forgotten sadly.
In my own case, I knew very little if anything of my ancestors who served in the Great War until I started researching my own family history.  Their stories had just become lost in the sands of time. I had grown up with a plaque for my Great Uncle John on the wall at home.  He was my Dad's Uncle.  However, once I started researching him and my Grandfather's cousin I actually discovered that there is a lot out there about them which none of us in the family knew anyhing about previously.  I now feel that I know them and their stories very well and they feel like family members and not just names carved on stone.  In the case of Jacob, he is named on a monument about a 20 minutes bus ride from where I live.  The monument is behind some trees and next to a pub.  Would you believe it that until I started researching I and other family members had not even known that this monument even existed let alone of Jacob's sacrifice!  Now, we have each been along to see this.  It just shows that even in close family's like ours in just a few generations without stories being gathered there is a risk of forgetting, sadly.  I have now amassed a lot of information about John and Jacob.  I have come across documents sent to and from my Great Grandfather Simon who was John's father for instance and I have a very good photo of Jacob now.  Believe me, there is lots out there to find on people who served in the Great War if people look in the right places.

Once again, thanks for your support Viktoria.

[dowdstree]

Hi River Tyne Lass,

Thanks for your reply.

A couple of years back when we were on holiday in St.Monance in Fife I noticed two names on their War Memorial with the surname of Easson which was my Gt. Gt. Grandmother's maiden name. I researched them and discovered they were distant cousins to me. I found that one lad was listed on the CWGC but not the Role of Honour at Edinburgh Castle. The other lad was on neither. It took me over a year and I had to provide evidence of birth/death but they are now commemorated on both.

I really felt that I had achieved something positive in their memory.

Dorrie

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Guy,

Many thanks for your post too.  This is very appreciated! 

Your suggestion is an excellent one.  When I have been researching, particularly when looking at old newspapers I have come across stories of local memorials and then later I have found out that where they were kept - such as a school - has since been knocked down.  I assumed, like I suppose that many of likely would, that something like a memorial would be saved and kept somewhere.  However, your post highlights that this may often not be the case.  Now bearing this is mind, we should all try to follow up on your suggestion and to try to find out if the names on memorials which still exist have been transcribed and if photos have been taken and sent on.  I suppose it is often a case with many of us of presuming that 'someone else will have done this'.    We all need to try to be more proactive if we want those who sacrificed to be remembered.

By the way I love that saying on the bottom of your post:

'As we have gained from the past, we owe the future a debt, which we pay by sharing today'

How true!  I am going to write this down for safekeeping.

Your post reminded me of a lady who was killed in our local area during WW2.  She was called Doris Ewbank and was a school teacher who gave up her evenings to use her car as an ambulance to aid others.  Unfortunately, she was killed by a bomb which was dropped on North Shields.  Her photo was put up in a school but was at one time almost thrown away but was rescued - and many years later returned to the same school.  Imagine getting rid of a photo like that of someone who had given so much in the service of others! 

Here are two links on Doris's story:

http://www.newmp.org.uk/article.php?categoryid=99&articleid=1639&displayorder=35

http://northshields173.org/blog/2004/06/24/doris_ewbank_april_10_1941/

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Frank,

Many thanks for your post too - I really appreciate this and the others that have been posted.

This is great to read that you are already doing so much to chronicle the sacrifice that those who were killed in the War.  This is fantastic what you are doing.  I am sure your work will be much appreciated by those now and long into the future.

[dowdstree]

In May of 2016 I had the honour of being at St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney for the service to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Jutland. My grandfather had been on HMS Warrior and was lucky to survive. He never spoke about it although I remember him telling me a story when I was young of how he nearly went to Davey Jones' Locker but was rescued in the nick of time.

We were treated like royalty and given various booklets and a badge (which I now wear each Rememberance Sunday with pride).

 One set of my booklets and a badge are now in New Zealand with a RootsChatter who lost a relative at Jutland. She will pass them on to her children and grandchildren as I will do with mine.

It was a special experience.

Dorrie

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Barb,

Many thanks for your post too.  It is very much appreciated.

I am very pleased to read that you think this is a super idea too and that you are going to look at the graves of soldiers in your local cemetery.  I think  that this, and also looking at old local newspapers is often a very good way to begin a project like this.  If a lot of RootsChatters did something like this and researched the name on one local grave - just think what a potentially large number of individuals would be commemorated!  What a gift to descendant's now and in future generations!    I wish you every success with this in 2018.

In my local cemetery there are about 60 plus war graves.  Not all of them have yet been photographed.  I have taken a few photos which were very gratefully received by the war society group I sent them on to.  There have been other contributors but as I say they still haven't all been covered so I am hoping to locate more in 2018.

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Jen,

Thank you for your posts - very useful and helpful as your posts always are.

Your knowledge on genealogy and local matters never fails to impress - no wonder on a different post recently, you were once referred to as someone's 'Genealogy hero'!

What a dedicated man Alan Grint must be.  It is wonderful  that he has done all this research and put all his work into a book.  Thanks for letting us know about this Jen.  I am sure this book will be invaluable to those who have ancestors from the Hexham area who served and sacrificed in the Great War.  Also, thanks Jen, for letting others know about the North East War Memorials Project.  This society is interested in the life stories of those who served and survived as well as those who died.