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Author Archives: ww1geek
Haig Homes
Douglas Haig and his Housing Legacy When I first started my journey researching my family’s involvement in the First World War, I never expected that my ‘day’ job and my ‘hobby’ might ever cross paths. Yet now more than ever, … Continue reading
Posted in Centenary, Remembrance, Research, War memorials, WW1
Tagged Douglas Haig, Haig Homes, Haig Housing
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Promenade de Verdun
One of the first blogs I ever wrote on this site was about how the legacy of the First World War lives on in some of our street names. The ‘usual suspect’ names prove to be the most popular, with … Continue reading
Posted in Remembrance, Verdun, War memorials, WW1
Tagged Promenade de Verdun, Purley, Verdun, William Webb
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The gory details
I am often struck when reading newspaper reports or personal accounts from the war at just how frank they can be, in a way that you just would not see in newspapers these days. These accounts often include the ‘gory … Continue reading
Posted in 1915, CWGC, Gallantry, Research, WW1, Ypres
Tagged 2nd DLI, Durham Light Infantry, Hooge, Michael O'Leary, VC
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‘The position was a helpless one’ – The 2nd Sherwood Foresters at Ennetieres, 20th October 1914
The accounts that officer prisoners of war had to give when they returned from captivity make for fascinating reading. Not only can they flesh out the sometimes sparse and clinical war diary entries, but they can give an insight into … Continue reading
Posted in 1914, CWGC, Remembrance, Research, WW1
Tagged Drury-Lowe, Ennetieres, Notts & Derby, Ploegsteert, Sherwood Foresters
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A Lucky Escape
I am often struck when reading the recollections of soldiers in the First World War how much luck, providence, fate – call it what you will – seems to factor in their accounts. As such the following story caught my … Continue reading
Posted in 1917, CWGC, Remembrance, Research, WW1
Tagged east kent regiment, nine elms, shot at dawn, the buffs, william munday
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A Missing Sergeant – updated
Once again time seems to have flown by since my last post, for a number of reasons. Family life and the day job have taken precedence, and a lot of my free time was spent preparing for my role as … Continue reading
Posted in 1915, Black Watch, CWGC, Research, Somme, WW1
Tagged Authuille, Black Watch, Hammerhead Sap, John Marnock
6 Comments
He Made the Great Sacrifice for King and Country
So reads the epitaph on the grave of Second Lieutenant Alfred Claude Gant, 2nd Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps, who was killed less than a month before the war ended, aged 21. He lies in Busingy communal cemetery, about 15 … Continue reading
Posted in 1918, CWGC, Remembrance, Research, WW1
Tagged 2/KRRC, 2nd KRRC, AC Gant, Alfred Claude Gant, Gant, KRRC, KRRC Chronicle, Selle, Sneinton
5 Comments
‘The bayonet was freely used’ – The 3/4th Queen’s at the Battle of Broodseinde 4th October 1917
The 3/4th battalion of The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) was a territorial battalion that been formed in 1915 and went overseas in June 1917, joining 62nd Brigade, 21st Division, in August. Although the battalion spent some time in the … Continue reading
Posted in 1917, Passchendaele, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, Surrey Regiments, WW1
Tagged 3/4th queen's, broodseinde
3 Comments
Alfred Pollard VC
Today marks the centenary of the action for which Second Lieutenant Alfred Oliver Pollard was awarded the highest decoration for gallantry, the Victoria Cross. During this centenary of the First World War a commemorative paving slab is being laid in … Continue reading
Posted in 1917, Arras, Centenary, Gallantry, Wallington, War memorials, WW1
Tagged Alfred Oliver Pollard, Arras, Gavrelle, HAC, Honourable Artillery Company, Pollard, VC, Victoria Cross
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‘A mad scheme in my opinion’: The 1st Queen’s attack on the Hindenburg Line 23/04/1917
The 1st Battalion of The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) did not participate in the opening phase of the Battle of Arras from 9th April, but on 15th April as part of the ‘fresh’ 33rd Division, moved into support north … Continue reading
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