Mines Rescue

2014 sees the 100th Anniversary of the start of World War One and the 75th Anniversary since the start of World War Two. I will be developing this section on my website specifically dedicated to both World Wars

If you have been passed down any memories or photographs I would really love to hear from you or if you know of a family member who fought in either of the wars and would like them remembered then please contact me.

THE RED POPPY

Long before the Great War, the red poppy had become a symbol of death, renewal and life. The seeds of the flower can remain dormant in the earth for years, but will blossom spectacularly when the soil is churned. Beginning in late 1914, the fields of Northern France and Flanders became the scene of stupendous disturbances. Red Poppys soon appeared.

In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row by row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard among the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If yea break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae was buried in a military cemetery near Calais on the English Channel, thus becoming one with those of whom he wrote in his famous poem. Probably by the time of his internment, John McCrae's verse had forever bound the image of the Red Poppy to the memory of the Great War. The poppy was eventually adopted by the British and Canadian Legions as the symbol of remembrance of World War One and a means of raising funds for disabled veterans.

One way you can commemorate the occasion is by planting poppies. See the dedicated website

World War One

Ashby-De-La-Zouch and Normanton-Le-Heath 1914 - 1915 - Chris Berry (Leading to External Link - Face Book)
Back From The Field Of Conflict And Lost Their Lives In The Pits
Robert Bradley's History of Coal Mining and World War I
Pip, Squeak and Wilfred - The 1914 or 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred
Helen Coan - Looking for information about Herbert Green who lived in Stanley, worked at Stanley Pit and WW1
Mapperley Colliers War Memorial, West Hallam, Derbyshire
My Grandad James Carroll - Had a very hard life, as a child begging on the streets of Glasgow, sent to a Training Ship, down to the mines in Wales aged 10, off to the War aged 18, badly injured, back to the pits
World War I - Miners At World War - Researched by John Lumsdon

World War Two

Emails