David Bowie was the stage name of David Robert Jones.
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
David Bowie's Grandfather was killed on The Somme in November 1916
Perhaps I should have another section for Famous People whose Ancestors were involved in the First World War. David Bowie's paternal grandfather, Robert Haywood Jones,
was killed in November 1916 at Beaumont-Hamel
during the Battle of the Somme and is commemorated on the Thipeval
Memorial. He has no known grave. Source ‘Courier
Picard’ newspaper via Stanley Kaye and No 56 Bed and Breakfast on the Somme.
Saturday, 19 December 2015
Christmas in Britain during the First World War
Whilst Christmas 1915 was 'shorn of some of its old meanings' such as peace on earth and goodwill to all men, 'there are signs that to some extent, at any rate, its material associations will be preserved.'
The shops were full of British made toys, rather than the usual German ones - 'military and naval toys - soldiers, forts, warships, guns, and the rest' seem to have been the most popular. However, for those who could not afford such luxuries, 'at the other end of the social scale is the penny toy, usually to be found in the trays of the kerbstone vendors of Ludgate Hill' (in London). That year, both sellers and the goods on offer were fewer than in previous years.
Food, however, was apparently plentiful that year: 'Prices for turkeys, geese and beef are high, but both the supply and the demand are good.' And for those with a sweet tooth, the Port of London Authority (for London was a premier port in those days) reported that 'vessels have come into the Thames with 80,000 to 100,000 packages of Greek currents. Spain is keeping us well supplied with nuts. France is sending us, among other things, mistletoe…'
From 'The Times' '1914 - 1918 The First World War, page 28, Saturday, December 19th, 2015.
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Edmund Dulac (1882 - 1953) - French-born illustrator
Edmund Dulac was born in Toulouse in France in 1882. After studying art in Toulouse, Dulac moved first to Paris in 1904, then on to London, where he settled.
During the First World War, Dulac helped to illustrate King Albert's Book which was published at Christmas 1914 by Hodder and Stoughton and sold in aid of the Daily Telegraph Belgian Fund. He also worked on Princess Mary's Gift Book and the Queen of Roymania's "The Dreamer of Dreams (1915), as well as producing a book of his own in aid of the French Red Cross - "Edmund Dulac's Picture Book".
After WW1, Dulac designed theatre costumes and sets, bookplates, chocolate boxes and also drew caricatures for newspapers. He contributed regularly to "The American Weekly" and 'Country Life".
Perhaps his best-known work is in the field of stamp design. He designed the stamp to commemorate King George VI's Coronation, issued on 13th May 1937, and stamps for the 1948 Olympic Games in 1948, the Festival of Britain in 1951 and for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Dulac died in London on 25th May 1953.
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
Monday, 28 September 2015
Searchlights in The First World War
The company was formed as Lee Stroyer in 1903 by Henry Pelham Lee from Putney, a former Coventry-based Daimler employee, and Jens Stroyer from Denmark. By 1905, the company was called Coventry-Simplex and they manufactured engines. Ernest Shackleton chose their engines for the tractors used in his Antarctic Expedition from 1914 to 1917.
During the First World War, Coventry-Simplex supplied the engines used to power the searchlights needed to spot enemy plans and Zeppelins, thus helping to keep the night skies safe over Britain. The company's name was changed to Coventry-Climax in 1917.
The concept of 'artificial moonlight' - using searchlights to light up the night sky - was invented by Major-General J.F.C. Fuller (1878 - 1966), A British soldier veteran of the Boer War who served in several regiments during the First World War.
Some of you may remember the name from motor racing as the engine was used to power sports cars first in the 1954 Le Mans. Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark also had successes with cars powered by Coventry-Climax engines. The company was sold to Jaguar Cars in 1963.
Sources: Wikipedia and Google Images
And the Ice Hockey match? Well Widnes Wild won but Coventry Blaze put up a very, very good fight and were the first to score, holding Widnes to 1 : 0 throughout the first session. They show great potential.
Monday, 17 August 2015
Book: 'Rough Riders The City of London Yeomanry during the First World War' by Stuart Latham
From my point of view, for the 'Fascinating Facts' section of my exhibition project, the first thing I learnt from the book is that the word 'chat' meaning an informal discussion, comes from when soldiers were together to perform the task of killing the lice in their uniforms - 'chat' being the sound made when a lice is popped. With photographs, anecdotes written by the soldiers of the Regiment and more, this is definitely a 'couldn't put it down' book.
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Belgian Refugees in the UK during The First World War
I have just found an exciting venture commemorating Belgian Refugees in the First World War. Here is the link to the website
More than 265,000 refugees came to the UK during WW1. Many of the records were lost during the Blitz so it is difficult to be certain. A Belgian Refugee Committee was set up but each area that took in refugees had its own Committee through which help was channelled.
Two of our best known poets of the era - May Sinclair and Beatrix Brice Miller - travelled to France and Belgium in 1914 to help and wrote about what they witnessed. May's account of serving coffee and "two slices of black bread per person" to over 3,000 people is particularly moving. As indeed is the account written by Charlotte Kellogg, the only woman member of the Commission for Relief to visit Belgium in July 1916. According to Charlotte in "Women of Belgium Turning Tragedy into Triumph", there were three million people who were destitute and one quarter of a million dependent for their existence upon soup kitchens.
Bertha (Betty) Stevenson, a YMCA volunteer who was killed in May 1918 during an air raid while working near Etaples, also mentioned Belgian refugees in her diaries which were published after the war by Betty's Mother and Aunt.
The Belgian poet Marguerite Coppin was evacuated to the UK during the First World War. She stayed on after the war and worked as a French teacher.
Perhaps the most famous of all the Belgian Refugees of WW1 is the fictitious character of Agatha Christie - the detective Hercule Poirot.
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