26 March 2011

Military matters ....

Every time I find a new male ancestor born in the 1890s I get mildly depressed.  In the sense that my heart sinks as I wonder: "did he grow up to get chewed up in the military machine of the Great War?"

Alas, I found another two this morning who fulfilled this sad thought.  And they were brothers.  Cecil and Albert Blaydon, of Luton, were my fourth cousins three times removed and the sons of Sydney & Mary (Lily).  Both joined the Bedfordshire Regiment and ended up in the 1st/5th Battalion.

Albert died at Suvla Bay, aged 18, in 1915 and his brother Cecil, older by two years, died in Palestine two years later having, I assume, survived the hell of Gallipoli.

One thing I did learn was that both brothers were killed by Turkish forces.  I had no idea that the Turks were the opposition in Palestine, so that's increased my knowledge.

More soon.

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