Wednesday 14 October 2015

The League for the Marrying of Wounded Heroes

Today's "Times" newspaper in England carries a story reprinted from their edition of the same day one hundred years ago, during the First World War.   It deals with the creation of "The League for the Marrying of Wounded Heroes", which was set up by The Rev. Ernest Houghton, an Anglican clergyman who was Rector of St. Stephen's church in Bristol.

There may be speculation as to whether or not this would have been a good idea but it was not allowed to go ahead.  As reported in an American newspaper on 19th November 1915, the idea was short-lived because the Bishop soon scuppered the plan and forced the Rev. Houghton to resign from the League. The Rev. Houghton had received many letters from 'noble-minded, patriotic women' hoping to marry a wounded hero but those letters had to be returned to the, presumably very disappointed, senders.

Does anyone know whether the League continued without the Rev. Houghton and whether any such marriages took place?

Sources:  
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19151119&id=UqRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HQoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4111,7836581&hl=en

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nDr0CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT58&lpg=PT58&dq=League+for+the+marrying+of+wounded+heroes&source=bl&ots=7Va-8bwpW0&sig=WDxEbsCYJAQ2uGvni8VniCmQO6A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAGoVChMI-uq0-ozCyAIVxtYUCh18HAFP#v=onepage&q=League%20for%20the%20marrying%20of%20wounded%20heroes&f=false