A mother's anguish.

[sadbrewer]

Mrs Mary Taker, a boarding house keeper from New Brighton had lost her son John in 1915 around Festubert and another son, Pvt James Taker, South Wales Borderers from  was reported as being wounded in Mesopotamia and in hospital in mid to late 1917.

  The poor woman was still placing advertisements for news of his whereabouts as late as September 1918.

   According to CWGC the lad had been killed on August 31st 1917.

  Whilst we know this story is not unusual, how terrible it must have been for the family is beyond comprehension.

[AOK4]

The same thing was going on on the other side. I recently saw an advertisement in a German veterans' association's magazine in 1934 in which a father asked for any information about his son who went missing in 1914...

 

Jan

 

PS: and in more recent times, one should remember the Americans still believing that some of their men were held in Southeastern Asia after the Vietnam War and looking for them.

Edited 2 September , 2019 by AOK4

[BillyH]

and it got even sadder  . . . . .

 

BillyH.

 

[sadbrewer]

Many thanks for your replies Guys....as a matter of interest, the house on the end where the Taker family lived survives today.

BillyH...could I ask the date of that article?

Andy

 

[brianmorris547]

I have seen the same thing in the Bolton Papers with regard to 2/Lt Walter Paton, who was killed on 26/10/1917 serving with the Loyal North Lancashire Regt at Poelkapelle. His family from 7 Park St, Galashiels were still seeking information about him in 1919. I noticed his grave a few years ago in Poelkapelle Military Cemetery (35 F 19) when I walked the ground of the 170 Infantry Brigade attack on that disastrous day.

Brian 

[BillyH]

8 hours ago, sadbrewer said:

BillyH...could I ask the date of that article?

 

Wallasey News 22.11.19

I also have a much better photo of him than the one in your first post, PM me if you want it.

 

BillyH.