Keighley’s Old Contemptibles

In 1925 the Old Contemptibles' Association was created by Captain John Patrick Danny and many of the men joined what would become hundreds of branches all over the country and even overseas. All prospective members had to have possession of the 1914 Star with Clasp and were required to prove their entitlement to this medal with the clasp on the ribbon and a small rose when just wearing the medal ribbons alone. This information appeared on their individual medal card and the medal rolls, which list the names of all the men who were entitled to wear this award.
On being accepted they would (eventually) be presented with an Old Contemptibles' Association badge which was individually numbered and records were kept of their issue. The badges remained the property of the Association and were supposed to be returned if a man left.

The British Expeditionary Force who went out at the start of the war had been referred to as a 'Contemptible Little Army' in newspapers of the day, although the precise origin of this disparaging name is unclear. It was attributed to the Kaiser but he apparently refuted this after the war and it may have even been propaganda by our own side to make people indignant enough to join the war effort.
However, these early British Expeditionary Force men who fought at the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, Marne and Aisne in the early days of the Great War, later took up the name of 'The Old Contemptibles' as a badge of honour.

Keighley branch Old Contemptibles' Association standard - after conservation work

The Keighley branch of the Old Contemptibles' Association was formed in 1938 and the group contained a large membership of local men who were in the war theatre between August 5th and November 22nd, 1914.

Blank version of the Old Contemptibles' Association membership form.

We have been very kindly allowed to take copies of membership forms, supplied by the son of one of these men who kept the records and this has enabled us to create a list of names here. Any names appearing in bold text link to a man's separate biography sheet.

'Before We Fade' - Part One, is a nominal roll of the Old Contemptibles' Association members, complied and published by Andrew Thornton. We would like to recommend this definitive work to anyone who is interested in reading the stories of these brave men and the Association to which they belonged after the war.

You can purchase this excellent book from Amazon here.

Andrew Thornton's book - 'Before We Fade.'