sharing Solihull's local history
Former Private Abraham Critchlow was the last known Solihull First World War veteran whose death was attributable to his war service. He died on 7th February 1935, aged 51, and was buried at Robin Hood Cemetery following a funeral service at St Alphege Church.
Continue reading “7th February 1935”
For Remembrance Day 2025, Solihull Libraries are encouraging people to complete a Remembrance Card to commemorate a loved one who served in the Armed Forces. It could be an ancestor who died or served during wartime, or someone whose military service included only peacetime operations.
Continue reading “Solihull Remembers”
During the Solihull Remembers project to commemorate each of the Borough’s First World War casualties on the centenary of their death, library staff worked with researchers from across the Borough, including a team from St Margaret’s Church, Olton. The names of the 52 men on the war memorial in the church were researched. It was found that there were at least 30 other casualties with a local connection whose names were not included on the memorial.
Continue reading “Olton Remembers the First World War”
Former Gunner Walter Stanley Zair died on 30th March 1923 of pulmonary tuberculosis, caused by his war service.
Stan, as he was known, was born at Lindenhurst, Trafalgar Road, Moseley on 12th February 1881 and was the youngest of the nine children of whip manufacturer, George Zair (1839-1914), and his wife, Fanny (née Blackburn) who had married in Great Barr in 1865. His siblings were:
Continue reading “30th March 1923”
At 3pm on 16th October 1938, a war memorial erected by the Solihull, Shirley, and Olton branches of the British Legion was unveiled at Robin Hood Cemetery. The intention was that the The Old Comrades’ grave would provide “a resting-place for old soldiers who die friendless or whose relatives cannot afford the cost of private burial.”
Continue reading “British Legion War Memorial, Solihull Cemetery”
William Henry Clark, a former Air Mechanic with the Royal Air Force, died in Shirley on 25th July 1922, aged 36, leaving his widow, Lilian, with three young children aged seven, five and two.
Continue reading “25th July 1922”
Many local men and youths went away to war and the local Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital set up at Prospect Villas in Marston Green served to provide all too necessary care for the wounded who returned home. Sadly 13 were never to return from this conflict.
Continue reading “Marston Green VAD Hospital”
Major Richard Johnstone, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, died at his home in Saltisford, Warwick on 14th February 1922 as a result of contracting pneumonia. He was 47 years old and his officer’s correspondence file at The National Archives indicates that his death was attributable to his war service.
Continue reading “14th February 1922”
Former Private Stephen Henry Kettle, aged 44, died on 26th January 1922 at St George’s Hospital, Doncaster, where he was receiving treatment for injuries received on active service in France. He is buried at St James’s Churchyard, Shirley, Solihull.
Continue reading “26th January 1922”
The unveiling and dedication of Solihull War Memorial in The Square, Solihull, took place on the afternoon of Sunday 19th June 1921 in a ceremony arranged by Brigadier-General Walter Robert Ludlow (1857-1941) whose youngest son had been killed at the Battle of Beaumont Hamel in 1916. This was not the first memorial to the fallen that Solihull parish had erected – a Calvary shrine had been unveiled at Easter 1917.
Continue reading “Solihull War Memorial”
Solihull Life 