War memorials

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Karateman

The newspaper cutting says he was a member of the United Methodists church Moscow Mill st Osw, and is on the roll of honour there. So I was wondering if it had been "saved", parden the pun, when the church was demolished. Surely something so important and poignant to the people of Ossy and Accy wouldn't have been destroyed.....

Phil

Until Bill Turner & I started rescueing these Rolls of Honour, you'd be surprised at the number that had been lost or stolen. Some people were surprised that we wanted to take them away. As I said, luckily we collected most of the names over the last 25 years, they are now in DBase 4, over 15000 entries, a heck of a lot are duplicated names, because some men appeared on as many as four Rolls of Honour, or Memorials. A lot of newspaper reports mentioned that a man was on a Roll of Honour, yet he wasn't.When Bill first started researching the Pals in the early 1980's, very few knew much about them, it took a lot of work digging out the information, people grew up little realising that the old man who lived in their street, had fought in one of the bloodiest battles ever seen. WW1 July 1916 & March 1918.

Retlaw.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Until Bill Turner & I started rescueing these Rolls of Honour, you'd be surprised at the number that had been lost or stolen. Some people were surprised that we wanted to take them away. As I said, luckily we collected most of the names over the last 25 years, they are now in DBase 4, over 15000 entries, a heck of a lot are duplicated names, because some men appeared on as many as four Rolls of Honour, or Memorials. A lot of newspaper reports mentioned that a man was on a Roll of Honour, yet he wasn't.When Bill first started researching the Pals in the early 1980's, very few knew much about them, it took a lot of work digging out the information, people grew up little realising that the old man who lived in their street, had fought in one of the bloodiest battles ever seen. WW1 July 1916 & March 1918.

Retlaw.

What did you do before you used the Internet Walter, was it all footslogging

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by jaysay

What did you do before you used the Internet Walter, was it all footslogging

Yes, meticulously written into note books, and on reference cards. Bill & I travelled all over the place.
Blackburn Library, Burnley Library, Chorley Library, Preston Record Office, Kew Public Record Office, and you made sure you could read what you had written, before you left, its a long trip back if you can't read one anothers writing.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Yes, meticulously written into note books, and on reference cards. Bill & I travelled all over the place.
Blackburn Library, Burnley Library, Chorley Library, Preston Record Office, Kew Public Record Office, and you made sure you could read what you had written, before you left, its a long trip back if you can't read one anothers writing.

Well I can remember you showing me some of your records a while ago Walter, it was just fascinating to see the hard work that you and Bill put into this task, certainly a worthwhile job

[Karateman]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

There must have been a R-O-H for the UMC church in Ossy, I have a list of names.
Retlaw

So was Jim on the roll of Honour ie on your list of names Walter?

Phil

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Karateman

So was Jim on the roll of Honour ie on your list of names Walter?

Phil

He's not in the list of names, several men were reported in the newspapers, at the time, as being members of a church or chapel, & that their name is on their roll of honour, yet their names have not been found on those rolls.
Retlaw.

[Retlaw]

Spent two hours this afternoon in the store room at Accy Library, and the United Methodist Chapel R-o-H, Moscow Mill St, is not there, so it looks like it was not amongst those rescued.

Retlaw.

[Karateman]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Spent two hours this afternoon in the store room at Accy Library, and the United Methodist Chapel R-o-H, Moscow Mill St, is not there, so it looks like it was not amongst those rescued.

Retlaw.

What a shame.....you would think something like a roll of honour would be the first thing to be saved...

Phil

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Karateman

What a shame.....you would think something like a roll of honour would be the first thing to be saved...

Phil

Until Bill Turner wrote his books on the Accrington Pals, & poeple in other towns started to write books on their Pals Battalions, very few people had any interest in those Rolls of Honour & Memorials, it wasn't until the late 1990's that people started to take an interest.
By then it was too late, many Schools, Church, Chapels, Clubs etc had been closed or demolished.
Its only because a few, up & down the country, with similar interests in WW1, like Bill & I, that so many names are still known.

Retlaw.

[Karateman]

Walter, you and bill are to be congratulated then....well done, and thanks for all your help in my search....

Phil