Fattyowls Posted 5 March , 2020 Share Posted 5 March , 2020 On the Footballers' Battalions Memorial at Longueval on the Somme there is an enigmatic quote: "This is worse than a whole season of cup ties". The words are from a letter written by a Scots footballer, Private Jack Borthwick who was wounded near where the memorial now stands in July 1916. I'm hoping to meet some of Jack's family in a week or so and it made me think about the uniqueness of a quote from an other rank or junior officer on a memorial. The only other one I can think of is the 55th Division Memorial at Givenchy with the crest of the division bearing the words of Lt. Leonard Comer Wall - "They Win Or Die Who Wear The Rose Of Lancaster". I wondered about the nearby Tunnelers Memorial, but it bears a quote from Sir John Norton-Griffiths who is hardly junior. The Footballers' Memorial has a quote from Col. HT Fenwick, the CO of the 17th Middlesex and the 55th Division Memorial has one from Haig which are even less junior. Can anyone else think of any other memorials to a unit or formation that have similar quotes from lower ranks? Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 5 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 5 March , 2020 Just to sort of answer my own question - CSM Richard McFadden on the Clapton Orient Memorial at Flers. I stumbled on it looking for a photo of Ecoust St. Mein (which I of course didn't have...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scritch Posted 6 March , 2020 Share Posted 6 March , 2020 Not exactly a memorial as such but the grave of Private Alfred Goodlad of the Sheffield City Battalion in Railway Hollow Cemetery, Hebuterne, has the inscription 'The French are a grand nation. Worth fighting for' which apparently came from one of his letters home. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkley remembers Posted 6 March , 2020 Share Posted 6 March , 2020 36 minutes ago, Scritch said: 'The French are a grand nation. Worth fighting for' which apparently came from one of his letters home. Mentioned on Sarah Wearne's excellent little website along with many other moving epitaphs and tributes. http://www.epitaphsofthegreatwar.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 6 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 6 March , 2020 Rich, IR, I know exactly what you mean about Alf - it's one of the many things that make the memorial park at Serre a special place, like the ability to climb up from the remains of the trench and see the field in front of you where so many fell. Thanks for the link to Sarah's site, I'll have a look at that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 8 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 8 March , 2020 Just by way of context this is the memorial at Longueval and Jack Borthwick's quote. Probably should have posted this at the outset. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now