 |
Walking
with Ghosts, - Remembrance |
|
||||||
|
||||||||
What is too easily forgotten today is the appalling cost of war, and in this case the First World War. Modern conflicts may grab the headlines, but the current generation are already beginning to forget about the First World War and the immeasurable suffering that resulted.
The Enthusiastic Volunteers
At the outbreak of the First World War there was enormous enthusiasm by the young men on both sides to take part. There was no shortage of volunteers, with the future soldiers having no idea of the horror and carnage that lay ahead of them. It was a popular opinion that the War would be over by Christmas, and young men rushed to join the Colours so that they wouldn't be left out of things.
| Click on one of the smaller images to be presented with a larger version in a new window. Click anywhere in the window that opens to close it. | ||||
 |
 |
 |
||
| Two photos of the Pickering
Company of the 5th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (Territorials)showing
them leaving Pickering Station by train for Scarborough and Divisional
Camp in August 1914. (Note the troop of Boy Scouts lined up to see them off). The two photos are courtesy of the Beck Isle Museum, Pickering. |
The photo above is of recent recruits to
the York and Lancaster Regiment. The photograph is dated October 1914,
and has been provided by Andrew
McGarrigle. There are no further details for this photo, but it is
thought that the recruits were from Mexborough, near Barnsley. |
|||
The photographs depict the enthusiasm of the young men of the time to join up. The sadness of the images, though, is in thinking of what then happened to all those young lives.
The Dead of the First World War
In the First World War, something like 1 million men from Britain and the British Empire died, - most of these on the Western Front. Of the 70 million men who served in uniform in all combatant countries, over 9 million died or were killed on active service. 3 million widows and 10 million orphans owe their fate to this war. (ref. Winter and Baggett, "1914-1918").
For the Green Howards, 65,000 men served in the First World War. Of these men, 7,500 died and 23,000 were wounded.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after the graves of 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars and the 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and other locations world-wide where they are commemorated. Of the 1.7 million, the remains of only 925,000 were found and their graves are marked by a headstone. Where the remains were not found, the casualty's name is commemorated on a memorial.
The Royal British Legion ensures that the memory of those who died is perpetuated through the Festivals of Remembrance, and organises its annual Poppy Appeal to help raise funds to support its vital welfare work. For the significance of the Poppy, and the Festivals of Remembrance, please select from the button below;-
-----------------> Return to top of the page
 |
To help understand the tragedy of the conflict,
this website tells the story of a young soldier in the Yorkshire Regiment,
- WILLIAM OLIVER WATSON, whose own life was
cut tragically short by this war. Select the image on the left to be taken to a page where his story is told, and where you can find out something about his family, - and his brother who was killed in the Second World War. |
Additionally, to help understand the SCALE of the conflict and its effect on lives everywhere, this website has collected information on;-
1. Memorials in North Yorkshire to the men of the Yorkshire Regiment
2. War Graves in North Yorkshire of men of the Yorkshire Regiment, together with other Cemeteries where they are buried.
3. A Roll of Honour for men of the Yorkshire Regiment who came from North Yorkshire and who both served and died in the conflict. The information for this Roll of Honour comes from a database provided by the Beck Isle Museum, Pickering.
You may select from the images below to be taken to these pages.
 |
 |
 |