The Walker boys.: The stories of the men from Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne who served in the Great War. (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781520819273)

This book is a memorial to the memory of the men of Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, who played their part in the Great War. The men from various backgrounds, who were drawn together to fight in what at the time was assumed to be the war to end all wars. They included miners, riveters, barber's, boilermakers, clerks, engineers and labourers.When the call for mobilisation was made on 5th August 1914, Territorial Army reservists gathered at various drill halls across the city. Many men chose to enlist at the first opportunity and await their call up, whilst others held off and waited to be conscripted.Walker being a heavily industrial area at that time needed the men in the coal mines and the shipbuilding industries to keep the war machine moving. Heavy losses on the various battlefronts meant that although conscripts were coming through, more men were needed. The Government introduced the 'Military Service Act' in January 1916. Within four months a revised version of the Act was passed - All men - regardless of marital status - from the ages of 18 to 41 were liable to be called up to serve their country. The government also gained the right to re-examine men previously declared medically unfit for service. The act was modified again a number of times during the war, finally extending the age of eligibility to all men aged 17 to 51 and applied to men in Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Between August 1914 and the introduction of the first Military Service Act as many as three million men volunteered for military service. From January 1916 until the close of the war a further 2.3 million men were formally conscripted.This book isn't just a list of names, dates and regiments. It tells the stories of many of the men who served their country; their military records, commendations, disciplinary actions. In some cases descriptive details of a man's physical appearance, his eye and hair colour. Possibly some defining feature such as a tattoo or scar. News items local to Walker and not about the war, but the daily life for those on the home front.There are tales of men who travelled from as far as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to fight for the land of their birth. Officers and men who joined the locally raised 1/5th 'Fighting Fifth' Northumberland Fusiliers battalion, as well as those who joined the many other local and county raised battalions across Britain. The men of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, Mercantile Marine, Royal Naval Reserve. Those who worked in the shipyards, not just locally but sent as far away as the Clyde in Scotland and Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. The Tyneside Scottish and Tyneside Irish battalion's infamous involvement in the 1st July 1916 battle of the Somme, when over 20,000 men were killed on that day alone. What about the men who returned and of families left behind? Again, many of their tales are told here.Though from the same small community at birth, in death they were scattered far and wide. France, Belgium, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Israel England, Wales.Those who survived the war returned home - but it was never quite the same. The men who were still fit and healthy returned to work, many choosing the route of immigration and a new life in a new country. Their descendants now spread far and wide across the globe. Others meanwhile chose to stay close to the bosom of their family. The list of names is endless; Robson, Elliott, Heathcote, Goodwin, Knox, Lawson, Edwards, Whitehead, Tait, Maddison, Bell, McMurdo, North, Patterson, Phillips, McGee, Bilton, Calvert, Foley, Carmichael, Joicey, Turnbull, English, Snowball, McKee, Dodds, Hardy, Hellens, Lamb, McGinn, Fallon, Millican, Rooney, Henzel, Graham, Moffat, Proctor, Nicholson........

Author: Helen Charlesworth
ISBN-10: 1520819277
ISBN-13: 9781520819273
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 10/08/2017
Pages: 402
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.29lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.89d