Call for Glaswegians to tell their family First World War stories
Monday 19 May 2014
The Lord Provost was joined by the family of one of Glasgow's First World War Victoria Cross winners to launch a project which aims to collect the untold stories of Glaswegians during the conflict.
Eventually the stories will become an online memorial to the Glaswegians who played a role in the war either on the front line or home front.
Some 200,000 Glasgow men volunteered for the Great War leaving behind their jobs and loved ones, of those 18,000 lost their lives,with a further 34,500 left injured many seriously.
Among those who went to war and survived was Henry May from Bridgeton, who earned a Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry that a British and Commonwealth serviceman can achieve, in the First World War.
Mr May's great-granddaughter, Jennifer McInnes, today helped the Lord Provost launch the www.firstworldwarglasgow.co.uk website and the call for stories which will become a permanent online tribute to Glasgow's war memories. The website was designed and produced in-house by Glasgow City Council.
The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Cllr Sadie Docherty, said she was delighted to meet the family of Henry May, who features on the new website: "Hearing the personal stories of Glaswegians both at home and at war are an important way for us to gain an insight into our city's history.
"With the 100th anniversary of Britain's entry into the war fast approaching on the 4 August, 2014, we want to ensure we create a living and online memorial to the men and women of our city who were involved in helping the war effort both at home and on the front line."
In particular Glasgow would like to trace the families of the city's other Victoria Cross winners in order that they can have a say in where the paving stones being created by the UK Government for each First World War recipients should be placed in their home town or city.
The Lord Provost added: "We would particularly like to trace any family members of our city's Victoria Cross winners so they can help the city properly commemorate these brave men.
"We hope that many Glaswegians will take this opportunity to upload their stories to the Glasgow database. It is only by reading the stories of ordinary men and women from Glasgow that we can appreciate how ordinary people experience and achieve extraordinary things in war time."
The launch comes ahead of the 4 August 100th anniversary commemoration for the Commonwealth of Britain's entry into the war which will be held at Glasgow Cathedral, followed by a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in George Square.
Jennifer McInnes said: "We are very proud of my great grandfather Henry May's amazing courage and valour during the First World War. My great grandfather's story is well documented due mainly to the fact he won a Victoria Cross. I hope that his story will inspire other Glaswegians both at home and abroad to delve into their own family's war history. The centenary of the start of the First World War has sparked so much interest in the stories of the soldiers and veterans that I hope we will get to learn about other men and women's tales from the conflict."
Private May, was a reservist with The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) on 22 October 1914, when he braved a "hail of lead" to rescue first one soldier and then another at La Boutillerie, France.
Modest about his actions, Private May later said: "I just did what any man in the regiment would have done to bring in a wounded man."
King George presented the VC to May on 12 August, 1915. He resumed his work in textiles in Bridgeton, where he had been born, and lived with his wife and three children.
Glasgow received money from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a database of Glasgow's First World War stories, as well as, an education programme to get school children learning about the names behind the war memorials in their local areas.
The Heritage Lottery Fund money was part of its Centenary programme to enable communities to conserve and share their First World War heritage and develop projects that improve understanding of the conflict.
