[Retlaw]

Mean while back home in Accrington & District, news of the disaster, reached Accrington, not from official sources as one would expect, but via a hospital train carrying wounded soldiers, on its way North, halted by signals, a voice shouted from one of the carriages where are we, a small group of women on the platform heard this, and responded “Accrington” the response Accrington, "yes", Oh the Accrington Pals have been wiped out. Immediately the news started to spread though out the town.

Father who should have been in school, but had bunked off again, was in Cannon St when he heard the news, he immediately ran home, telling every one he met the horrible news, on arriving home he told his mother, who thanked God her son wasn’t with them. (Walter was on a different part of the front as a machine gunner.)

Angry relatives, who wanted official news of the tragedy, besieged the mayor,
This was not to be, despite telegrams to the War Office, they refused to release details or lists of the casualties until all known relatives had been informed by telegram, some of which were already being received. The bells at Christ Church started pealing which carried on all day, curtains started to be drawn, at the houses of relatives of the dead, It was reckoned that by the end of the week practically every street in Accrington had a house with drawn curtains.

Retlaw