…Another HH regular, James Hyde, had brought the Blackburn & District Branch Standard, which has recently acquired. It had been rescued some time earlier from a skip… 5/

…The rest of the exhibition is from items already held in the GWH Collection, including the original pub sign from The Old Contemptibles in Birmingham, painted by Great War cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather in 1953… 6/

…Andrew agrees that this is probably the largest collection of Old Contemptibles material gathered together in one place for a very long time, or possibly ever. It has been a pleasure to gather this material together for the event today, and to share it all with you all… 7/

…in 2014 the Old Contemptibles hardly received a mention during the #FWW Centenary coverage, so we are very pleased to keep their stories alive today - 110 years after the first of them set foot in France in August 1914. “For God, King and Country” 8/End

An advertisement placed in 'The Old Contemptible' No. 4 of July 1931 by Chum Leo Norbury Murphy, founder and President of the Ypres Branch of The Old Contemptibles' Association.

76 years ago - on Sunday 29 August 1948 - a memorial commemorating Captain John Patrick Danny was unveiled at the Red House in Clapton, where the first meeting of The Old Contemptibles' Association took place on 25 June 1925. youtu.be/wUiAvIVUkBU?si…

More material (114 entries) has been added to The Old Contemptibles' Association Scrap Book blog during August - all free to access and read. …lesassociationscrapbook.wordpress.com/blog/

Following Andrew Thornton Old Contemptibles talk at Great War Huts on Wednesday, I found this programme amongst my stuff. It’s from the Festival of Remembrance and Rededication at White Rock Theatre theatre in Hastings in 1971. The Chums marched in to ‘The Boys of The Old Brigade’!

95 years after its presentation, the Blackburn and District Branch Standard was brought to Great War Huts last Wednesday by its current custodian. Standard Presented to the Blackburn and District Branch at Annual Dinner - 7 August 1929 …lesassociationscrapbook.wordpress.com/2024/08/30/sta…

Beating Retreat in Brussels - 40 years ago: youtu.be/q_z4tdve4c0?si…

A couple of examples of what the Chums of The Old Contemptibles' Association knew as 'The Yellow Peril' - The London & South East Area Monthly Report, edited by Chum Harry Bird. Preserved by the late Teddy Noyes, they are now in the care of Great War Huts

Chums of the Margate Branch of The Old Contemptibles' Association, with their Standard, taking part in the parade through the town to mark Battle of Britain Sunday on 19 September 1954. The photograph is from my collection.

A real mystery. Can't locate Chum Garvin M.M. on the 1914 Star Roll; haven't got a reference to him as yet, and how did his Old Contemptibles' Association Memorial Plaque end up in Knokke-Heist... sincfala.be/106-museumcoll…

An original photograph taken in Mons during June 1940 - from my collection.

The names of a further 50 Chums have been added to The Old Contemptibles' Association Scrap Book blog tonight: Chums of The Old Contemptibles' Association (242) …lesassociationscrapbook.wordpress.com/2024/09/18/chu…

A panoramic view of Quaregnon, in the Borinage around Mons, taken by a German serviceman in September 1940. An original photograph in my collection.

Just nine months separate these photographs - the unveiling of the memorial to the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards at Casteau on 22 August 1939; and German troops photographed near Casteau on 22 May 1940. Both original photographs from my collection.