Description
The Great War of 1914-19 left an indelible mark on Saddleworth, as with communities across the nation. The book vividly records Saddleworth’s experience of the Great War in both a local and a national context. The focus is very much on the personal experiences of local individuals in both the military theatres and on the home front. The progress of the war is described from year to year and battle to battle. Most local men joined the Colne Valley battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. Saddleworth suffered heavy losses, 20% of those who served were killed. 259 names are recorded on the Pots and Pans War Memorial; a gross underestimate of the total, the book gives a short account of each of them and identifies another 65 fatalities not recorded at the time. Many more were seriously wounded. Many were decorated for valour. The book draws on local newspaper accounts to paint a picture of what was happening on the home front; the trials, anxieties and personal battles of those left behind in the villages.
