During this month, each weekday I'm posting a different
image showing aspects of Cornwall's First World War.
This image is from the St Austell Star newspaper of 3 September 1914. It's headlined: 'FIrst St Austell Young Men to Enlist.'
It continues: 'Messrs W P Northey (left) and J G Wills (right), both members of the staff at Messrs Barclays and Co, bankers, St Austell branch, and Mr Frank Blight (centre) of Messrs J G Blight and Sons, Fore Street, and captain of the St Austell Football Club, enlisted with the Territorials (5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry) on Saturday.
'They are the first young men from St Austell not previously connected with the services, to enlist since the outbreak of war, and their splendid lead and courageous example will no doubt be followed by many others.'
I wonder what happened to these brave men. Would St Austell's war memorial reveal their fate? Or did they somehow survive the dreadful four-year holocaust?
Any thoughts or information on these gentlemen would be most appreciated.
Update, 3 November: Poltair History Department https://twitter.com/HistoryPoltair has very kindly checked out these men. No record can be found of them on war memorials in and around the St Austell area, so it looks as if all three may have survived four years of fighting. Many thanks for this information.
My book, 'Cornwall In The First World War', is published by
Truran. With 112 pages and 100 images, you'll find it in bookshops across the
Duchy. It's also available through Amazon: http://amzn.to/19JbtZm
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