In England currently, forgotten American civil war anecdotes are being eagerly retold. However, the origins of these tales are not at Gettysburg , Bull Run, or Fort Sumter, but in Bermondsey, London, England.
In November 1910 the San Francisco Chronicle suggested, “ American patriots would have been deeply moved If they could have witnessed the first quarterly meeting of the London branch of the American Civil War veterans which was held a few days ago In Bermondsey one of the poorest districts of London. Twenty eight scarred and battered veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic, twenty of whom are of English birth, gathered In the simple headquarters of the Ragged School Mission to form an association by which old comraded might come periodically In touch with each other. Forgotten war anecdotes were eagerly retold and familiar patriotic songs were sung with great enthusiasm”.
For many years thereafter the London Branch held their musters, 146 veterans joined their roll. The aging soldiers and sailors gathered, sharing stories, ‘jabbering’ about their service to the United States as young men. However by 1927 the Branch numbers had dwindled to just eleven men, the eagerness and enthusiasm to gather had also lessened with each passing year. The few that were left knew their days were numbered and sought to create a new Branch for widows and sons of the veterans. Sadly their vision never bore fruit. And the Branch as a peer support group for veterans died with its last member, Samuel Hough in 1940. Fortunately in some families anecdotes of civil war veteran forebears service survived. Tales were told, service not entirely forgotten.
As an outcome of each generation retelling war anecdotes, the London Branch’s significant role was not lost to history and in September 2023 a “New Branch” was formed – “Descendants of the London Branch of American Civil War Veterans”. #TheDescendants already now numbers 47 members, 35 of whom are related to the original London Branch veterans. This reconnection is significant and extraordinary as never before have the kith and kin of the original London Branch united to form an Association.
There is a feeling that ‘American Patriots’ of the here and now would also feel ‘deeply moved’. Why? It’s a unique organisation outside of the United States that honours men who fought in the service of liberty. #TheDescendants member roll is quite distinctive, with men and women from across the world in our ranks. Whilst the London Branch were mainly British born, our membership is diverse; Canada, Wales, Australia, Indonesia, and Guatemala are represented. Each member contributing to the Association’s knowledge pool , retelling their forebears stories, helping to build an incredibly revealing insight into the London Branch in both pictures and words. The ‘great enthusiasm’ once enjoyed by our veteran forebears in Bermondsey more than hundred years ago has been revived, and we welcome anyone wishing to join our ranks. We’ll be holding regular ‘ meet and musters’, sending out our “camp fire tales” newsletter and seeking to obtain headstones for our London Branch ancestors.
You don’t have to be a descendant to join our ranks, but we do ask that you aspire to be included in our member roll, as well as promoting the Association.
Our closed group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1816738002164300
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