BBC Radio Stoke (Staffordshire/Cheshire) reporting of WW1 Centenary

[allenbcook]

Hi everyone,

Like a colleague(s) of mine who I've seen post here, I'm the WW1 producer for BBC Radio Stoke, covering North Staffordshire (Stafford, Leek, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent etc) and South Cheshire (Crewe, Nantwich, Congleton, Sandbach etc).

I, along with colleagues across BBC Local Radio, have been charged with finding stories from World War 1 in our respective counties.

Each story has, necessarily, got to be focussed on a particular place in our patch. It's our job to find the human stories attached to each of these places.

The best of these stories will be recorded for radio and held until the centenary next year.

We're working in partnership with the IWM on this project.

Speaking personally, if you know a story from WW1 which has a connection to North Staffordshire/South Cheshire, can you please get in touch with me?

You can either do that through this forum, or email me direct at...

allen.cook AT bbc.co.uk (obviously replacing the AT with @ :-) ) or allenbcook AT yahoo.com (as some days I'll work from home)

Thanks in advance,

Allen Cook

BBC Radio Stoke

[John_Hartley]

Great way for communities to link the past to the present, Allen.

I'm pleased to be doing some stuff with your Radio Manchester colleague on these lines.

[allenbcook]

Definitely John, that's good to hear - they're a good bunch in Manchester too and yes, it's a project I'm enjoying immensely already given my strong interest

Kind regards

[AndrewThornton]

Hello Allen

I have just come across your appeal regarding BBC Radio Stoke and their programmes to commemorate the outbreak of the Great War next year. I would love to be able to help you if you need some stories for your project.

I have a long-standing interest in the stories of soldiers from Staffordshire during the Great War. As a result I have written a number of articles, a particular interest of mine being the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13 October 1915. I also wrote my MPhil thesis on The Territorial Force in Staffordshire. As a personal centenary project, I recently started a Facebook page: Staffordshire Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-1918, which includes photographs and short biographies of soldiers and extracts from their letters. These may be of interest to you if you are looking for personal stories relating to soldiers from the Potteries. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

[Guest Cheshirelass25]

Hi

Don't know if it is of any use, but my Dad's Aunt was married to a Belgian Refugee in 1918. They went to live in Belgium after the war, and had 6 children, 1 at least is still living. I am in touch with his children who are in there 50's. I have photos of their wedding and would get in touch with my relatives to see of they would take part in your research.

Please let me know if this is of any use to you

[Guest HannahE]

HI Cheshirelass25,

Although it is a while since your post, I would be very interested to hear more about the story of your Aunt who married a Belgian refugee. I think you mentioned in another post, that the refugee (and your Aunt?) was from Nantwich.

I am a researcher at the University of Chester, and am currently researching the presence of Belgian refugees in Cheshire during and after the First World War. I am particularly interested in stories about marriages. If you would still be interested in sharing this unique family history with me, please could you get in touch.

Hi

Don't know if it is of any use, but my Dad's Aunt was married to a Belgian Refugee in 1918. They went to live in Belgium after the war, and had 6 children, 1 at least is still living. I am in touch with his children who are in there 50's. I have photos of their wedding and would get in touch with my relatives to see of they would take part in your research.

Please let me know if this is of any use to you

HI Cheshirelass25,

Although it is a while since your post, I would be very interested to hear more about the story of your Aunt who married a Belgian refugee. I think you mentioned in another post, that the refugee (and your Aunt?) was from Nantwich.

I am a researcher at the University of Chester, and am currently researching the presence of Belgian refugees in Cheshire during and after the First World War. I am particularly interested in stories about marriages. If you would still be interested in sharing this unique family history with me, please could you get in touch.

[John_Hartley]

Hannah

Just to let you know that, from her profile, she's not visited the forum since May last year.

John

[Guest nataliecoll30]

Hi

Don't know if it is of any use, but my Dad's Aunt was married to a Belgian Refugee in 1918. They went to live in Belgium after the war, and had 6 children, 1 at least is still living. I am in touch with his children who are in there 50's. I have photos of their wedding and would get in touch with my relatives to see of they would take part in your research.

Please let me know if this is of any use to you

Hi Cheshirelass25,

I am currently researching about the Belgian refugees who came across to England, most in particular Cheshire, during the First World War. I know this may be along shot as you posted this two years ago, however if you still have this information and would not mind getting in touch, please let me know.

Many thanks