Business News


The poignant stories of Birminham’s fallen


National Express West Midlands has marked the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, in which 49 West Midlands transport workers died, by reprinting a book that tells their story. The Birmingham Tramways Department was a


precursor of today’s West Midlands bus company and ‘From Trams To Trenches’ is the history of 236 men who worked there and who died in the First World War. National Express HR director


‘This book honours each and every one of the 236 men who died in World War One’


Madi Pilgrim said: “This book honours each and every one of the 236 men who died in World War One by researching how they lived and died. They were young men from Birmingham who worked as drivers, conductors and engineers, many based in the same buildings that our staff work in now. This is our way of remembering and honouring them.” In September 1914, 700 Birmingham Tramways


employees - almost a fifth of the workforce - left their transport roles to serve their country. Most of them were Army Reserves, but the department was also well represented in the Territorial units and Lord Kitchener’s new army. By March 1916, 1,755 employees were serving in the armed forces. Sadly, 236 of them never came back. Three of the 49 men from the Birmingham


Tramways Corporation who died at the Somme were


Alfred Farnell, Frederic Field and John Simmonds. They served with the 14th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. It was the first to be formed following the Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s appeal in August 1914 and was known as the 1st Birmingham Battalion. The men of 14th Battalion Royal


Warwickshire Regiment entered the front line on 22 July 1916. Their objective was 500 yards of German trench. They were met with a hail of bullets and shells, and suffered


485 casualties. In total, 194 men were killed. ‘From Trams To Trenches’ was first published in


November 2014, with a cover price of £5. After a sell- out first run of 1,000 copies, National Express is working with local history publisher Brewin Books to make the book available again in bookshops and online. The book was written and researched by local


author and historian Doug Smith from Kings Heath in Birmingham. He took on the challenge of identifying and researching each of the WWI names listed on the company’s cenotaph, in the grounds of their Sports and Social Club on Wheeler’s Lane. He said: “Researching the book has enabled me to


inform local families about the brave actions of their relatives who are honoured on this memorial.”


Peter Withe: another great sporting victory Peter has still got it


The man whose goal won the European Cup for Aston Villa has scored another fine Midlands sporting victory, this time at golf. Peter Withe showed that he has lost none of his sporting prowess by


winning the Celeb Am title at the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship, which was held at Nailcote Hall. The legendary centre-forward narrowly pipped his nearest rival, ‘Strictly


Come Dancing’ star James Jordan. The rest of the celeb field included William Roache, Gordon Strachan,


tournament host Tony Jacklin, Max Rushden, Neil Back, Derek Redmond, Dominic Holland, Tommy Fleetwood, Ron Atkinson, Dean Saunders, Costantino Rocca, Steve Staunton, Len Goodman, Mark Foster, Lee Hendrie and Alan McInally. All the winners of the Championship, organised by Champions (UK) plc,


celebrated their achievements at a special gala ball hosted by Dominic Holland and event host Tony Jacklin. Entertainment for the evening was provided by the sixties music tribute


band The Overtures. A spectacular charity auction was also held, with funds raised going to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People in Loughborough.


16 CHAMBERLINK September 2016


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