Guest SFerrell Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 I am brand new at this. I am one of the millions of dumb Americans who know nothing of the War. My office mate, Cynthia Panton told me about this site. I know that I may sound silly, but I do not want the brave men and women to be forgotten. I feel, for me, looking at the home front is a good place to start. I would also like to know if I have a rank yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynthia Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Welcome, Pte Ferrell! Just remember during the course of our work day that I am an officer! Glad to have you with the Pals. I guess my constant talking about it just wore you down. You may want to change your office! Cynthia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Cynthia, you should be ashamed of yourself ! You've started Pte Ferrell on a lifelong addiction which he (or is it she?) will never be able to kick. Welcome to the forum Michael Mills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Cynthia I am sure that you will be appointed regional recruiting officer in the very near future. Private Ferrell, a warm welcome. We don't really care too much about rank but an occassional forelock tug to Lt Cynthia may help progress your career somewhat! Best wishes Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christine liava'a Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Welcome, and an interesting topic. I'm sure there are many aspects to this,-the Londoners themselves, of varying areas and social class, who actually lived there; the British soldiers from other parts of Britain, many of whom had probably never been to London before, and were passing through;the Colonial soldiers, to whom London was the centre of the Empire; and the various types of foreigners, some as soldiers, probably some as refugees.. All would have very different views of London. I know from their letters home that my Fijian men reacted to London in various ways, admiring the sights, visiting the tourist spots, but commenting on the people and the restrictions, wondering why they didn't speak English! “ I don’t like England,” writes one of the Contingent to a member of the Fiji Times staff. “ It’s cold, wet, damp and miserable. The people don’t talk English- God knows what it is; some people I can’t understand. They are all kind and hospitable, but frankly disbelieve in the existence of Fiji. Probably in Australia somewhere. New Zealand is granted as having existence but not often.” Americans possibly reacted the same way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Hello and welcome. I'm new too but already wasting a fortune on internet bills reading this forum. Everybody is so helpful and knowledgeable. For my small contribution on the subject on London in 1915 you could read my post on "The War in the Air" section under the topic "Zeppelin raids" Welcome again. I warn you it is addictive. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Pte Ferrell, Firstly, don't take senior officers too seriously, and be warned they may threaten you, quite unfairly, with SWAT raids. If you need to keep them busy just ask if their Amazon rating (as an author) has gone up or down. That usually distracts them! Have you seen the thread about Cynthia's Grand Tour (of Europe). If not try the search facility and you will find out what Lieutenants get up to on holiday!!! As for the home front, there is relatively little on the topic. One splendid volume, if you can find, it is called "How we lived then 1914 - 1918" by Mrs C S Peel (Bodley Head, 1929). It gives a good insight into life in London through the war. Regards, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Hello there. You might like to read a book or two on life for civilians. One new book, which is very easy reading, is "All Quiet On The Home Front" by Richard van Emden and Steve Humphries. It is "an oral history of life in Britain during the First World War," and is based on a documentary that was shown fairly recently on Channel Four here in the UK. While it doesn't concentrate on London, it does give a broader sense of what was going on in the British Isles, based on the memories of some of the UK's oldest civilian and military survivors. There are some poignant (and touching) sections in the book, such as the children walking around with no shoes because the army needed all the leather for boots; starvation of the populace; receiving the dreaded telegram informing the next of kin of the death of a soldier; caring for the wounded etc etc. The ISBN of the book is: 0 7553 1188 4 Publisher: Headline www.headline.co.uk Cost of the book (in hardback) is £18.99 The book was only published a few months ago, so should be readily available on Amazon, and will be cheaper once it is printed in softback. I am sure that others will nominate other books that will, hopefully, further stimulate your interest. If there is anything specific you want to know, about London Life, just ask...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff Floyd Posted 5 December , 2003 Share Posted 5 December , 2003 Welcome aboard Private Ferrell! You touch on a subject that has always intrigued me as well. You've probably heard the song "How Ya' Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm After They've Seen Paree". That was more than an idle question here in the US, where a vast majority of the non-regulars AEF had never been outside their home county before joining the Army. To put down the plowshare and pick up the sword was one thing, but to do so on the the other side of an ocean must have been a shock to everyone's system. Then to come home and be expected to start life again where you left off must have been an additional shock. There must be some great stories like the Fijians' reactions to London. Keep us posted as you learn more on the subject. Jeff Floyd (not a very senior corporal) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 8 December , 2003 Share Posted 8 December , 2003 Dear S, Welcome Pal. Has your recruiting officer given you the King's shilling yet? If not, file a complaint, or tell Cynthia she owes you a drink. Now, home front. That is a very wide subject area. Could you refine it a little? What particular facets of life on the home front would you care to choose? Could I just add this plea from the provinces: London is just one small part of the UK (I can hear the flak coming over as I write), so while targetting your academic subject area, could you broaden it geographically please. You will not, for instance get much feeling for agricultural issues and the like if you confine yourself to the capital. Also, if you are thinking of coming over to the UK, could you give us fair warning, as we very much enjoyed the electronic-tagging of Cynthia, and would like another victim (err quarry). Regards Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Historian Posted 8 December , 2003 Share Posted 8 December , 2003 Hi Ferrell, Nice to see you. Two books you might find useful are: Dr Bill Harding: On Flows The tay: Perth and the First World War. (Cuallann Press, Perth, 2000). Falkirk District Libraries. Departed Heroes: Falkirk and District at War 1914-18. (Falkirk District Council, 1995) Might have difficulty with the second, unless you write to the council direct. The other should be available through Amazon. Regards, gordon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Wright Posted 8 December , 2003 Share Posted 8 December , 2003 Welcome PTE Ferrell! As a fellow American I think you will find this group nothing short of AMAZING!! The knowledge that is shared is truly phenomenal and the comaradarie is something that I really do cherish! The only problem that I find is that almost every thread spurs another interest. Yours (the home front) is one I've had for awhile -- but reading the posts has given be leads on new books! Thanks! Hope you enjoy your time with the PALS! Cheers! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 9 December , 2003 Share Posted 9 December , 2003 Dear S, ............... Could I just add this plea from the provinces: London is just one small part of the UK (I can hear the flak coming over as I write), so while targetting your academic subject area, could you broaden it geographically please. You will not, for instance get much feeling for agricultural issues and the like if you confine yourself to the capital. Just for the record, and to the relief of many Milton Keynes was nothing more than a very small hamlet at the time of the Great War lying between Bletchley (now famed as the WW2 home to Bletchley Park (Enigma decodes) but also WW1 home to signals units and training in WW1 and with Wolverton and Stony Stratford to the north which supplied many men to the Ox. & Bucks as well as engineers and ASC - the local industry being the railway works. Sadly Bletchley and Wolverton were to be swallowed up in hell ... I mean Milton Keynes ... when a new city was planned (well they claim it was planned) in the 1960's. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SFerrell Posted 9 December , 2003 Share Posted 9 December , 2003 Hello. I am so sorry that it has been so long since I responded, but work has been unreal and I had to wait for my Superior Officer Cynthia Panton teach me how to respond. First, a little about myself. My name is Scott Ferrell, so I am a male. I live in Cleveland Ohio and work at Cleveland State University. Cynthia had finally gotten me involved with this site. I have a degree in American History. I have written several papers on life on the American Home Front during WW2, I became intrigued by this little studied side of the war. I know very little about WW1, but I am learning. I do not mean to limit my study to London, I would be happy to study the whole country. I do want to say that I feel very welcome and I want to thank all of you. I hope to hear from you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 9 December , 2003 Share Posted 9 December , 2003 Just for the record, and to the relief of many Milton Keynes was nothing more than a very small hamlet at the time of the Great War lying between Bletchley (now famed as the WW2 home to Bletchley Park (Enigma decodes) but also WW1 home to signals units and training in WW1 and with Wolverton and Stony Stratford to the north which supplied many men to the Ox. & Bucks as well as engineers and ASC - the local industry being the railway works. Sadly Bletchley and Wolverton were to be swallowed up in hell ... I mean Milton Keynes ... when a new city was planned (well they claim it was planned) in the 1960's. Martin Martin.......You're becoming as bad as your dear wife..........now repeat after me I love MK....I love MK..............On a serious note for anyone interested in memorial research, Milton Keynes is a wonderful place. Because so many villages & a couple of small towns have been 'absorbed' (resistance is futile), there is a wealth of memorials. Bletchley also had a number of units stationed there during the Great War, as Martin mentions, mostly Royal Engineers at a place called Staple Hall (now a retirement home). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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