"Private Nurse Goes to War: The Souvenirs of a Black Soldier in the Great War" by John Bailey

[Moonraker]

John Bailey has just announced this book here.

Having several times mused on the Forum about disposing of and acquiring what some might describe as ephemera, I was delighted to read how John had researched "documents, photographs and souvenirs left behind by William Nurse", used modern technology to improve photographs and accessed William's genealogical records for background detail.

The result is a fascinating book recording an ordinary soldier's wartime experiences.

William even kept tickets (I was particularly interested in a 3d one granting admission for "One Soldier in Uniform" to Stonehenge), his base ID card, written orders issued specifically to him, and notes of vehicles he'd driven and locations (many near to Cologne) that he'd visited.

John's done an excellent job of collating and presenting everything. His book will have particular appeal to those who are interested in the ASC, in which William served.

I guess that William himself would be surprised at how useful his souvenirs proved a hundred years later - and at how many of them became "collector's items".

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