Soldier Record

My grandfather volunteered 1n 1914. He lied, as many did, and was accepted for the regular Army at seventeen years old.

A soldier from 1914 to 1918

He joined the Lincolns and became a radio operator. He fought in all the major battles throughout the war involving his regiment and I believe they were rewarded with the honour of being the first regiment to enter Germany after the Armistice.

He returned to a " land fit for heroes" having been gassed and wounded . He gave my mother the impression he was very bitter after the war and swore he would never volunteer again.

He hated poppies.

One can only imagine the terrible things he witnessed and the traumatic effect it had.

He worked for the LNER company and eventually became a driver of express locomotives.

He had taken to believing in communism and evenually became chairman of his union in Nottingham. He was highly respected by the union members. He collapsed and died while chairing a meeting at the age of 53 years. His early death may have had something to do with the injuries sustained in thr Great War.

I am very proud of the loyalty he had for his country, his bravery for volunteering whilst only a boy, his achievments with the LNER and the Railway Workers Union.

My grand father & grandmother split up before I was born and I never had the opportunity to get to know him personally.

He must have been a person of great fortitude because as a child he and his sister went into care. I believe his mother spent some time in a "work house". He was born in Southhampton. His father hopped on a ship and was never seen again, however, my grandfather later traced him as far as China before the trail went cold.

His mother eventually decided to try her luck in Nottingham and rented a back to back house in the slum area of Snienton.

Jack, as an eleven year old, decided he had to join her and took his eight year old sister with him and made his way to Nottingham. How he managed that journey we do not know, but he and his sister were reunited with their mother.

I am determined to try and find out how his war went with the Lincolns . I will be in touch if anything of interest is revealed.

Best Regards,

Alan C Palmer