The Joiner who Never Came Home Among the names on Ulceby's War memorial, thirteen represent men who lost their lives in the First World War. As is often the case with our cenotaphs, the names are displayed in alphabetical order. The first of these, which appears on the memorial's northern face is: W. ALCOCK Typically, …
Remembering the Men who Never Came Home THERE IS SOMETHING strangely familiar about a village war memorial. We pass them in churchyards, beside village greens, on street corners and along quiet roads; weathered stones upon which the names of men who died more than a century ago have become part of the landscape. On Remembrance …
The Front Line Letters of 'Tommy’ Wyer ― Part Two Tommy's final letter in Part One left us with a sense of reassurance. He had come through the fighting of late September and early October, had been struck but not seriously, and had been able to tell his parents that he was lucky. Set against …
The Front Line Letters of 'Tommy' Wyer ― Part One There is an assortment of evidence that enables us to tell the story of a soldier of the Great War. There is the military record: a name, a number, a regiment and a date of death. There are medal rolls, casualty lists and official forms. …
The Story of Archie Winn, a Young Man from Grimsby SOME LIVES survive in letters and photographs, diaries and memories—whilst others have been reduced, over the passing of a century, to a mere handful of official documents. There may be a census return. A military service number. A medal roll. A war gratuity payment recorded …
A Horseman of Dunsby Fen Names carved upon the war memorials of south Lincolnshire are of men whose lives were cut short before they had the opportunity to discover what the future might hold. Thomas Wand was one such man. Thomas was born in the south Lincolnshire village of Dunsby. By the time he was …
Family Connections Behind 'The Lost Fenland Generation' FAMILY HISTORIANS QUICKLY become accustomed to following people through the fragments they have left behind. A baptism places a child in a particular village and identifies the parents; a census records a household on one particular night; a marriage joins two names together; a burial marks the end …
The Harvest for War THE PHRASE 'over by Christmas' has echoed through history as a symbol of misplaced optimism. Yet, in 1914, as Europe slid inexorably toward a full-scale Continental war, there were men in positions of command who knew better. Britain's newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener was one of them. …
The Last Harvest ON A CRISP November morning in 2021, three elderly men gathered beside a newly erected street sign in the Lincolnshire village of Hacconby. They stood proudly, smiling for the photographer as the street sign denoting Wyer Close was formally unveiled ahead of Remembrance Sunday. To many people passing by today, it is …
Newly Discovered Photographs of Walter Sandall THE PAST RARELY yields its secrets in a single revelation. Instead, history tends to disclose itself one tantalising piece at a time. When I published Walter Sandall's story, I believed I had gathered together everything that remained of his military service. His Army records, family memories and official documents …
