Soldier Record

My grandfather wrote an 8,000 word account of his life in the trenches and sent it into the BBC in 1969 because he wanted it to share it with others and hear theirs. Sadly they turned him down, so in his memory here is an extract:

see below

In 1914 I was what they nowadays call a teenager, nevertheless I was called up by the army authorities because I was a Territorial, being a member of the Territorial Band. I simply joined this crowd because I wanted free musical tuition and was handed a most beautiful instrument, a cornet, which I gave full attention, never missing a practice, and I enjoyed this immensely.

During this year, at least up till August 1914 from 1913, I paid my weekly subscription to a holiday fund which broke up and we duly received our five pounds four shillings, being two shillings per week. I felt like a millionaire. My pal and I made up our minds to have a week’s holiday in Rothesay, so I wrote and booked a room for the two of us which in those days cost 15/- per week, and we were well catered for. We met a fine landlady and when we had had a few glorious days we booked a sail on a boat leaving the harbour at 10 am returning at 10 pm, cost of the ticket two shillings and sixpence, we had to buy our food on the ‘voyage’ but a sandwich cost the princely sum of two pence, cup of tea one penny. The main attraction of this sail was a dance on deck in the evening by torchlight, torches being placed at intervals along the deck-rail. This was a never to be forgotten affair, but when we got home to our boarding house the landlady was very sad saying she was very sorry she would lose us and she handed me a telegram from my home town stating that we must return immediately – ‘called up for service’.

This was the beginning of a ghastly few years which I always felt were literally wasted years of my life, but I am pleased I was able to overcome for not once but hundreds of times I felt I would be caught either by a bullet or by shrapnel, or worse, by gas. This is not a poor soul story for I had during that time some very happy days and I want to recall some of them.