Brown Edge

Great War

The Great War Project

This year (2014) is obviously 100 years since the start of what some people call World War One (WW1) but is officially termed “The Great War”. It was called the Great War because  this type and scale of utter and total devastation had never been seen before and indeed not since.

It changed the way we fought wars, lived our peace, and thought about each other. When the war started people said “It would all be over before Christmas” and joined up, as in previous wars, in groups of friends, brothers, father and sons, workers from the same estate and even football teams.  Just as they fought side by side, unfortunately they also died side by side, Mown down by the new terror weapons, machine guns.

Men (and women) from our village did what happened in every village throughout the land they joined up in ignorance of what was to come. Most families lost sons or relatives.

It is my personal aim is to record all those who went to war from Brown Edge and to tell their story.  We have two starting points for this research, the record of those who didn’t come back (the war memorials) and the photograph given to me by Dennis Mosedale which is now widely copied around the village.

Brown Edge Great War Injured
Clicking on this picture will take you to a page that will enable you to look closely at the picture and add any information that you know about anyone you recognise.
Brown Edge Soldiers who served to the end of the War
Clicking on this picture will take you to a page that will enable you to look closely at the picture and add any information that you know about anyone you recognise.
Great War Brown Edge Memorial
Clicking on this picture will take you to a page that will enable you to look closely at the picture and add any information that you know about anyone you recognise.

I simply cannot do this research on my own and will require assistance from the older members of our community.

Firstname Surname Link
Edward Adams Link
George Bailey
Edgar Basnett
John Booth
Arthur Bourne
William Bowyer
Isiah Ford
James Frost Link
Joseph Goodwin
Fred Gunn Link
Samuel Hall
Thomas Hall
Samuel Hancock
Joseph Hancock

 

 

 

 

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Peter Turner

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17 responses to “The Great War Project”

  1. Ken

    **WWII Casualty**
    Can anyone please help me regarding John Evans, who married Elsie, of Brown Edge, Staffordshire?
    I know that John was Staffordshire born, and that he served in the 50th Tank Regiment during WWII and was Killed in Action on the 22nd March 1943, in Tunisia.
    At the time of John’s death, Elsie was still residing in Brown Edge.
    How old was John?
    Thank you so much.
    Ken
    UKIPA533@yahoo.com

    Reply
  2. John Sheldon

    Joseph Sheldon (1896-1917) was the son of Samuel Sheldon and Hannah (Nee) Cumberlidge. He was living with his parents at Steinfields Farm Brown Edge in 1901 and living at Leek Road Milton in 1911 with his uncle, Arthur James (a Butcher), who had married Joseph’s aunt Sarah. He was killed at Pashendale in 1917 but I can’t find a record on the War Graves site.
    Jesse Sheldon (1880- 1918) was the son of Josiah/Jesse Sheldon and Caroline (nee Bowyer) who later married Ephraim Sherratt. He was living with his parents at Sandy Lane Brown Edge in 1881 and living with the Davenport family at 28 Navigation Road Burslem in 1901. He later married their daughter Louisa and they lived at 46 Navigation Road. He served with the 7th Battalion, North Staffs Regiment. He is included in the War Graves site as killed in action but is buried in Burslem Cemetery.

    Reply
  3. John Iverson

    It occurs to me that my email address may not be usable in the U.K. My cell number is 1-562-777-4254

    Reply
  4. John Iverson

    Good morning: My name is John Iverson and I live in Beaumont, California. I have had in my collection a commemorative plate “presented by the inhabitants of Brown Edge in memory of Pte Joseph Kennet Goodwin who went forth from his native village in the Great War and laid down his life….”. It finally has occurred to me that someone may still be around who would want to have this plate . I would be glad to send it at my expense to someone who would appreciate it. Let me know when you can. all the best, John

    Reply
    1. admin

      Hi John
      Im sorry about the delay in replying. For some reason the website has stopped sending me messages. We would indeed be very grateful for the commemorative plate coming back to the village. We are starting to collect items of interest such as this for our village memories archive. Could i ask if you are related to Joe?

      Reply
    2. John Iverson

      Hi: I thought that I would check back again to see if there had been a reply and was glad to see one. I would be glad to send the plate. Could you send to me a direct name and address to which to send the plate? I would be glad to see that it is back in good hands. No–I am not related but have had a great interest much of my life in World War I and many years ago bought the plate in a thrift shop near Los Angeles. It would be interesting to learn just how it made its way there!

      Reply
  5. davidsmith5261@outlook.com

    i im just wondering if any body from brown edge has got any old photos of world war one soldiers from norton green. thank dave smith norton green.

    Reply
  6. davidsmith5261@outlook.com

    dave smith from norton green. i im just wondering if any body from brown edge has got any pictures of people from norton green in world war one .

    Reply
  7. David simcock

    John Simcock who is commemorated on the village war memorial was my great uncle. He was killed on 30th December 1917 which was also his birthday. He is buried in Ribecourt British Cemetery near Cambrai. He was a private in the North Staffordshire regiment. The family have a commemorative plate which was given to his parents we think by the people of Brown Edge after his death.

    Reply
  8. Sue Mountford

    Arthur Bourne was my Mother’s uncle. The story has always been that Arthur lied about his age and enlisted when he was 16. He died in France, his body never being found. National Archives show that he was Private 57713 in the Lancashire Fusiliers and was killed in action on 1st September 1918.

    Arthur was one of 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls. My Mother, Alice, was born on 30th October 1917 to Jim Bourne, Arthur’s brother.

    Reply
    1. Sue Mountford

      Further to my comment about Arthur Bourne, it transpires that his body WAS found and he is buried at Bancourt British Cemetery, France

      Reply
    2. Alice Harrison

      Hello,
      Further to your email I would like to add that Arthur Bourne was my father’s uncle and he was named after him. We also believed that Private Arthur Bourne’s body was never found.
      Jim Bourne was therefore my grandfather and Alice, your mother, was my aunt.

      Reply
    3. clare beddoes

      Hi sue mountford you could be a relative I have an Esther Mountford in my family tree she is my great grandmother.

      Reply
  9. Philip Matthews

    We currently have for sale the British War Medal 1914-1918 awarded to 19551 Private ALBERT FINNEY, North Staffordshire Regiment, who lived at St Annes Vale, Brown Edge and enlisted on 3 December 1915: He served in Mesopotamia with the 7th.Battalion and later transferred to the Military Foot Police: He returned home to Bank End, Brown Edge in March 1919: He is recorded as marrying Mary Goodwin at St Annes Church, Brown Edge on 15 October 1898 and they had one son named Percy who was born on 14 July 1906 at Brown Edge.

    Reply
  10. Roy Gasken

    My Uncle Hugh Gasken enlisted in the North Staffs 1914 as Private16140 after training he was transferred to 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment and arrived in France on the 4th May1915 he fought thru 1915-1916 and after the Battle of the Some he was promoted to L/Cpl and had leave at home before returning to France to join The 8th Battalion Lincs he fell at he Battle of Arras on the 23rd April 1917 he is remembered at the Arras Memorial Pas de Calais.
    His Daughter Edna was born on the 27th May 1917.

    Reply
    1. Robert Booth

      Hi, Roy

      It’s probably a long shot that you read this but I think it’s great that you have this information. I assume that, given your surname is still Gasken and you call Hugh your uncle, you are a son of Charlie Gasken?
      Edna May, Hugh’s sister, was my great grandmother and I was wondering if you had any other information on, well, anything really. I’m compiling a fairly comprehensive family history and would love for you to get in touch if you chance upon this message.

      Reply
  11. David Cliffe

    Ernest Clowes of Ball Lane, Brown Edge, enlisted on May 29, 1918 aged 35 – as a colliery under-manager he had not enlisted earlier in the war. He joined B Company, 5th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment and qualified as a Lewis gunner. Posted to Belgium at the start of October 1918 with the rank of Private and was taken prisoner very soon afterwards during fighting at Ypres. He was transferred to the Dulmen POW camp in Germany. Liberated after the Armistice, he eventually arrived back in Ball Lane on January 29 1919 and went back to his work in local collieries. Though he eventually lost his sight, probably as a result of a mining accident, he lived to old age at Milton.

    Reply

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