Abingdon and the First World War
Those Who Served
Shopkeepers and Tradesmen
In 1914, there were probably more Abingdon families engaged in trade and shopkeeping than there are now. A number of mini-empires were building up in Abingdon by this time!
The Giles Family ran a grocery business in Ock Street. Like many other retail businesses, they had photographs taken of the shopfront with the delivery cart, an essential feature of the retail service at the time. The war took a heavy toll on this particular family, with three sons lost.
Cullen was a very familiar name in the streets of Abingdon. Shops bearing the Cullen name show up in the 1920 Hookes Directory at 34-36 Stert Street, 11-13 Stert Street (a grocery shop) and 19 Stert Street (a butcher).
The Trotman family were bakers and Hubert tells of his return home on leave, in need of delousing. It is noticeable that it is his mother that he finds working in the bakery.
We thank the families who gave us copies of information and photographs. We understood in all cases that material was free of copyright and there was no objection to putting the information in the public domain. If you wish to alert us to inadvertent copyright infringement or you would like family details removed please go to the About Us / Contact Us page.
We welcome new scans of photographs and other documents, and personal details or memories. They must be of someone who lived or worked in Abingdon or very nearby and relate to the First World War. Click here for further information about how to contact us to do this.
