The Somme, Headingley & Gelsenkirchen
Track of the day Once - Nerve Engine.
Ninety years ago, as a gunner in the Royal Artillery, my grandpa was involved in the Battle of the Somme. I don't know a great deal about him and certainly never met him because he died before I was born but I've got two of his three medals and a silver cup that he won playing bowls.
He was a travelling salesman and had a very large open motor car when cars were still a rarity on UK roads, drank too much and frequently came home from his selling trips sharing the front seat of the car with a dog he'd found. My grandmother was terrified of dogs so they were always given away.
He ended his war by turning up at the front door one day and ringing the doorbell. When my grandmother opened the door he refused to go in. "Fill the bath Cissie. I'm not coming in the house wearing this uniform. It's crawling," and he stripped off there and then at the door. "That's that Cissie," he said, "I'm never going back." And as far as I know, he never did.
His louse and flea infested uniform was taken round to the back of the house and burnt.
I was always under the impression that he had gone AWOL but as the medals were awarded after the war ended, he couldn't have done.
Today there will be two other battles. England v Sri Lanka at Headingley in Yorkshire and England v Portugal in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Neither will last as long or cause as much lasting misery as the Battle of the Somme.
Ninety years ago, as a gunner in the Royal Artillery, my grandpa was involved in the Battle of the Somme. I don't know a great deal about him and certainly never met him because he died before I was born but I've got two of his three medals and a silver cup that he won playing bowls.He was a travelling salesman and had a very large open motor car when cars were still a rarity on UK roads, drank too much and frequently came home from his selling trips sharing the front seat of the car with a dog he'd found. My grandmother was terrified of dogs so they were always given away.
He ended his war by turning up at the front door one day and ringing the doorbell. When my grandmother opened the door he refused to go in. "Fill the bath Cissie. I'm not coming in the house wearing this uniform. It's crawling," and he stripped off there and then at the door. "That's that Cissie," he said, "I'm never going back." And as far as I know, he never did.
His louse and flea infested uniform was taken round to the back of the house and burnt.
I was always under the impression that he had gone AWOL but as the medals were awarded after the war ended, he couldn't have done.
Today there will be two other battles. England v Sri Lanka at Headingley in Yorkshire and England v Portugal in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Neither will last as long or cause as much lasting misery as the Battle of the Somme.
Alt Dearg Windfarm - Argyll
Please visit this site and and either marvel at, or register your objections to, the windfarm development.
Posted by Milt at 10:18:00 am
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