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7 December 1917: Pte James Shuttleworth

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James was born in Cowling, Yorkshire to parents John (a worsted weaver) and Ann. He was one of 13 children, 10 of whom lived beyond childhood (he had 3 brothers, Christopher and Gladstone who died in their first, William when he was 8). James went to work in the local cotton mill. He attended Cowling Infant School then went to work as a cotton we…

28 January 1918: Bombadier Sidney Wagstaff

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Parents Jesse Braizer Wagstaff (Ironmonger and House Furnisher) of 229, Great Western Street, Moss Side, Manchester. Before the outbreak of war Sidney was employed in his father’s furnishing business. He was for many years a member of the Manchester Wednesday Motor and Cycling Club. In 1913 Sidney won the Anfield 100 CC Mile Unpaced Invitatio…

29 July 1918 : Charles Foster

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Second son of William Foster (who owned a brass foundry he had founded) and Emma (née Haig - no relation) At the 1881 England Census the parents had four children and two domestic servants and lived at 63 Savile Park Road, Halifax In March 1881 Charles’s mother died and his younger brother Harold died in June that year. At 2 years old Charles w…

From Gaza to Jerusalem

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At the start of 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) crossed the border from Egypt into Palestine. After a pause to build up their logistics, in March and April 1917 they made two failed attempts to break through the Ottoman lines around Gaza and advance north into the country. The summer was spent digging in, re-organising, and re-buildi…

'Gaza to Jerusalem; The Palestine Campaigns of 1917' - Stuart Hadaway

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In this talk Stuart tells the story of 1917 in Palestine. It covers the story of the three battles of Gaza, the first two which were disastrous in outcome for the attacking British and Empire forces. A change in force commander and support led to the attacks on Beersheba and the capture of Gaza. The talk then covers subsequent actions to the entry …

Pyramids and Fleshpots

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Stuart Hadaway - Pyramids and Fleshpots: The Egyptian, Senussi and Eastern Mediterranean Campaigns, 1914-16. Men in the trenches of the Western Front may have envied those who spent the war among the 'pyramids and fleshpots' of the exotic East, but the war in the desert was far from a picnic. The defence of Egypt, and especially the Suez Canal, w…