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Hibs History
21-07-2014, 06:24 PM
New article from the Hibernian Historical Trust

Discussing the the involvement of the club, players and members of the Leith community during The Great War.

Hibernian Football Club in The Great War (http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/188-hibernian-football-club-in-the-great-war)

Link (http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/188-hibernian-football-club-in-the-great-war)

Please discuss and leave any comments below

GGTTH

Phil D. Rolls
21-07-2014, 06:31 PM
New article from the Hibernian Historical Trust

Discussing the the involvement of the club, players and members of the Leith community during The Great War.

Hibernian Football Club in The Great War (http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/188-hibernian-football-club-in-the-great-war)

Link (http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/188-hibernian-football-club-in-the-great-war)

Please discuss and leave any comments below

GGTTH

Great article, nice to see that relations between Hibs and Hearts were so strong that we were able to participate together to raise money for their war memorial.

Tom Hart RIP
21-07-2014, 07:06 PM
Fantastic article, well researched and very interesting. Well done to the HHT for bringing this to out attention.

DAVE1875
21-07-2014, 07:23 PM
Wait we went to war? I thought it was well documented that Hearts won the Great War all by themselves?

brog
21-07-2014, 07:35 PM
Superb article, well done to all at HHT.

Jonnyboy
21-07-2014, 07:42 PM
Fantastic article :agree:

Pat 0-7
21-07-2014, 07:53 PM
Great article.

pontius pilate
21-07-2014, 08:09 PM
Excellent article I enjoyed reading that. Thanks for sharing

Tinribs
21-07-2014, 08:16 PM
Thanks for the link, bloody terrible war that one. But so are they all i suppose.

Viva_Palmeiras
21-07-2014, 08:21 PM
Any Hibs links to the Gretna Junction disaster - my mum told me that incident set back Leith generations...

Viva_Palmeiras
21-07-2014, 08:24 PM
Every life lost regardless of side or team for that matter is tragic.

Imagine to think they'd be at it again not much over a generation later... We talk all to easily these days about feeling cheated what a burden these generations had to bear.

CentreLine
21-07-2014, 08:29 PM
The bravery of every last one of these men and boys, regardless of which club they played for or supported, is quite rightly recognised by every right minded person. And let's not stop there, my wife's grandfather, Hibs' prolific striker Pat Donohue, was killed in action as a rear gunner with the RAF in WWII.

Please let's not allowed this to become a ridiculous game of oneupmanship with supporters of other clubs but it would be nice to see a thread that recognises these truly heroic men. My own grandfather, resident in the Cowgate in 1902, was a military driver in WWI and my father served with the 7th Argyles and was shot in Sicily in 1943 WWII. Two more heroes but only one of them saw the Scottish Cup paraded by Hibs in Edinburgh :flag:

Pray4Marc
21-07-2014, 08:30 PM
We were all told Heart of Midlothian FC saved us from German occupation, I am in shock.

green day
21-07-2014, 08:45 PM
Martin geissler has just tweeted some ITV story about "the team that went to war". Apparently they made a film about it.

As a hint.....Its not about hibs.

Can't wait for this years remembrance Sunday. Anyone else think a massive meal will be made of this?

P.s. at least two of my male relatives died in that war, but I don't get all dewy eyed about it. Sad though the great war was, I have a lot more immediate problems to concern myself with.

.Sean.
21-07-2014, 09:31 PM
Wait we went to war? I thought it was well documented that Hearts won the Great War all by themselves?
Time and a place for that 'banter' and this thread ain't it. Decorum and decency cost nothing.

Pretty Boy
21-07-2014, 09:35 PM
Time and a place for that 'banter' and this thread ain't it. Decorum and decency cost nothing.

Well said Sean. No need for cheap digs or oneupsmanship when it comes to such a subject, from either side.

The thing with WWI that gets me is it was just such a waste of life. Rich and poor, young and old. A huge chunk of a generation torn apart for the sake of politics and imperial games.

FranckSuzy
21-07-2014, 09:47 PM
"As a species, the human race is often tribal, many of us taking great pride in supporting our own particular side, but perhaps what matters most when facing the enemy, is not what particular football team takes your fancy, but whether or not the man beside you is reliable." :not worth

AndyM_1875
21-07-2014, 10:14 PM
Any Hibs links to the Gretna Junction disaster - my mum told me that incident set back Leith generations...

That's the one thing that is missing from the article which itself is hugely interesting.

Many Hibs supporters (& also Leith Athletic fans) signed up in 1914/1915 and would have gone straight into the Royal Scots. Many serving soldiers from Leith and North Edinburgh were on the train at Quintinshill.

More information here
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintinshill_rail_disaster

Dashing Bob S
21-07-2014, 10:22 PM
Sad to think that we were almost as gullible as them in supporting this carnage, designed to further fill the pockets of aristocrats and capitalists. My own grandfather perished as a result of injuries sustained from combat in this abomination on humanity. Let's not fall into their trap of glorifying and fetishising this atrocity. I'm embarrassed that any of us took part in it.

skipster7
21-07-2014, 10:23 PM
Great article, great work by the trust.

AndyM_1875
22-07-2014, 06:23 AM
Sad to think that we were almost as gullible as them in supporting this carnage, designed to further fill the pockets of aristocrats and capitalists. My own grandfather perished as a result of injuries sustained from combat in this abomination on humanity. Let's not fall into their trap of glorifying and fetishising this atrocity. I'm embarrassed that any of us took part in it.

I don't think we are anything like as guilty Bob.
There is a big difference in how we look at it and how they are viewing it. For us Hibs fans the catastrophe of the a Great War is a matter of historical fact and immense sadness to be viewed in the wider context of society shattered by the carnage.

There's no misty eyed romanticism in remembering my great granny in Drum Terrace closing her curtains sadly at night trying to put the war and its impact on her family (3 sons sent, 1 killed, 1 maimed) and others out of sight & mind to the degree where it was just not talked about.

Turkish Green
22-07-2014, 06:57 AM
Wait we went to war? I thought it was well documented that Hearts won the Great War all by themselves?


We were all told Heart of Midlothian FC saved us from German occupation, I am in shock.
It would appear that there are ignorant people in all fan bases.

It is well documented by Jack Alexander that McCrae's Battalion comprised young men from many Scottish football clubs (including Hibs). The significance of why Hearts' name is so prominent is that their entire team enlisted en masse in 1914 and most lost their lives in the Somme.

IMO, this is not a subject for banter.

HappyAsHellas
22-07-2014, 07:56 AM
Shortly before the forming of the battalion this letter was printed in the EEN;

Parliament debated the question. Letters were written to the press - the Edinburgh Evening News published one, signed 'A soldier's daughter', which suggested that 'while Hearts continue to play football, enabled thus to pursue their peaceful play by the sacrifice of the lives of thousands of their countrymen, they might accept, temporarily, a nom de plume, say "The White Feathers of Midlothian".'

Sir George McCrae, a popular figure in the city, announced that he would raise a battalion himself - the 16th Royal Scots - and boasted, furthermore, that it would be full within seven days. The Hearts players led the way. Sixteen enlisted immediately and a further five were declared unfit to serve. 'McCrae's Battalion', as it came to be known, was the original sportsman's battalion. At least 30 professional footballers enlisted, including players from Hibernian and Raith Rovers as well as Hearts.

The propaganda surrounding this sad piece of history is quite appalling. If you can be bothered, have a read of "The forgotten voices" books, all reports are from the people who served which makes it particularly poignant.

* letter from an article in The Observer.

jdships
22-07-2014, 09:47 AM
New article from the Hibernian Historical Trust

Discussing the the involvement of the club, players and members of the Leith community during The Great War.

Hibernian Football Club in The Great War (http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/188-hibernian-football-club-in-the-great-war)

Link (http://www.hibshistoricaltrust.org.uk/blog/item/188-hibernian-football-club-in-the-great-war)

Please discuss and leave any comments below

GGTTH



Many thanks for that link
My uncle who took me to ER for the first time in December 1940 is in the team photograph and had signed up to serve 1n the early days of the war.
Lovely article tastefully written with a BIG :top marks to the author

THANK YOU !!!!!

Bristolhibby
22-07-2014, 12:18 PM
A very good well written article.

It does bother me that the hoards over the road seem to see the 16th Bn Royal Scots as somthing to beat us up over, rather than taking a solem dignified approach to remembering their past dead, wounded and ordinary men who served.

J

Bristolhibby
22-07-2014, 12:19 PM
A very good well written article.

It does bother me that the hoards over the road seem to see the 16th Bn Royal Scots as somthing to beat us up over, rather than taking a solem dignified approach to remembering their past dead, wounded and ordinary men who served.

J

Ozyhibby
25-07-2014, 10:27 AM
It's Hearts decision to commercialise the First World War that rubs people up the wrong way. I can't think of anyone else making money from it all these years later.
Still, probably best just to let them get on with it.