Hi Andy
I bought my first ebay badge from you yesterday! was terribly nervous of making an online purchase as I don't want to get ripped off, but I followed you on here so knew I was in safe hands(
stalker alert) I know its relatively unusual still to have a girly interested in militaria or military history(though there are more around than ever I'm glad to notice), there are people still people picking their jaws up off their floor on the Great War Forum(marriage proposals have been received!
) I will shock you further by telling you I hate shopping, don't give a stuff about handbags or shoes, my favourite movie is the Battle of Britain, and ideal way to spend an evening would be curled up watching that or reading anything by Peter Barton or Richard Van Emden. Ideal day out IWM Duxford, or RAF Hendon. Spitfire's *sighs*
Hi Gerard
My Granddad was with the 4th Middlesex at the start of the Great War when he was 15, he also served with the Scottish Rifles and East Surreys, then Blackwatch inter wars and RA in WW2, I am of course still interested in all of those but have spent a lot of time reading the 4th Middlesex war diaries from start to finish even after Granddad was transferred to another regiment, I just couldn't put it down and although the 4th Middlesex diaries contain some of the worst handwriting I have ever encountered(other then a RAMC Officers diary-Bloomin' doctors handwriting!)
I have a special fondness for them(e.g February 1915 "Germans bailing out their trench, volley fired, there was no more immediate bailing of the trench" Christmas Eve 1915 "Germans calling out from their trench that they only want peace, we fired off a rally, they didn't call out after that" I guess the warnings after the 1914 ceasefire were heeded!) and have made them my pet battalion so to speak!
As for the Rifle Brigade I have a Gt, Gt Uncle who was in 10th Battalion, was killed at Canal Bank in 1917 and is buried at Bard Cottage Cemetery near Boezinghe. I have kind of "adopted" him and make sure he is remembered, just started with the Rifle Brigade war diaries this week.
My granddad had a massive family their are literally dozens of cousins, same on my maternal side of the family and my aim is to research as fully as I can all those who fought in the Great War and have period badges for each one.
Of course that's the sensible me, and we all know what will happen is I will just want one of everything and I will end up penniless!
Apologies for the long post
Allison