Historic Records Men of 1914

Arrived overseas: 15 August 1914. Connection: Nurse Oliver's autograph album. You can read a lot more about Horace Wood, Nurse Edith Oliver, and Chailey generally on my Chailey 1914-1918 blog . Horace was a career soldier who had joined the Royal West Kent Regiment in April 1910. He was an early arrival overseas and he would later be wounded on the second day of the Battle of Loos, 26th September 1915, returning to England nine days later on the 4th October 1915. In this undated photograph, which must however, date to post August 1916, two wound stripes can clearly be seen on his lower left forearm. You can read Horace Wood's story here on the Chailey 1914-1918 blog .

Arrived Overseas: 17 September 1914. Connection: Phyllis Robinson autograph album. Little could Phyllis Robinson have imagined, when she wrote her name and date in a small autograph album in 1914, that before the end of the year was out, the pages would be filled with the names of captured German soldiers, wounded Belgians, and convalescing British soldiers. Her name and the date - 5th July 1914 - are written on the inside front cover, but there is nothing eles to identify her. She was unmarried - one entry reads, "Phyllis Robinson is your name / Single is your station...") and was possibly a VAD nurse, one of several with her name.  Thirteen of the identifiable British soldiers in her album set foot ashore in France in 1914 and so I was delighted to win this at auction a couple of years ago.  In common with many of the men, 9367 Pte Joseph Quinn of the 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers, simply recorded his name, rank, regimental number and regiment. He'd ar...

  Arrived overseas: 23 August 1914. Connection: Photograph. William joined the army on the 10th March 1913 and he was still in the UK, completing his training at Dover, when Britain went to war in August 1914. This photo of him is undated but probably dates to about June or July 1913. Wiliam set foot ashore on the same day that the BEF first engaged the German Army at Mons, and shortly afterwards, William too was in the thick of the fighting. He was an early casualty, reported wounded and recuperating in the 2nd Northern General Hospital in Leeds by October 1914. He did not return to France and was discharged as a result of wounds on the 24th July 1915. Nothing else is known about this man.