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I've put this thread in General Chat for a reason.

Considering there are 15,130 members of Accy Web, I woud have thought there would have been more replies to my thread on WW1 soldiers. My thanks to the dozen or so who have replied.
It is also obvious no one is interested in the proposed alterations to Oswaldtwistles War Memorial.

Retlaw

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My family dont originate from this area (I am the only member in my generation to be born in this area), before that my family were all born in scotland (my siblings, parents etc are all scottish), so although I did read the thread and found it interesting there was nothing that I could add to it sorry :o

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Has the war memorial not been mentioned earlier Retlaw ? Know I mentioned in the Planning Application for 'tree surgery' Passed the other day, looks like it is being given a complete make-over, and should be very smart when finished.

You will possibly have to keep bumping your World War 1 thread up as different people come on they will see it, but perhaps one of the mods. will make it a 'sticky' if you p.m. them; think it ought to come into this category.

I have no personal connections, dad was too young for 1st World war; too old for 2nd('cept Home Guard). Love reading the thread though.

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I do not know whether my grandfathers served in WW1.
It was never mentioned in my childhood so I suspect they did not.

Cotton workers were usually deemed in 'reserved occupations' during WW2 and that is why my father didn't serve but his 2 brothers did.

I recollect being told that my grandfathers were cotton workers which may have been a 'reserved occupation' for that war also.

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As I mentioned to you when we met this week, my mum's dad was killed in Normandy in 1944, aged 22, four months before before my mum was actually born.

Whilst she was growing up Oswaldtwistle War Memorial was the nearest thing she had to a grave, and it's very special place to her, and also to us her children, and her grandchildren.

She's very happy that the War Memorial will now have the name Pte. James Owen engraved on it for time immemorial.

Just a note to anyone who might not respect the War Memorial by sitting on it, and supping beer. Do be aware that you might be approached (polite version) by a mad, wild eyed Banshee. It's happened before. You've been warned.;)

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Hi Retlaw,
My paternal grand parents were from Ireland but moved to Haslingden and served with the East Lancs Regiment. My maternal grandparents, one lot were from the Lake District and as woodsmen were probably a reserved occupation, the others, the Heys of Clayton were mainly coalminers, again a reseved occupation. Sorry I could`nt help but your doing a sterling job.

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In WW1 its a wonder there was any cloth, a heck of a lot of the early volunteers were from the cotton industry.
When you think about it, most of them had been on 1/2 time since they were 10 years old, the only time they had free was Sunday, when most of them could be out playing football. Then when the war broke out, it was going to be an adventure, to them at the time it was, considering what they had to look forward to intut mill, for the next 60 years, if they lived that long. For some it was the first time they'd had enough to eat, and a bed of their own to sleep in.

When you compare their pictures when they were called up, and then a year later, their parents couldn't recognise them.

I remember reading a mill owner complaining to Harwood, at one of his frequent tribunals, that he had 1800 spindles idle for want of men.

Retlaw.

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think a problem come be retlaw, many dads/grandads refused point blank to talk about the wars,at least to their kids/grandkids? that was certainly the case fer me, much as i tried to draw em.:)

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There may be 15 thosuand members but i would hate to guess how many of them are banned.. thousands and thousands of spam bots sign up automatically and are then banned by the mods.. Active members are counted in the hundreds not thousands... Add to that not everyone is from or interested in ossy.. those that are may not be interested in war and not even read your thread...

All in all if you got a dozen responses then you did well.. a lot better than some peoples threads.. certainly nothing to be complaining about thats for sure.. :)

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When I was a kid in the 1930s I used to sit on what was called the Wesley form, at the bottom of Adelaide St, some of these old soldiers sat there as well, reminising about the war, they didn't mind me being there.
I also went to school with the children of some of the survivors. Then when I left school and started my apprenticeship, there were many survivors still working at Langs & Bulloghs, so I heard a lot of their stories.

I've also read a lot of personal diaries from WW1.
Which after I transcribed them, are now in the Archives at Bow Lane, Preston.

The privations & conditions under which they served & suffered, are unbeliveable for the present generations.

Retlaw.

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Without the work that you and people like you are doing the First World War would become nothing more than a parade of the actions of "important' people: Emperors, Kings, Prime Ministers, Generals and the like ... the actions of the real heroes would, in large part, be forgotten .... this was not a war of the "big names" ... they may have been responsible for the massive screw ups, but they never made it to the sharp end, where our grandfathers and great grandfathers fought and died ... I think that it was Jane Austen in "Northanger Abbey" who writes about history (what happens to the people) as opposed to "real solemn" history, the edited and censored, self-glorifying bs that ends up in the "official" histories. I think it is a fair distinction.

Hope the headache has gone, by the way:D

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Thanks Eric.
Yes it has, but you have'nt answered the question, why one of them is in officers dress, the one on the left.

Retlaw.

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I don't know .... he was in the Military Police, mounted ... I know he talked about how sad he was when he had to give up his horse ... but as far as being an officer, I'm sure he wasn't ... the mounted thing would account for part of his dress ... but for the rest of it .... I don't know:confused::confused:

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I don't mind being corrected on this: If he were in officer's dress, why is he wearing puttees? One can see that he is booted and spurred; but wouldn't an officer be wearing full boots, and not puttees? I notice also that he is wearing a medal ribbon ... I know that without color it may be very difficult; but is there any way of identifying it?

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Hi Eric.
Lets stick to the facts shown in the picture
(1) officers tunic and cross leather sash, waist belt not
known to me.
(2) officers swagger stick (silver mount)
(3) officers cap (soft)
(4) East Lancs cap badge.

As for him wearing puttee's if he was an officer he did'nt have to wind them on himself, batmen did that for them. And some did wear puttee's

Picture not clear enough to identify medal ribbon.

Retlaw.