The First World War in Objects
As the First World War drew to a close, and in the weeks and months after the Armistice, a number of veterans’ associations were formed throughout the UK. In many ways, this was a result of the social revolution that the war had created. These organisations, an important platform for former service personnel to remember lost comrades, retained a degree of camaraderie and discussed the post-war issues veterans faced as well as forming an influential social movement in their own right. One of these organisations was the Comrades of the Great War.
Formed in 1917, the organisation was the idea of a number of individuals, not least of whom were the Conservative MP Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Norton-Griffiths and Lord Derby, then Secretary of State for War. However, a predominance of politicians and officers on the national committee in the early stages was a deterrent to many ex-sevicemen and recruitment was initially poor. In an attempt to broaden the organisation’s appeal, Lord Derby appointed Captain E.B.B. Towse, VC, as chairman. Towse had been awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Magersfontein during the Second Boer War – an action during which he was blinded. …
