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Many people will have seen the film 'Saving Private Ryan' which charts the attempt to remove the only surviving brother from the combat zone following the death of his other brothers in action. This became American practice after the Civil War in order that a mother should not lose all of her sons in battle.

That this was not British Army policy is evidenced by an article which appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph on the 20th June 1940.

The article headlined 'FOUR SONS IN FORCES: FAMILY'S SERVICE IN TWO WARS' concerned nine members of my mother's family,the Baileys, and their army service and provides an insight into the experiences which many families must have undergne as a result of the two World Wars.

The four sons of the headline were my mother's brothers Ernie, John[Jack],Sid and Harry Bailey, sons of Violet and John Bailey of 45 Dean St.

The eldest Ernie, and the youngest Sid had enlisted as territorials in the Derbyshire Yeomanry before the war started. Jack enlisted in the same regiment on the outbreak of war and Harry enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters.

As an infantryman, Harry went to France with the B.E.F. where he subsequently took part in the Dunkirk evacuation where he was wounded. The article mentions that my Grandmother had no news of him for a month.This must have been an anxious time for all of the family.

Harry had another lucky escape later as well. He was due to sail to the Far East with his regiment, but his brothers persuaded him to transfer to the Yeomanry so that they could all serve together[again something the American Army may not have permitted]. This probably saved the life of Private Bailey, as the regiment surrendered along with the rest of the British and Commonwealth Forces at Singapore. Many of those who surrendered died in captivity, especially in the notorious Changi Gaol.

Fortunately, after serving abroad in North Africa and Italy the four brothers survived the war and came back to renew their civilian lives. Jack had a stall on Derby Fishmarket for many years[his son Stuart now runs it]. Ernie's youngest daughter, Glenda Bailey became well known as an Editor of upmarket magazines, a position she still holds in the U.S. None of the four brothers is alive today, the only surviving members of the family being my mother, Beryl, her sister, Daisy, and brother Ron who was too young to have served in the war.

The article also mentions my Grandfather John and his four brothers, Abe, Jim, Harry and William who all saw active service in the First World War. They served in France and Gallipoli with William being a prisoner of war for a time.They all came through safely, although the last sentence of the article gives a clue to what they had gone through. It says 'Mr Bailey is now unable to work through ill health.' The ill health was caused by poison gas in 1918. He died in 1944 while his sons were fighting the second war of wounds sustained in the first.

If anyone remembers the Bailey family I would be pleased if they would share those memories.

County:  Derbyshire