KOCA

The Old Contemptibles' Association
Prior to the Great War, Britain's defensive strengths lay in her Royal Navy and the British Army. The Army was spread throughout the British Empire in an essentially 'policing' role to defend the territories and in a home defence rule to protect our island nation. At the outbreak of war much of the British Army was scattered all over the world so the call to the Colours went out and was answered by the home battalions in each regiment and by the reserve forces who were men who had previously served in the Army, but had served their time and been retained as reserves for times of need such as this. The call came to Keighley at 6.00pm on 4th August 1914. By 9.00pm, three quarters of the men had answered the call and many more followed soon after. These men were quickly equipped and mobilised to camps for deployment to the continent and they left Keighley by train later that evening to a massive show of local support with thousands of local people attending the 'send-off'. Within two weeks, over 80,000 men, artillery, stores and equipment of the First British Expeditionary Force had landed in France ready to take on the German Army with the French Army to our right flank. We then marched to positions near the Belgian town of Mons where they engaged the enemy on 23rd August. The Germans facing us outnumbered the British by ten to one and an order from the Kaiser was allegedly intercepted on 19th August: //It is my Royal and Imperial command that you concentrate your energies for the immediate present upon one single purpose, and that is that you address all your skill and all the valour of my soldiers to exterminate, first, the treacherous English and walk over General French's contemptible little army. -- Headquarters, Aix-la-Chapelle, August 19.//

This created outrage at home with newspapers running the story and politicians of all sides (including Winston Churchill) made grand speeches in attacks on this insult to the honour of the British Army. The British Army did what might be expected of ordinary soldiers, they took this insult on the chin and wore the 'Old Contemptibles' title as a badge of honour.

The truth was that the Kaiser never issued such an order and an investigation after the war found the most likely source was the British Army's General Headquarters who probably issued it as propaganda to cast shame on the Germans. Certainly the Germans did not have a headquarters at Aix-la-Chapelle back then, and at the time of the alleged order they were not even aware that the British Army had landed in France, and even less idea of the numbers involved. However, the die had been cast and the name entered into history.

The 'Old Contemptibles' of the British Expeditionary Force faced overwhelming numbers in the first few weeks of the war and were forced back and had to fight a rearguard action, retreating a long way before they stopped the German Army's advance. They then pushed back and dug in. With the French Army doing the same, the German Army had nowhere to advance. So began what is sometimes described as 'The Race to the Sea' but in reality was a series of attempts to outflank each other. We managed to take control of the channel ports. By this time the opposing armies had consolidated their positions and on the 22nd of November 1914 trench warfare was firmly in place and this would dictate the course of the war for the next few years. The men of the 'Old Contemptibles' earned the 1914 Star with a clasp which bore the dates '5th Aug - 22 Nov 1914' to define this period.

Keighley's Old Contemptibles Association
On June 25th 1925, Captain John Patrick Danny of the Royal Field Artillery founded the Old Contemptibles Association and its popularity was such that it grew to 178 branches in the UK and had 14 overseas branches. It produced its own magazine called 'The Old Contemptible' and all members were known as "chums": The members of the Association are all survivors of the First British Expeditionary Force of August-November 1914 - //"That 'little mighty Force that stood for England...stood fast while England girt her armour on' -that withstood the German onslaught at Mons, The Marne, The Aisne and Ypres, they kept the enemy from the Channel Ports."//

Qualification for membership is the same as the qualification for the 1914 Star with Clasp and Rose, which is from 4th August to 22nd November 1914 and all members had to prove this before joining. We think the Keighley branch of the Old Contemptible's Association was founded in April 1938 at a meeting held in the Devonshire Hotel, Keighley, and dissolved in April 1968 when there were only five members remaining. There were other meetings prior to this but the branch didn't start issuing memberships until April. The Standard was ordered and arrived to be paraded at the War Memorial in Keighley's Town Hall Square in September 1938. We think a function was held after this at Prince Smith's Sport's Club Pavilion where a group photograph was taken. There are forty men pictured in this group photograph and we have managed to name half of them, but are always on the lookout for new names. We have reproduced below the photograph, plus an outline photograph with names we do know, and a list of the members taken from Keighley Branch membership record forms.





Known Keighley Old Contemptibles' Association Branch members (77 names in total):
George Atherton - Haworth Captain Baker - Thwaites Brow James Birdsall - Keighley Harry Boyes - Keighley George William Bugler - Keighley Ernest Burnett - Keighley William George Burnett - Keighley John Capstick - Laycock Charles Carroll - Keighley Cuthbert Catterson - Keighley Wallace Cawston - Crosshills Sandell Edward Chatten - Bingley John Willie Cooper - Denholme William Cox - Keighley William Cunningham - Keighley John William Davis - Keighley John William Daynes - Keighley Michael Derrick - Keighley William Dixon - Keighley Harold Driver - Keighley Thomas Duckett - Keighley Olroyd Ellis - Keighley Robert William Mayes Emery - Keighley John Finan - Haworth Edward Foy - Keighley Maurice Allen Gardner - Keighley Edward Geldard - Steeton Charles Goff - Cononley Frederick Gower - Oxenhope William Graham - Keighley William Grange - Keighley Jesse Townsley Green - Keighley Joseph Green - Keighley Charles Gunton - Keighley Herbert Hainsworth - Haworth Henry Hardisty - Military Medal - Keighley Thomas Henry Hayes - Oakworth Thomas Henry - Keighley Benjamin Hum - Keighley Willie Ideson - Keighley Joseph Jackson - Keighley Tom Jowett - Keighley Joseph Joyce - Keighley Alexander Keenan - Keighley Hugh Kelly - Goose Eye George Kershaw - Military Medal - Keighley John Robert Langstaff - Keighley George Langstaffe - Keighley Lewis Laycock - Military Medal - Keighley Albert Victor Liddimore - Keighley Walter Longman - Keighley John Martin - Keighley Sam Metcalfe - Keighley Percy Moore - Keighley Iveson Moorhouse - Keighley Arthur Nixon - Keighley Charles Nobes - Steeton William Normington - Haworth William Pryke - Keighley William Thomas Pye - Keighley Herbert Riley - Keighley Christopher Silverwood - Keighley Albert Smith - Keighley Fred Stephenson - Keighley Harry Stewart - Riddlesden Frank Sugden - Keighley William Templeton - Keighley James Thomas - Keighley Albert E. Tighe - Keighley John Thomas Tinkler - Riddlesden Walter Walworth - Keighley William Whitaker - Keighley Joseph Whitehall - Keighley George Whittemore - Keighley Arthur Parker Wilson - Keighley John Winkley - Keighley Joseph Yeomans - Oakworth