Valerie Grigg, originally from Redruth and now living in Camborne, has spent many years researching her family’s history during World War One. In particular, she uncovered the story of her grandfather, Edward Whear, a tin streamer from Camborne.
She discovered that Edward had been relatively old when he signed up in 1915 – aged 35 – and at just over five foot tall – too short to fight.
From 1916, he worked in France in the Labour Corps which helped to build and maintain a huge network of railways and roads to ensure that supplies were able to travel swiftly to the Front.
Valerie travelled to the Somme in France to find out more, collected photographs, memorabilia and papers.
She has also recreated items like the shaving kit case pictured here.
Where medals have been missing, she has sought out replicas.
“In 2003 I decided to try to find out about my grandfather’s army history. An impossible task as all I knew was that my mother told me when I was a young child that he joined the army for World War One, when she was nine months old and came back four years later.” Valerie Grigg
Machine gun bullets/Valerie Grigg collection
