Quote:
Originally Posted by Retlaw
That has answered a question of mine, why so many men came over from Pawtucket, and enlisted in Accrington, into the British Army, one or two even served Pals.
Those that survived were given paid passage back to America.
Retlaw./
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You may wonder, Walter, where I first picked up on the Pawtucket connection.
About 10 years ago, I was propping up a bar in London on a hot summer afternoon when an elderly, obviously Yank, tourist wondered in and ordered a pint of lager.
I asked him if this was this first time in London and when he replied in the affirmative, I informed him that lager in England was only drunk by women, children, gays and dogs and as he did not appear to fall into any of those categories, he may wish to consider revising his choice of beveredge. Which he promptly did.
Anyway, we got talking and after a while he seemed to recognise my accent; he asked, and I told him Accy, and he told me his grandad had emigrated from Accrington in the late 1890's to work for H & B in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. However, he was not one of those who returned to the town.
I asked the old gentlemen if he had any plans to visit Accy but he said no, as him & his mrs were off to Paris the next day. Accy would have been better, I replied and stated that no true Accy man would let his mrs make such a decision, but it was to no avail.
I didn't get his name.