I am not a great reader of novels, but one author I particularly like is Sebastian Faulks. Probably the best known of his novels is "Birdsong", generally recognised as one of the best novels (if one can use this adjective for such horror) about The First World War. This focuses on something which to me was an unknown element of this conflict until I'd read the book, namely that of the tactic of soldiers tunnelling under German lines to place explosives, with them operating vice-versa. It also has local connections given that most of the tunnels were being dug by ex-Nottinghamshire miners. If you've never read it I can fully recommend it, though it doesn't pull any punches in telling of the horrors of The Great War. However that is not the main point of this email. I have just read one of his recent novels, "A Possible Life", which actually is a collection of short stories that end up having links - but I won't spoil it for those who may want to read it by saying anymore. One of the stories follows the life of a young boy from his childhood in the mid 1800's through to the end of that century. His father had been a shoemaker in London employing several people but the business collapsed because of The Crimea War and the boy had to be put in The Workhouse. The reasons given were twofold - the shortage of male workers, and a massive rise in price for leather. Now I know that Sebastian Faulks does impeccable research for his novels, so I have little doubt that what is related in the novel is correct. However I can find nothing about this on the internet - not a massive search though, I have to admit - so I wondered if any other family historians here can shed light on this. I think most of us know about the economic and social changes brought about by the First World War, and certainly World War 2. Some of us knowing first-hand about the latter, even if like me it was only the rationing and lack of certain things in the immediate post-war period. So the question I am asking is, does anyone know of any paper written on the social and economic effects of this war - apart from the obvious Florence Nightingale ones? And moreover does anyone have a leather working ancestor (shoemaker etc) in their tree, who too went from being relatively well-off to ending up poor and even in The Workhouse? If they did, then the reasons used in this novel may explain the situation. Brian Binns

Brian This is very interesting. My gg grandfather was a cordwainer and leather dresser who at the time of the 1841 census was living and working in Bermondsey with his wife and children. Following his wife's death in 1849, he and the younger children ended up in the workhouse where he died from bronchitis five years later. I had always assumed that they went into the workhouse simply because my gg grandfather couldn't mange to look after the family on his own but now your email has made me wonder whether his business might not have suffered a down-turn as well. Thank you for sharing this with the List. Lizzie On Sun, Aug 4, 2013 at 11:32 AM, Brian Binns <bnbinns@gmail.com> wrote: > I am not a great reader of novels, but one author I particularly like is > Sebastian Faulks. > I have just read one of his recent novels, "A Possible Life", which actually is a collection of > short stories that end up having links > One of the stories follows the life of a young boy from his childhood in the > mid 1800's through to the end of that century. His father had been a > shoemaker in London employing several people but the business collapsed > because of The Crimea War and the boy had to be put in The Workhouse. The > reasons given were twofold - the shortage of male workers, and a massive > rise in price for leather. Now I know that Sebastian Faulks does impeccable > research for his novels, so I have little doubt that what is related in the > novel is correct. However I can find nothing about this on the internet - > not a massive search though, I have to admit - so I wondered if any other > family historians here can shed light on this. > > And moreover does anyone have a leather working ancestor > (shoemaker etc) in their tree, who too went from being relatively well-off > to ending up poor and even in The Workhouse? If they did, then the reasons > used in this novel may explain the situation. > > > > Brian Binns > >

anohter vbery inmteresting book based around WW1 is TheSandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian - real eye opener Di Mckee AUckland New Zealalnd researching VICKERS NOtts, Canada, Colorado, and USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Binns" <bnbinns@gmail.com> To: <nottsgen@rootsweb.com>; <leicestershire-plus@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 10:32 PM Subject: [NTT] Effects of The Crimea War >I am not a great reader of novels, but one author I particularly like is > Sebastian Faulks. > > > > Probably the best known of his novels is "Birdsong", generally recognised > as > one of the best novels (if one can use this adjective for such horror) > about > The First World War. This focuses on something which to me was an unknown > element of this conflict until I'd read the book, namely that of the > tactic > of soldiers tunnelling under German lines to place explosives, with them > operating vice-versa. It also has local connections given that most of the > tunnels were being dug by ex-Nottinghamshire miners. If you've never read > it > I can fully recommend it, though it doesn't pull any punches in telling of > the horrors of The Great War. > > > > However that is not the main point of this email. I have just read one of > his recent novels, "A Possible Life", which actually is a collection of > short stories that end up having links - but I won't spoil it for those > who > may want to read it by saying anymore. > > > > One of the stories follows the life of a young boy from his childhood in > the > mid 1800's through to the end of that century. His father had been a > shoemaker in London employing several people but the business collapsed > because of The Crimea War and the boy had to be put in The Workhouse. The > reasons given were twofold - the shortage of male workers, and a massive > rise in price for leather. Now I know that Sebastian Faulks does > impeccable > research for his novels, so I have little doubt that what is related in > the > novel is correct. However I can find nothing about this on the internet - > not a massive search though, I have to admit - so I wondered if any other > family historians here can shed light on this. I think most of us know > about > the economic and social changes brought about by the First World War, and > certainly World War 2. Some of us knowing first-hand about the latter, > even > if like me it was only the rationing and lack of certain things in the > immediate post-war period. > > > > So the question I am asking is, does anyone know of any paper written on > the > social and economic effects of this war - apart from the obvious Florence > Nightingale ones? And moreover does anyone have a leather working ancestor > (shoemaker etc) in their tree, who too went from being relatively well-off > to ending up poor and even in The Workhouse? If they did, then the reasons > used in this novel may explain the situation. > > > > Brian Binns > > > > Notts Surname List > > http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hughw/notts.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NOTTSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Brian, have you seen the movie Beneath Hill 60, only made pretty recenty, its about the tunnelling by soldiers of various countries.. Jenelle.. -----Original Message----- From: leicestershire-plus-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:leicestershire-plus-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Brian Binns Sent: Sunday, 4 August 2013 8:33 PM To: nottsgen@rootsweb.com; leicestershire-plus@rootsweb.com Subject: [LEI] Effects of The Crimea War I am not a great reader of novels, but one author I particularly like is Sebastian Faulks. Probably the best known of his novels is "Birdsong", generally recognised as one of the best novels (if one can use this adjective for such horror) about The First World War. This focuses on something which to me was an unknown element of this conflict until I'd read the book, namely that of the tactic of soldiers tunnelling under German lines to place explosives, with them operating vice-versa. It also has local connections given that most of the tunnels were being dug by ex-Nottinghamshire miners. If you've never read it I can fully recommend it, though it doesn't pull any punches in telling of the horrors of The Great War. However that is not the main point of this email. I have just read one of his recent novels, "A Possible Life", which actually is a collection of short stories that end up having links - but I won't spoil it for those who may want to read it by saying anymore. One of the stories follows the life of a young boy from his childhood in the mid 1800's through to the end of that century. His father had been a shoemaker in London employing several people but the business collapsed because of The Crimea War and the boy had to be put in The Workhouse. The reasons given were twofold - the shortage of male workers, and a massive rise in price for leather. Now I know that Sebastian Faulks does impeccable research for his novels, so I have little doubt that what is related in the novel is correct. However I can find nothing about this on the internet - not a massive search though, I have to admit - so I wondered if any other family historians here can shed light on this. I think most of us know about the economic and social changes brought about by the First World War, and certainly World War 2. Some of us knowing first-hand about the latter, even if like me it was only the rationing and lack of certain things in the immediate post-war period. So the question I am asking is, does anyone know of any paper written on the social and economic effects of this war - apart from the obvious Florence Nightingale ones? And moreover does anyone have a leather working ancestor (shoemaker etc) in their tree, who too went from being relatively well-off to ending up poor and even in The Workhouse? If they did, then the reasons used in this novel may explain the situation. Brian Binns ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to LEICESTERSHIRE-PLUS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message