"autograph" book found.c. 30 Soldiers names (wounded?)

[20th Division]

I have had in my collection for some years an "autograph" album compiled from c.1914 from a Nurse or Secretary who worked in Chatham and Walton military hospital and other places in the Kent area.during 1914--1918.

It contains numerous drawings/paintings and poems by some of these soldiers. These entries seem to be from about 30 plus soldiers some of whom were wounded or passed through the Hospital. I attach a list of the names which are recorded in the album . some of the paintings/sketches are little works of art--especially those by LANGTRY of the Royal West Kents!!..

If there is enough interest I will attach some of the "poems" --whether they are original --or simply copied from famous works i do not know---but some of them are very moving and I feel could only have been written by a first-hand witness to the horrors of the Great war.

I will happily forward the references etc to anyone with a specific interst. The PICTURES will take a bit longer as i have not yet mastered the technique of attaching "pics" to my postings!!! ( help would be appreciated).

The names of the soldiers who wrote in the Nurse's book are in the order they appear- ( NOT chronologically!).

6237. WILD. Pt. Alfred. 3. Border reg't ( 7 entries).

5011. ASHBY . L/Cpl. Harry. R. Wrk.

Staff Sgt. Morrison. (?)

6056. LANGTRY. William. E. 3rd. Btn. Royal West Kents. ( water colours---lovely).

MAY. Dvr. A.G. Kent heavy Btty. R.G.A.

4617. RANDLE. A. 2nd Royal Sussex Regt.

FARREY.( ?). ERIC.

164. RYAN. ( A.E.R.O. ?)

2/Lt. TREACHER. H.E.

ROSE. Sgt. Thos. A. 14th Btn. 4th Inf. Br.

303513 RUSSEL Sapper F.D. 4th prov. Co.

2709 JULYAN (?) Pt. W.

55(5)6 HAWARD. Pt S S 1/4th Norfolks. (wounded sept 16 SUVLA).

2404. WAKERMAN Dr. K (7). R.E.

1114 SMEETON Driver W.

2409 ELLIS Dr. S.A. 1/1 Kent field co R.E.

2195. FORD ( HD) D coy 2nd S.A. (?)

1536 ROBSON Pt. B.. 1st South African Inf.

THOMPSON spr. H.A. WMR (NJ?)

10/3(8)15 JENNER ( KERNER?) NZEF ( Wellington).

D.R.D. Pt. SA inf'

19096 LAKE (H) 3rd Northhamptons Great lines camp

19029 CLARK. W. ditto.

19025 KEERRY A. ditto

WILDMAN( wilkinson??) L/Cpl. R W Middx regt.

2/Lt. SPIERS Cyril. D GPF Gloucesters

4617 RANALE (?) Pt A. 2nd Royal sussex

HODSON. Dvr. (JE) RFA.

EDWARDS H.R. Rochester east--Victoria Aus.

BROOKES L/cpl. Cecil E. 3rd Royal west Kents H coy.

T/259 BEARDSWORTH. Royal west kents.

PASSMORE F.O. 1st South Africa Inf'.

567 O'NEILL. Pt. Machine gun section. 3rd regt 1st S.A. brigade.

WOOD. Pt L. 3rd Royal west Kents.

Any info on these--please pass on.

best wishes Dave.

[cockney tone]

Dave,

sounds a real link with history, very kind of you to share this with us, I would be very interested in hearing more about Private Wild of the Border Regiment please?

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

[20th Division]

Dave,

sounds a real link with history, very kind of you to share this with us, I would be very interested in hearing more about Private Wild of the Border Regiment please?

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

Dave,

sounds a real link with history, very kind of you to share this with us, I would be very interested in hearing more about Private Wild of the Border Regiment please?

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

Hi Scotty-That was a quick response---just finish me cuppa coffee and will get back . Dave.

[GrahamC]

Hi Dave

I've no specific link with any of those named, but would love to see the actual entries, a real link to these guys - once you've mastered the technique. (I can do it - but wouldn't presume to give advice! )

Graham

[20th Division]

Hi Dave

I've no specific link with any of those named, but would love to see the actual entries, a real link to these guys - once you've mastered the technique. (I can do it - but wouldn't presume to give advice! )

Graham

Graham------will do--may take some time but they will appear sometime I'm sure.

Dave..

[20th Division]

Hi Scotty-That was a quick response---just finish me cuppa coffee and will get back . Dave.

HI SCOTTY.

WILD has 7 entries!! All seem to be well known little "poems" of the day "roses are red violets are blue " etc. but his 1st (?) entry is a poem.--perhaps original?

When we assunder part

it gives us inward pain

but may we still be joined in heart

--and hope to meet again.

and Also "a toast"

Here's to swan that swims in the lake

and never sees fear or danger

and heres to the girl who sticks to one

and is never seen out with a stranger. ( no date)

But an additional entry by him was made on 10/2/16 as follows

" wounded at Hulloch on Sept 25th 1915.--now staying at BARHAM military hospital Oatlands park Weybridge SURREY".

Best wishes DAVE.

[cockney tone]

Dave,

thank you very much for this, great stuff and lovely little poems, I have an interest in the Border Regiment who have their own Forum, would you mind if i posted this information on it? or perhaps you would like to visit the site yourself?

If you have any objections at all please let me know and i will not post it!

Thanks once again for sharing this with us,

Regards,

Scottie.

[Paul Nixon]

Be careful. Researching autograph albums can be addictive. It was a VAD nurse's album that started me off on what finished up as Chailey 1914-1918. Twenty five years later I'm still uncovering new information.

I have a couple of other nurse's albums which I'm keeping well away from.

Thanks for posting.

[20th Division]

Dave,

thank you very much for this, great stuff and lovely little poems, I have an interest in the Border Regiment who have their own Forum, would you mind if i posted this information on it? or perhaps you would like to visit the site yourself?

If you have any objections at all please let me know and i will not post it!

Thanks once again for sharing this with us,

Regards,

Scottie.

Watcha Scotty--------------I have no objections at all if you wish to post them on Border reg't site--I believe all info should be shared. I'll check in any of his other entries to see if he has written more. He seemed to have been in Hospiatl a fair length of time as a result of his wounds from LOOS.--Not surprising he made 7 entries eh? Dave.

!!

[20th Division]

Dave,

thank you very much for this, great stuff and lovely little poems, I have an interest in the Border Regiment who have their own Forum, would you mind if i posted this information on it? or perhaps you would like to visit the site yourself?

If you have any objections at all please let me know and i will not post it!

Thanks once again for sharing this with us,

Regards,

Scottie.

Hi SCOTTY-----Here's another on from WILD of the border reg't.

A WISH.

I will not wish thee greatness

I will not wish thee wealth

only a contented mind;

--peace happiness and health.

and friends to love thee dearly

and honest ones to chide

and faithful ones to cleave to thee

whatever may be (tide)

Pt Alfred WILD 6237 3rd Border regt.

AND ANOTHER ONE NOT TITLED WHICH I WILL FORWARD TOMORROW>

Best wishes Dave.

[20th Division]

Be careful. Researching autograph albums can be addictive. It was a VAD nurse's album that started me off on what finished up as Chailey 1914-1918. Twenty five years later I'm still uncovering new information.

I have a couple of other nurse's albums which I'm keeping well away from.

Thanks for posting.

Hi Paul-------Yes--I'm sure!! Contagious isn't it?----Thing is, it's all "first-hand" experiences!----and can't get much closer to history than that can you!

Thanks for getting back. Wish you well. Dave.

[cockney tone]

Dave,

thank you for allowing to me to share this on the Border's Forum, I am really gratefull to you.

I had a quick search on the CWGC and could not find him on it so his wounds may well have meant he survived the war! Would there be a Pal out there with Ancestry be able to do an MIC check for us to confirm he survived please?

I look forward to your next post on him, thanks again.

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

[cockney tone]

Dave,

I am not an expert but looking at Private Wild's service No (6237) he could well have been a pre war regular? My Grandfather was 5548 and joined them in 1897! and served in the Boer War!

Regards,

Scottie.

[20th Division]

Dave,

I am not an expert but looking at Private Wild's service No (6237) he could well have been a pre war regular? My Grandfather was 5548 and joined them in 1897! and served in the Boer War!

Regards,

Scottie.

Scottie------Great bit of family history you have there!!---Hope you've got his complete set of medals? QSA plus Trio etc?

Will post the other poem of his tomorrow.

Best wishes Dave.

[cockney tone]

Dave,

he only got the QSA as he was wounded in Jan 1901 and invalided out before he was eligible for the KSA, thankfully his injury kept him out of the Great War as if he served I may not be here today!

Sadly he lost two brothers who went out in August 1914 and were killed, I have one of their trios and death plate proudly on the wall next to the QSA!

Regards,

Scottie.

[jainvince]

Dave

Did any of the soldiers enter drawings into the Album which you can post?

Last year I posted extracts from 2 Autograph Albums which were completed at Birch Hill Hospital, Littleborough, Lancs which was used during the war and from where a few soldiers were buried locally with CWGC headstones:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...p;hl=Birch+hill

The hospital wasn't far from where the Manchester Regiment camped at Hollingworth Lake

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...hl=Hollingworth

I never did check out whether a soldier who camped at the lake in Sept 1914 later came back to the hospital.

BernardP

[Paul Nixon]

Dave,

I am not an expert but looking at Private Wild's service No (6237) he could well have been a pre war regular? My Grandfather was 5548 and joined them in 1897! and served in the Boer War!

Regards,

Scottie.

I think you've got two options there. He was either a pre-war regular, joining up in 1900 which was when that number was issued, or he joined the Special Reserve in Sept/Oct 1914 (when that number would have been issued to a SR man) and was then posted to the 2nd Bn. My guess would be, given that he didn't go out to France until 1915, that he fell into the latter category. Had he had the significant military experience that a 1900 enlistment would suggest, I would have thought they would have shipped him out to France pretty soon after war was declared.

Scottie - 5548. I'm guessing your granfather joined about 14th September 1897?

Paul

[cockney tone]

Paul,

SPOOKY

Almost correct, just a few days out; 27th September 1897!

Have you anymore on him??????

Thanks for the explanation on Pte Wild, be interesting to see if a pal can come up with his MIC to give us a bit more info on him!

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

[Paul Nixon]

No Scottie, nothing on him at all. It was just a guess based on other numbers in my database. 5546 joined on 14th September ehich means that by the time your grandfather joined, they'd recruited precisely two men including him) in just under a fortnight. Recruitment could be a very slow business.

Regards

Paul

PS - Could you post the Border Regt forum address here please.

[cockney tone]

Paul,

interesting stuff, thank you.

The Border Forum is on; www.forum.kerchi.co.uk

May see you on it sometime, just about to visit your link!

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

[Paul Nixon]

Thanks Scottie, just joined the forum and introduced myself there.

[20th Division]

Paul,

interesting stuff, thank you.

The Border Forum is on; www.forum.kerchi.co.uk

May see you on it sometime, just about to visit your link!

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

SCOTTIE-------will get into your 3rd Borderers site this weekend hopefully. Menwhile i attach the last of the "poem's by WILD". I'm sure it is not an "original"-----I've heard it before somewhere---but it is does capture the "times".

Do what you can being what you are

Shine like a glow-worm if you cannot be a star.

Work like a pully if you cannot be a frame

be wheel-greaser if you cannot be a train.

be the pliant oar if you cannot be a sailor

be the little needle if you cannot be a tailor.

be the cleaning broom if you cannot be the sweeper

be the sharpened sickle if you cannot be the reaper.

Pt. Alfred Wild. 6237 3rd border regt.

[phil@basildon]

6237. WILD. Pt. Alfred. 3. Border reg't ( 7 entries).

5011. ASHBY . L/Cpl. Harry. R. Wrk.

6056. LANGTRY. William. E. 3rd. Btn. Royal West Kents. ( water colours---lovely).

I have looked up the MIC's for the above, all survived the war. Alfred Wild was awarded the SWB ref. H/158.

I will continue looking up the others over the next few days.

[20th Division]

6237. WILD. Pt. Alfred. 3. Border reg't ( 7 entries).

5011. ASHBY . L/Cpl. Harry. R. Wrk.

6056. LANGTRY. William. E. 3rd. Btn. Royal West Kents. ( water colours---lovely).

I have looked up the MIC's for the above, all survived the war. Alfred Wild was awarded the SWB ref. H/158.

I will continue looking up the others over the next few days.

PHIL----------Thanks for that. Look forward to any info you uncover. When i look at some of the entries that these "wounded"? soldiers made!! ----It's just amazing to think what they went through! Thanks for getting back onthis one. Best wishes. Dave.

[phil@basildon]

[4617. RANDLE. A. 2nd Royal Sussex Regt.

This one gets really interesting. First name Albert. He was sent to France on 7/04/15, and discharged on 24/10/18. SWB list LC/3160. Written on card in pencil:- Battle clasps NW/9/4542. Also in pencil but very faint:- 'Nearest trace, this is the only A Randle in R Sussex R'. It is initialed and dated but the date is indecipherable. At the bottom in pencil is just the reference 68/R/246. On the reverse of the card is written:- 'Enquiry re award of D.C.M. or M.M. 23/08/27. and it has an address at the bottom.

65 Goat Road, Forty Hill, Enfield.