Description: | A copy of a beautifully illustrated ms autobiography, including copies of certificates issued to him (51pp, written 1964 - 1966) covering his life from his birth in Camberwell, London, in 1895, to the marriage of his second son in 1965, and including details about his family, growing up in East Dulwich, school, joining the 24th (County of London) Battalion (The Queen's), the London Regiment, in January 1915, and subsequent transfer to 'A' Company, 1st Battalion, London Regiment, crossing to France (March 1915), life in the trenches, going 'over the top' (May 1915), promotion to Lance Corporal, the Battle of Loos (September 1915), leaving for OTC (August - December 1916), being commissioned and joining 20th (County of London) Battalion (Blackheath and Woolwich), London Regiment (January 1917), and then 'A' Company, 2/5th East Lancashire Regiment (66th Division), returning to France, in the trenches at Bethune, being wounded by German aerial bombing in Dunkirk (September 1917), evacuation to England, relinquishing his commission due to ill health, working on farms in the inter war period despite wanting to be a commercial artist, marriage and children, going to work for St Dunstan's Poultry Farm, moving to London, the start of the Second World War, joining Watford Home Guard and then the Army Cadet Force, and post war life. Together with 39 pages of original pencil and pen sketches of people and places on the Western Front (1915 - 1916, all dated and captioned), some written as part of letters.
Cataloguer SJO |