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FOR king and country ... David Robertson Young around the time of the First World War when he was in the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders
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Town's history in Great War to be recorded
16/ 8/2008
HISTORY tells us that the great guns of war finally fell silent on the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918, thus bringing to an end the bloodiest war in the history of the world.
Now, 90 years after the First World War ended, a group of enthusiastic amateur historians, is embarking on an exciting project which members hope will record the part that thousands of Rochdale men played in the ‘War to end all wars’ – a conflict that cost the lives of more than 20 million people, both military and civilian.
Sometimes known as the Great War, the battles which raged between 1914 and 1918 saw Rochdale soldiers serving with the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France, in Gallipoli, Turkey and in the Middle East.
Many Rochdalians – well over 2,000 men – never returned.
They remain in cemeteries or are remembered where they fell, often in foreign fields, so far from home
Of these soldiers, a small number were men who, though born in the Rochdale area, had emigrated to find health, wealth and prosperity in Australia, Canada and other parts of the far-flung British Empire.
They returned to Britain to support the Allied cause in the war against Germany and the Austrian empire.
Many of the brave and heroic deeds have been recorded but, at least as far as Rochdale is concerned, there has never been a complete record of Rochdale soldiers who served King and Country during that dreadful war.
But that position might be about to change, thanks to a challenging project by Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society, which is aiming to unlock data sources to enable the people of Rochdale to readily access and understand an important part of the town’s history.
One interesting aspect to all the research that such a major project will need is that many soldiers from the Indian sub-continent also served with the Allied forces. Therefore the directory would also seek to acknowledge their important contribution from relatives of new Rochdalians if the relevant information can be provided.
The project – and the society – is enlisting the help of a number of sources, including the Observer and its readers, Touchstones Rochdale, Army records and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, to create an accessible ‘Directory of Rochdale Soldiers’ which will be achieved through a combination of photographs and data.
And while most research to date has been around soldiers mentioned on local war memorials and rolls of honour, soldiers who outlived the conflict – such as Spotland-born Frank Whipp whose story was told in a recent Bygones article on these pages – would be included where details can be obtained.
The society hopes the project will be jointly sponsored by Touchstones Rochdale with additional help from Rochdale Council departments, including the education department through local schools.
The aim is to have the complete directory by 2014, the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, but it may be ready earlier than that if enough material is found.
Briefly the website would contain the name of each and every known Rochdale soldier who served, details of casualty lists, relevant articles and pictures of soldiers who died in the war, where they fought, which regiment they were in and where they were employed before or after the war.
In addition, a CD would also be produced.
Bernard Pratt, a spokesman for Littleborough Historical and Archaeological Society, said: "The project should provide the people of Rochdale with details of how the Great War impacted on their relatives and townships.
"While it will not necessarily be of interest to all, its value in educational terms could be significant as scholars now have to study the First World War and local history as part of their Sats exams.
"The project will also demonstrate that the society and Touchstones are actively promoting heritage and history and can co-operate on projects for the benefit of the wider community."
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