***Contacting remaining WW1 Veterans***

[Guest Tedmundo]

I have an absolute obsession with the First World War which has recently worsened following the BBC documentary entitled ‘The Last Tommy.” This all started when I found out that 4 of my distant relatives had given their lives in the Great War….

I wondered if by any chance anybody on this forum has a list of World War One veterans and their contact details. I was intending on writing to those remaining, so would be prepared to do this through yourselves if necessary, i.e. I write the letters and send them to yourselves to address them and send them onwards.

Here is a list of known WW1 veterans that I wish to contact ...... I have already contacted Henry Allingham, Harry Patch, Bill Stone, Philip Mayne and Ken Cummins….

Stephen Butcher, Claude Choles, Sydney Lucas, Harry Newcombe, Andrew Rigby, William Roberts, and William Young.

I think that several of the above are resident in Australia, although they fought in the British army…..

Many Thanks

Ed (tedmund@blueyonder.co.uk)

[Papineau]

I sincerely wish you every success in your research, but would respectfully submit this might not be the best way to make contact with these men. They are very old now, and remember they or their families might not welcome such contact.

I would also hope that no member of this forum would publish any contact details of these men; there are ways and means of doing this - such a public arena as a forum is not one of them. Personal opinion only, of course.

[spike10764]

I'm sure recently there was a post to the extent that Harry Patch wished to step back from such contacts in future.

I think these veterans should be allowed a graceful old age, for what time is left them....

[Jim Strawbridge]

Tedmundo, I have to agree with the other posters. You have the obsession with WW1, not them. They have moved on over the last ninety years. It is only a roll of fate's dice that singles them out now. For their part they would find it unnatural to receive a letter from a stranger. And what would the letter say? Well done, old chap, for living a long life? Why write to them? Would you write to a stranger who happened to have fought in WW2? Or the Falklands? Or any old person who happens to be over 100 years old? Best leave them to the care home and their family to quietly love and comfort them for what remains of their life. I wish the newshounds would do the same.

[Bob Coulson]

Nicely put Jim.

Bob.

[kingo]

Tedmundo, I have to agree with the other posters. You have the obsession with WW1, not them. They have moved on over the last ninety years. It is only a roll of fate's dice that singles them out now. For their part they would find it unnatural to receive a letter from a stranger. And what would the letter say? Well done, old chap, for living a long life? Why write to them? Would you write to a stranger who happened to have fought in WW2? Or the Falklands? Or any old person who happens to be over 100 years old? Best leave them to the care home and their family to quietly love and comfort them for what remains of their life. I wish the newshounds would do the same.

Couldn't agree more.

Stand at ease.........Stand easy !

[Hedley Malloch]

Jim,

Well said. Totally agree

Hedley

[sherree]

Another member of the forum asked me to contact William Young because he and I live in Perth Australia, but I can see what you blokes are saying makes sense. Leave the poor ****** alone I reckon. He must be 110 years old by now.

[spike10764]

Tedmundo, I have to agree with the other posters. You have the obsession with WW1, not them. They have moved on over the last ninety years. It is only a roll of fate's dice that singles them out now. For their part they would find it unnatural to receive a letter from a stranger. And what would the letter say? Well done, old chap, for living a long life? Why write to them? Would you write to a stranger who happened to have fought in WW2? Or the Falklands? Or any old person who happens to be over 100 years old? Best leave them to the care home and their family to quietly love and comfort them for what remains of their life. I wish the newshounds would do the same.

Very well put Jim, better than i could have put it, I agree with your sentiments exactly

[Neil Clark]

Tedmundo, I have to agree with the other posters. You have the obsession with WW1, not them. They have moved on over the last ninety years. It is only a roll of fate's dice that singles them out now. For their part they would find it unnatural to receive a letter from a stranger. And what would the letter say? Well done, old chap, for living a long life? Why write to them? Would you write to a stranger who happened to have fought in WW2? Or the Falklands? Or any old person who happens to be over 100 years old? Best leave them to the care home and their family to quietly love and comfort them for what remains of their life. I wish the newshounds would do the same.

Here Here!

Neil

[Paul Nixon]

Tedmundo, I have to agree with the other posters. You have the obsession with WW1, not them. They have moved on over the last ninety years. It is only a roll of fate's dice that singles them out now. For their part they would find it unnatural to receive a letter from a stranger. And what would the letter say? Well done, old chap, for living a long life? Why write to them? Would you write to a stranger who happened to have fought in WW2? Or the Falklands? Or any old person who happens to be over 100 years old? Best leave them to the care home and their family to quietly love and comfort them for what remains of their life. I wish the newshounds would do the same.

Tedmundo, if you're still here, whilst I tend to agree with the posters so far that contacting the last surviving veterans would be inappropriate, it is only inappropriate because their stories have been well documented already.

Twenty five years ago though, I was in the same position that you are in now: interested in the conflict and wanting to find out more about it from the men who fought in it. I did literally, get on my bike and go out looking for them. I wrote to them, contacted old people's homes, had appeals published in local newspapers and on local radio and ended up with an archive of taped interviews, letters and ephemera.

I was a total stranger to them as, presumably were Lyn MacDonald, Martin Middlebrook and probably a lot of other posters on this forum who have had the privilege of meeting First World War veterans. Jim, I think it's a little facetious to suggest that the reason for writing would be to say, well done old chap for living a long life. If Tedmundo is like the majority of people who visit this forum regularly, he would probably be saying, "What was it like? Where did you go? How did you feel?" etc. The problem is, that all those questions have been asked already and that the few men left who are now in a position to answer them are probably worn out and tired of the celebrity that has been thrust upon them through an accident of longevity.

There were still Boer war veterans alive - a handful - when I was embarking on my own Great War living history quest in the early eighties. I obtained the contact details of one man but declined to pursue that avenue any further because the man concerned was such an extreme age that I felt that he had probably had enough. I applied my own censorship.

Tedmundo, we shouldn't fault you for asking the question but I think, on balance, that the request to leave the remaining veterans in peace is the right one. In twenty years' time, our Second World War veterans will be facing a similar media spotlight. Interview them now while you have the chance.

Paul