Sorry all I have no idea how to get to the personal messages . Can someone please explain ?
As to Harry deserting from the army , that agrees with a tale from " Nanny ." My great aunt Elizabeth ,was Lillian ' s sister , & bought up my Mum Eileen GM , my sister , & myself . Nanny said that Harry did" run away from the army " . He was called up & because he was tall he went to the Guards . She explained that this was not something that he could manage . To be fair , I don't think it was cowardice , the war was CARNAGE , of the worst kind . I have recently read quite a bit about it as my local family history soc. are doing an exhibition on the Somme & I am involved.
In fact Lilian's brother George Frederick Warby was killed in 1917 leaving a wife & child , & there was another Warby relative who was also killed at roughly the same time as a young man in his 20's .
I think unless you have researched WW 1 a bit you forget how dreadful the carnage was .
16 million were thought to be killed throughout the war , not only France , Russia , Turkey, Africa, both north & south & even South America . Anyone who deserted was for the firing squad even young boys 14 upwards who should not have been there in the first place could & were shot for desertion .
Please keep me posted. Sincerely Jackie
