We will remember them

[Guest geoff501]

http://www.thisisredditch.co.uk/worcesters...S_LATEST39.html

[roger]

Thanks for posting that, wouldn't it be nice if the world was made up of people like Mrs Doughty?

Roger.

[Bob Coulson]

Good to hear stories like this in this day and age.

Bob.

[Andrew Hesketh]

This makes a nice change from the regular news of vandalism and thefts relating to memorials and graves.

[Paul Nixon]

Well done to Mrs Doughty but she's not alone. The 10,000 members of this forum and many others beside remember our Great War dead in our own ways. They are part of our heritage and will not be forgotten.

[Steven Broomfield]

Michael Winner sees fit to turn down an OBE because it's for toilet cleaners - seems to me Mrs Doughty would be a more deserving case than dear old Michael.

And doesn't her name befit her?

[john w.]

A lovely woman wish more took care and not just on Nov 11th

John

[SilverSoldier]

Geoff, Roger, Bob, Andrew, Paul, Steven, John W, Pals.

Mrs Doughty obviously care's about the sacrifice all our brave boys did. Lovely of her to do it. OBE?

Why not? She only has to be nominated. Winner... Well enough said, what was it he said: "Fit only For Dishwashers" A statement not worthy of a response really.

Don't despair lads, for instance there are quite a few Commonwealth War Grave Commision Memorials to both WW1 and WW2 lads in our local cemetary and it is not unusual to see a Rose, Plant, Poppy Cross placed on them to this day. Also in my ancestral home, Ware in Hertfordfordshire, I visited just days ago, there were tributes here and there. I am sure it still happens all over the UK. Vandalism? Yes, sadly that happens also, but, Just like us, people still do care.

We will never forget.

Terry W.

[auchonvillerssomme]

The other day I drove past our local memorial and was surprised to see a number of poppy wreaths...then to my embarrasment and shame i realised i had forgotten 6th June!!

[Mark Hone]

There was an amazing story in the papers last year about an elderly lady who had died and it turned out that she had been placing flowers on a young soldier's grave in her local cemetery since she was a girl in the First World War. He was no relation to her, in fact I don't think they'd ever met. I kept the cutting at the time but have since (inevitably) mislaid it. Wish I could remember more details.

[ianw]

Well done Mrs Doughty.

[auchonvillerssomme]

Far more deserving of reward than some in todays honours list

Mick

[SteveB]

Far more deserving of reward than some in todays honours list

Mick

Not difficult??

[Roxy]

Just to add my thanks to Mrs Doughty.

Well done!

Roxy

[spike10764]

A heartening article- well done to Mrs Doughty.....

[Tom Morgan]

We all think highly of Mrs. Doughty. How nice it would be if we were to tell her so. It only takes a moment to write:

Blossoms 2001,

1240b Evesham Rd,

Astwood Bank,

Redditch,

B96 6AA

Just a quick note, to say that you appreciate what she is doing and you know others do too, and there's no need to reply to this letter etc etc.

Being appreciated is fine, but as we all know - being told that you're appreciated is something else!

Tom

[Guest geoff501]

We all think highly of Mrs. Doughty. How nice it would be if we were to tell her so. It only takes a moment to write:

Nice idea. But if you're planning on dropping into the shop don't all arrive at once, I may have to get past all your parked cars on my way home!

Just emailed the editor to see if he will allow the photo in the original paper version of the article to be posted here.

[Guest geoff501]

And here she is, Mrs Doughty with John Rattue, he recently returned from a trip to pay his respects at the graves of the crew of Z-Zebra, Dambusters raid (Sqdn. Ldr. Maudsley's crew)

Thanks to Redditch Advertiser Editor Paul Walker for sending me the photo

(I've had to reduce filesize for Forum use)

[Audax]

I've heard on the bush telegraph that the National Association of Flower Arrangers are planning to commeroate 1st July with special florar arrangements. Any body out there heard similar?

[stiletto_33853]

What a heart warming story in todays world, nice suggestion Tom, letter on its way to her today

Andy

[Guest geoff501]

Late this afternoon...

[Guest geoff501]

And the south face...

[Tom Morgan]

Nice one, Andy! That will be two letters Mrs. Doughty will get, as I posted mine yesterday.

Tom

[Guest geoff501]

A little late, but the north face taken on 22nd June:

I had this memorial on my to-do list for some time, but looked at it rather sooner due to this thread. Within a few hours I had identified all but three of the names; Alfred Howard Bird, Victor Norman Clarke and Albert Fisher. I soon realised there was a possibility of non-commerations, but perhaps with there being three names, could not be sure. A visit to the local cemetery office proved fruitless, as I was about to leave I commented I was sure there would be at least one in the cemetery as the names are on the Astwood memorial. I was told perhaps Edgioake Cemetery (the i is silent), in the village - I did not know it was there, blink and you miss it was the answer. Two burials were found here; Fisher and Clarke. Shortly followed by finding their death certificates. There were two MICs for Clarke, one for a SWB - he had been discharged on 19th September 1918 and died 3 days later from pulmonary TB and exhaustion. Looked like a good case.

The case for Fisher was good but not so clear cut - he had died on 2nd February 1917 from cerebo-spinal fever at Rugely Camp Military Isolation Hospital, Cannock. A private in 6th Training Reserve Battalion, oddly he was listed in SDGW as Drv. 164071 RFA. His case was given to a trusted researcher, but no papers survived.

Following advice from Terry Denham, both cases were made out by him and submitted to CWGC for consideration. Victor Norman Clarke was born in 1895 in Feckenham, Worcestershire. In 1901 he was living with his widowed mother. His two older brothers, Alfred and Edgar, worked in a local cycle factory. Victor enlisted in the 11th Bn. Worcestershire regiment on 18th December 1915. He previously worked in the needle industry, a major industry in the area, as a crochet hook maker. He embarked on 28th August 1916 and served in Salonica for nearly 2 years. In May 1918 he was admitted to hospital with acute phthisis, eventually taken by hospital ship to Imtarfa hospital on Malta and then invalided to England on 21st June. His brother Alfred was present at his death at Knightwick Sanatorium. On his army discharge papers he was described as of good conduct, sober, reliable and intelligent.

Terry Denham's In from the cold post is here:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...st&p=524846

The case for Fisher, having less supporting evidence, is still being considered.

Alfred Howard Bird is a mystery. There are no entries in the overseas death index or the home index from 1914 to the mid 1920's. I have recently spoken to a local historian who researched the families of these men 20 years ago. His opinion is that he did not die and may have been awarded the Military Medal in 1918 - there is believed to be a report on this in the local paper, so there is one lead left.