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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

What was your grandfather's job etc before & after the war ?


JOSTURM

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This is a great thread. It just goes to show how diverse the British Army was. It is also amazing that in a few short years this ragtaggle group of Cloggers, Miners, Farmers, etc became the formidable force it did.

Well yes! They were capable of doing anything. :D

Tony

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So much for Britain being "a nation of shopkeepers"!

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So much for Britain being "a nation of shopkeepers"!

My Great Grandfather was a shopkeeper in Kent so there was at least someone minding the store! Too old to serve in the Great War mind you.

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Great Grandfather Alf Farnan was a stockbroker in the city before joining as an officer cadet in the Artists Rifles in 1916.

G Grandfather Joe Sears was a motor car driver.

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Grandfather was a clerk before the war ,enlisted as a Derby scheme man , went to Salonica , came back with malaria to find his Wife had run off with his best mate ( !! ) so he re-enlisted in late 1918 and eventually became a clerk again .

Different sort of caualty of war I suppose .

Chris

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So much for Britain being "a nation of shopkeepers"!

Well, one of my grandfathers was a shopkeeper.

Mind you he was not really English :)

He had been born in Italy and returned there for WW1. He was in the trenches for over 2 years, in the 43 Fanteria, and then hit in the head by a shell splinter.

He was picked up by the Austrians, who put a silver plate in his head. He was then a POW firstly in Branau, Hitler's home town, and later in an ex porcelain factory in Budapest, Hungary. We still have the Red Cross cards he sent home, both to his parents and to his wife. They had been married in 1914 and he had never seen his son.

He then returned to England, and to being a shopkeeper, but one who was in a lot of pain for the rest of his life.

The other grandfather was in the Royal West Kents and the RAMC. He was a brickie before the war, but never finished his apprenticeship, because he joined up.

After the war he was unemployed/sick a lot of the time. There was not much work around in the building trade in the 1920s and 1930s. A lot of the time when he could get work his health gave way, because he was not up to heavy manual work, due to war wounds.

The silly sod lied about his age (?) and was back in the army, at Woolwich, in 1939 and 1940. In 1940 he would have been 44. God knows what sort of a medical he had if he got in again.

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Alexandra Mill was owned by the Holden's. Try a search for "Alexandra Mill" and "Holden" and possibly "Rossendale" and you will find something. :)

What's a Tackler?

Thanks Beppo,

A Tackler is an Overseer, a foreman type, who can also fix machinery. :)

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Beppo,

His father was a miner, as were both his grandparents, she is listed in a census as being a "Coal Hewer" aged 42.....she was born in Frankfurt, Germany.

My other grt grandfather established his own plumbing business in the 1880's, it is still running today.

Shelley

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Beppo,

my grandfather was passed medically into the army in 1940, with only one third of a stomach, the rest had been removed in the 1920's.

He was discharged when he couldn't digest army food.

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I'm surprised the Feminists have not complained yet :D

Should we extend the Thread or start a new one for Grandmothers?

Paternal Grandmother. Housewife and Mother,suffering from Cancer and died before the outbreak of War.

Maternal Grandmother Domestic Servant before the War and became a Wife and Mother during the War.An occupatation she continued, in all its facets, until her death in the 1970's.

George

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after the war my grandfather was a gardner. no idea what he did before the war. but i think he may have been in the army before the war.

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This is an interesting thread

Gosh Beppo, your grandad went through a lot. It's a wonder any of us are here!

Maternal grandfather was a foreman at Gladstone docks Liverpool, before during and after the Great War. His dockers nickname was "The Gentle Giant". He was 6ft 4 ins, a softly spoken Irishman with a real gentlemanly air about him, prior to that he was an assistant chef on the White Star line back and forth to New York (luckily not on the Titanic) One of my cousins once asked him if he could cook and he replied "No"!!

He was also working at Gladstone docks during the blitz of WW2 and was on duty the night the S.S. Malakand, a steamer loaded with over 1000 tons of shells and bombs destined for the front line, was destroyed in Huskisson No 2 dock, in May 1941

His five brothers in law, also Irishmen (the Carney's) were all in the regular army prior, during and after the Great War. I've often wondered if my grandad was a victim of the "White Feather" brigade and likewise my paternal grandfather who was a labourer on the other side of the Mersey at Cammell Lairds during the Great War

Caryl

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I'm surprised the Feminists have not complained yet :D

Should we extend the Thread or start a new one for Grandmothers?

Paternal Grandmother. Housewife and Mother,suffering from Cancer and died before the outbreak of War.

Maternal Grandmother Domestic Servant before the War and became a Wife and Mother during the War.An occupatation she continued, in all its facets, until her death in the 1970's.

George

Good point George

My Maternal Grandmother had three brothers in the army and one in the Royal Navy, but she was also a Domestic Servant. She ended up as Cook for a family that provided two sons to post WW2 Labour Government, but she had not "risen that high" during WW1.

She was in London working for a General who, as a reward, gave her his tickets to the premier of a film about Allenby taking Jerusalem. Maybe it was a joke and not a reward because she was a 19 year old from Birkenhead, who must have felt very out of place. Her main memory of the evening was when a wounded officer arrived in a taxi. He had amnesia, and was asking everyone if they knew him.

My Paternal grandmother moved home to her widowed fathers house, as did her sister. Their husbands were both in the army and it was probably the only way they could survive. My grandmother had a son, born in 1915, and took care of him. Somewhere I have something written by that son, talking about 1919 when his father came home from the war. My uncle was playing in the garden but was afraid of this strange man, and ran away and hid. His mother came out to see what the problem was and this "dirty old tramp" grabbed hold of her. My four year old uncle then attacked the tramp to protect his mum, and the tramp started kissing him too. :o

Not the best introduction to your father I think. My father was born the next year.

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This is an interesting thread

Gosh Beppo, your grandad went through a lot. It's a wonder any of us are here!

Caryl

He also got attacked by his young son when he finally got home :D

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George

What a good idea to include G/Mums as well.

Nana Clay was a grocery manager's wife in Sutton Coldfield before during and after the War. She was also mother to a young family - born 1910, 1912 and 1916 (my Dad). Grandad Clay, as mentioned above, was in 'Dad's Army 'the Volunteer Training Corps).

Grannie Price was also mother to a young family in rural Herefordshire - born 1910, 1912 (my Mum), 1914 and 1916. When her younger sister was born, while Grandad was away in F&F, Mum was sent to stay with her Grandparents for an extended period (as she remembers). Grannie Price's younger brother, Jim Webley, was KIA in October 1914 at age 19 and is remembered on the Ploegsteert memorial. Her other brothers all served and returned, as did Grandad Price's brothers.

Jim

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My grandfather was a coal miner as were all his descendants going back to about the 17th century. He was too young for the Great War but was an ARP during WW2. His mum was a brickmaker at Newbattle brickworks. My dad still has some bricks in his garden with Newbattle stamped on the frog (thats the concave bit!) Her female relatives mainly worked in the local carpet factory where their occupation is listed as 'Carpet Rubber'. I dont know what that involved but I'm sure it going round rubbing carpets for a living!

On the paternal side, my grandfather joined up at 16 years old at the start of the Great War and due to fairly common name cant find out much about him. To my dad's annoyance, he's lost the photos etc which could have helped. Anyhoo...he was too old to enlist in active service in WW2 but managed to join the RAF as a chef.

Keith

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My paternal g grandfather was a labourer in Bristol from the age of 14. Joined the Navy at sixteen until he was 22 Discharged sick due to TB. Joined the Gloucesters at the age of 24. This was in 1911. Invalided out in 1916 (gassed). Unfortunately because of sickness and being in and out of hospital never worked after the war and sadly died in 1919.

My paternal g grandmother worked in a grocers shop before the war and sadly a gambler and alcoholic after it.

My maternal g grandfather was an engine cleaner (trains) again in Bristol from the age of 13 until he joined the RMLI in 1913. Once he was finally operated on to remove a bullet from his chest in 1920 he became a petrol tanker driver which he took into the Airforce reserve with him in 1936. Became a Training Sergeant/ Leading Aircrafthand and Drill Instructor until 1941. Passed away in 1948.

My maternal g grandmother was a seamstress before and after the war.

Simon.

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The Hartleys were middle class (even then) so Grandma Hartley wouldnt "do " anything.

Grandma Brough was a weaver. She and Tom (see earlier) were mother's adoptive parents and were, in fact, her aunt and uncle. I've no idea what her real mother did and I've no idea who her real father was.

John

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Here's to Grandmothers!

My paternal Grandmother was born in Winnipeg in 1906. She moved a little later to North Vancouver, BC. Her father was too old to serve and she had no brothers. She had some cousins who may have served in the US Army later in the War. Her mother's family was involved the military, my Great Grandmother actually being born in a fort in US "Indian Territory".

My maternal Grandmother was the daughter of a shopkeeper in Chilham, Kent. I don't believe her brother served in the war, not sure why not. She ended up marrying a Canadian soldier during the War and moving to farm country in Alberta. She had four children one of whom died at age 13. Her husband turned out to be an alcoholic etc. so she left him, which was a very brave thing to do in the 1920's. She returned to England with children in tow, but found a divorced woman was not accepted by her family nor "polite" society. She then returned back to Alberta to teach. She eventually met my Grandfather at about age 40, who as previously noted was widowed as his wife had died, with the child, at child birth. They married and had my Mum.

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My maternal grandfather worked in the butchery department of Keeley & Tong (later International Stores) prior to going to France in 1916 with the ASC. On demob in December 1919 he re-joined and worked there until he retired in 1958

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My maternal grandfather and his 4 brothers went off to war in 1914, he and 3 of them in the East Anglian Royal Engineers and the odd one in the 1/5th. Bedfords. All ended up in Egypt and they all came home.

Before the war he was his own man with a board outside the house advertising chimney sweeping, window cleaning, gardening etc.

After the war he went to work in the hat trade as a pan polisher. For this was Luton, home of the "Hatters". A pan polisher prepared the steel pans on which the felt hats were formed under steam heating. Hat making had two seasons, winter & summer and as the work dried up you were laid off. If you had not put away something for the lean times you were then at the mercy of "the parish", where "dole" was sparsely distributed by the local worthies. A land fit for heros indeed!

My paternal grandfather did not serve in the Great War but I do know he was a Ganger (Foreman) bricklayer on the LMS railway and I'm told he built the Ampthill tunnel, not on his own though. Must have been heavy work laying those blue engineering bricks. His work followed the railway and he fetched up in Luton where he married and raised his 8 children, 4 of each.

Regards Roy

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This thread is really interesting - Ive noticed the amount of people whose folks are from europe etc and also noted that I previously listed my paternal side only - my grandMOTHERS were from Belgium and Germany. My German g/m was on stage and also worked in the london theatres but was in one of the (frequent) theatre fires, died shortly after on Xmas Day. My other g/m was a maid but was courted by a 'gentleman' that she fled from in Venice, eventually married in London and died after having my mother. Her husband remarried and brought back together the children, and it seems from my research that it was quite common for children to be 'farmed' out amongst the family and friends. My own mother made leather jerkins/jackets and 'hats' for the RAF in WW2, having been a seamstress, and was still sewing wedding orders when I was young (make that younger) - also became aware recently of the impact the war had on their lives in relation to their nationality - my late father never once told us his mother was German, all those years at school learning 'guten abens' - it must have been a real problem for them and yet now it seems so irrelevant to me. We need a new heading for Ancestry now!

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Maternal grandfather worked in Clee Hill quarry before the war. Joined up at 16 and was a lewis gunner with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Lost an eye when a snipers bullet riccocheted off the gun and hit him. My grandfather was the mildest of men and I could never imagine him shooting anyone. Invalided out of the war he was an Engine driver in the quarry at the time of his marriage in 1921. I knew him as a postman a job he did for over 30 years. I believe he originally got the job due to his being invalided out of the war. Have a lovely photo of him taken for an article in the Sunday Mercury in 1959 in his postmans uniform walking up the field behind his cottage.

Paternal grandfather worked on his fathers farm joining up after the harvest in October 1914. Served in the Shropshire Yeomanry and later the 10th KSLI. While in Egypt family lore says that he dug up a gold statue :o about 12" high. Unfortunately for him a passing officer saw it and asked if he could show it to a fellow officer. That was the last my grandad saw of his statue. Only heresay of course but I was told this story by two people. Not surprisingly, my grandad didn't have much time for officers. Nor the church either come to that. When grandad was in hospital with malaria/dysentey the padre would come into the ward, and pass along the bottom of the mens beds with a quick are you alright my man before moving on and out. He had time for the Salvation Army tho' who would sit beside the men, asking if there was anything they could do such as write a letter home.

He became a prisoner of war in August 1918 and was so emaciated that when he came home his own mother couldn't recognise him. He had to show her a cross his godmother had given him when he joined up before she would believe him. Actually that cross is starting to cause me sleepless nights. You see when I was about 18 my father gave that cross to me, telling me how grandad had carried it through the war in Egypt and also on the Western front. How as a prisoner of war he had managed to keep it safe and later on to show his mother as proof of his identity. Well as I say, when I was about 18 my father gave me this cross and within two weeks I had lost the bloody thing. Now I'm afraid to say I never told my dad this [in fact I blamed his lack of judgement in giving it to me in the first place]. Well since joining this forum I have been talking to him a lot about about grandad and the other night he asked me to get a travelling bag down from the attic for him. In it was a lot of legal papers from the twenties and thirties and grandads war medals. Dad rummaged around in the bottom of the bag for a while and said, "thats funny I'm sure grandads cross was in here". So the goodnews is, he's forgotten he gave it to me, but the badnews is he's turning the farmhouse upside down trying to find it.

Oh nearly forgot grandad had his own farm after the war.

Eric

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My gandmother on my mother's side was a saint. My grandmother on my father's side was a cantankerous old b---h!

Harry

PS Can anyone please tell me where the spell check is on this web site.

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Eric

Understand how you might feel about your grandads cross, I lost something important in a similar accidental fashion when I was young and foolish. I'm too ashamed to write about it, feel waves of shame even thinking about it

(are you going to come clean to your dad? ;) ) Fascinating story, wonder what happened to the statue

Caryl

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