Transcription: Von denn Dienet Zu kalter, Vnnd warmer, Subtiler, Vnndt grober feuchtigkeit,

Transcription: We fired hard all the morning. The enemy replying on the village, they did grand shooting on the Church [for] shell, after shell passing through the steeple. 91   Finally it caught fire, and was soon one mass of flames, and the steeple from the clock collapsed with a crash, it was an awe inspiring sight. But it seemed they wanted to get at us, for they shelled the fields in front and behind very hard.   Our wagon line, [which was] some distance behind, had a few men wounded and horses killed. Fortunately at the guns we had only one man wounded.   Our infantry had beed forced to retire, we sent for a infantry escort for our guns of 100 men, but one platoon of 20 men. At dark George had gone along wire to forage for foof, bullets were very plentiful and I stuck to our little trench waiting for him to get into communication and return with the spoils.   Things seemed to [be] quieting down for about half an hour, when suddenly the Germans played a machine-gun dead on us. We all thought they had us, but the infantry were on our left now, although we did not know, [and they took care of them].   While waiting for George, I heard strange rustling sounds in the trees [on] the other side of the stream. I, for the moment, thought it was some og the German Snipers getting in our rear. I crawled very cautiously on my kneews to a small bridge crossing, and along the stream. [I] found after no little time, the sound I had heard was caused by some tame rabbits, which the chaps had released from an adjoinging farm. It was amusing to think of it after, but not at the time.   Old George returned loaded with goods, when I mentioned the machine gun and the rabbit stalking, he said 'B- the guns and rabbits too. Have a bit of this straeberry jam, Old China - it's the goods.' I declined the food, for I was too dry

Transcription: item 17                                                       - 11 - merhin wars mir merkwürdig, dass hier hinten auf einmal wie- der Kugeln pfiffen und ich war geneigt es für ernst zu nehm- en, als ein hier vorsichtig gedeckt liegender Leutnant auf meine Frage, woher eigentlich die Schüsse kamen, sagte: "Von hinten." Hier im Wäldchen stack alles voll 113er aller Kom- pagien; auch die andern 2 1/2 Züge der 6ten fand ich, aber nicht mehr oben auf dem Wall bei (4) sondern in Deckung da- hinter. Ich richtete dem ältesten V.Feldwebel  des 1.Zugs den Befehl aus, er hatte aber keine Lust ihn auszuführen, da er da er beim Vorgehen in starkes Schrapnellfeuer gekommen sei. Jch begriff die hier allgemeine herrschende Aengstlichkeit zu- erst nicht recht, da es vorn geradezu behaglich gewesen war, erfuhr aber dann, dss etliche Schrapnelle in die Kompagnie eingeschlagen waren; die ersten Kameraden waren gefallen und verwundet; der Major war gefallen, der Oberleutnant leicht verwundet. Nach einigem Herumwarten kamen auf einmal 30 Ge- fangene, darunter ein Leutnant; von Leutnant Bumke unterdess in Schneckenbusch herausgeholt. Das belebte allgemein den Mut und unter Führung des verbundenen Oberleutnants gingen wir mit andern Kompagnien zuerst auf der andern Seite (5) vor bis zum ersten Haus von Schneckenbusch (6) davor war eine französische Stellung von unserer Artillerie beschossen, darin noch Tote und Verwundete. Erstere hielt ich zuerst für Araber, da sie ganz ausgeblutet gelb waren. Mit einem Verwundeten,der jammerte, unterhielt man sich gleich. Im Übrigen holte man die Konservenbüchsen aus den Tornistern und schlug die Gewehre ka- putt; ein Franzose, dem man keine Verwundung ansah, lag so auf seinem Gewehr, dass er es ganz zudeckte, was glücklicherweise einer merkte. Hinter dem Haus sammelten wir uns. Dasselbe taten hier überall in der Nähe der Brücke andere Kompagnien, 113 er und 114er. Ich traf hier beide Brüder Elbs, sowie Hen- ninger, der seit 24 Stunden als Patroullienführer unterwegs war und jetzt seine Müdigkeit verspürte. Ich freute mich, Ihnen sagen zu können, dass ich mir aus dem Sausen der Geschosse nichts gemacht hätte; damit hatte ich mich zu früh gefreut. Ich dachte jetzt so: Wir haben die französische Jnfanterie aus dem Feld geschlagen, unsere Artillerie wirds der Feind- lichen auch gegeben haben, und wenn noch Kanonen da in der Nähe sind, so gehen wir hin und nehmen sie. Da schlugen auf einmal wieder Granaten ins Dorf, nicht sehr weit von uns weg. Man weiss zuerst nicht, sinds französische oder verspätet Deutsche. Bald merkt man, dass ersteres richtig ist und dass immer die 4 Schuss einer Batterie gleichzeitig auf denselben Punkt abgefeuert werden. Zuerst wird die Kompagnie, die sich nach Obst und Gelberüben im Garten zu zerstreuen sucht, an der Hauswand festgehalten. Da  whß - whß - whß - bumbum-bum kommen sie wieder, diesmal auf unserer Seite vom Haus. Man spürt, sie platzen dort in den Bäumen, wenn man auch nur unge- fähr hinschaut, denn beim ersten Saussen zieht jeder als un- willkürliche Schutzbewegung den Kopf ein, immer mehr bis zu einem Aufzucken beim Bumm. Dieser kurze Zeitraum der Erwar- tung ist das, was das Artilleriefeuer so wirkungsvoll macht;

Transcription: Carte Postale Correspondance                                  Adresse A Village on the La Bassée  Road where we were in trenches and very close to Here [ C ] Geary Won His V.C in May 1915 in the Battle of Festubert See Page 29

Transcription: CHILDREN               OF THE      GREAT WAR                      "WE NEED YOU" This is a transcript of an interview conducted by Age Exchange as part of the Children of the Great War project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Age Exchange is a member of The Imperial War Museum First World War Centenary Partnership. www.childrenofthegreatwar.org.uk       www.age-exchange.org.uk If you wish to contact Age Exchange about this contribution, or access other archive material from its the Children of the Great War project, please email greatwar@age-exchange.org.uk Title Mark Kirstein of the Jewish Legion About: Mark Kirstein The story was shared at: RAF Hendon, UK On: 20/11/2013 By: Deborah Kamlish AE Reference: HE002 • Who is your story of? • My father, Mark Kirstein. He was in the London Regiment 38th - part of the Jewish battalion. he was bought up in Spittlefields. The family are originally from Riga in Russia by my father was borne here. • Do you know anything about where he joined or why he enlisted in the Army? • I don't know whether he was called up. It must have been very hard for my great grandmother because she lost 7 children before she had my father. He was the oldest, first survivving child, and there were 4 other children after him. my father was a tailor. During the War he rode horses. He went to Gallipoli. • Did he ever talk to you about his experiences? • Very rarely but he was slightly injured in the War and he used to go to Chelsea Hospital to be cured. After the War he rejoined. • But he went to Palestine as well didn't he? •  Yes then he joined the Jewish Legion. There is a picture of him here on a camel. • Not everybody would be put into a battalion where they were in charge of horses. That was skilled work Was there a history in the family? • Yes a Declaration was signed and England primised if the boys joined up they would have a Jewish state if they fought the Turks. They came all over - all Jewish boys got together to gight the Turks and went to Palestine. • Were they still effectively involved in fighting for the british or was it after that period? • I don't know. • Was there a feeling of betrayal? One gentleman we interviewed, his father fought for the Indian Army in the First World War and fought because a promise had gone out that there would be an independent India as a result of serving with the British for one last time and it didn't happen for another 30 years. • There were a lot of complications. Maybe it was something like that.

Transcription: • Camel Street, Cairo. Sent back to his parents? • Yes. I don't know who the other one is. He propbably sent it to his sisters. They were all very close. Whether they went to Cairo first and then onto Palestine I don't know. That's 1919 and that's Palestine again. That looks like his whole Battalion. • They look like they're not having too bad a time of it in this photo. • I think that's true of a lot of the pictures. My son has copied them and enlarged them slightly and photographed the back if you want copies of those he will email them to you. • OK, can you discuss that with Simon? What's this one here? • That's his mum. • Do you know who that is? • No. Because he didn't come back with the rest of them he didn't keep in touch with any of them. He didn't get married until he was 31 so there was quite a big gap there. • Did you ever find out the story about him going to South Africa then wanting to go onto Australia? • He used to talk about Johannesburg and he obviousy had a fun time there. He travelled a lot and when he did come back one of his sisters was married to a Frenchman and they lived in paris. He used to go and stay with them a lot. he'd travel to Germany with his brother who was unwell and had treatments there. Once he was married he settled down to a quiet peaceful life. From 1947 we used to go to France every year on holiday with our French unvle which hardly anybody else that I knew went abroad then. That was quite an experience driving through France with GB plates on the car. The locals would all wave and cheer. • Do you have anything you would particularly like to find out from this? • Not really because there would be nobody around who served with him. Even if it was an offspring they wouldn't have any personaly stories that would mean anything to me. The first time I went to Israel and went to places I knew he had been, that was very moving. As far as I could gather he didn't have a dreadful time. • Thank you very much Pat _________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © Age Exchange Theatre Trust Ltd. 2014 (a company limited by guarantee) Registered in England No. 1929724. Registered Office: 11 Blackheath Village, London SE3 9LA Registered as Charity No: 326899 ae age exchange  heritage lottery fund LOTTERY FUNDED

Transcription: CHILDREN               OF THE      GREAT WAR                      "WE NEED YOU" This is a transcript of an interview conducted by Age Exchange as part of the Children of the Great War project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Age Exchange is a member of The Imperial War Museum First World War Centenary Partnership. www.childrenofthegreatwar.org.uk       www.age-exchange.org.uk If you wish to contact Age Exchange about this contribution, or access other archive material from its the Children of the Great War project, please email greatwar@age-exchange.org.uk Title Henry Jackson of the Royal Engineers About: Henry Jackson The story was shared at: Leyton Orient FC Supporters Club On: Sunday 15th February 2014 By: Christopher Bates AE Reference: LE0007 Interview with Christopher Bates You've come today to tell us about Henry Jackson. What's your connection? He's the father of my grandmother. My grandmother was Gladys Heather, and she died about ten years ago. She never really spoke about him at all. We located his grave through the graves commission and I've visited once. He is buried in a small cemetery called Dickie Bush New Military Cemetery which is close to Ypres; I don't know if the name on the grave is right. His address at the time was given at 19 Shirley Road is Harlesden, North London, and my mother was brought up in that area. I only moved to London about 30 years ago. My mother was one of the 4 daughters. Some of them moved out to Lincolnshire later on. Henry was 36 when he died. He enlisted in 1915, so he was 34 when he enlisted. he was a volunteer. They were referred to as K Regiments - he was part of the K3, which was the 3rd hundred thousand people who joined up after the Kitchener recruitment campaign. he was in the Royal Engineers. Where he died tends to suggest where he fought. He died within about 3 or 4 miles of there and at the location there was a military hospice very close. I read that a lot of the identified graves were the people digging the tunnels. I don't have any stories. I do have a photograph but not with me. I've got some detauls. I went there once, about 7 or 8 years ago. It's a small cemetery. This is his service medal records. He was part of the 25th division, part of the K3. In the early days the volunteers were allowed to choose which company they joined so he chose the Royal Engineers. When you went to visit, was it a personal project? I went over with a couple of friends but it was for my family why I went there. It was part of the 25th division, part of the K3. In the early days the volunteers were allowed to choose which company they joined so he chose the Royal Engineers. When you went to visit, was it a personal project? I went over with a couple of firends but it was for my family why I went there. It was before my grandmother died so I took a photo of the grave to show her... [ENDS] _________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © Age Exchange Theatre Trust Ltd. 2014 (a company limited by gurantee) Registered in England No. 1029724. Registered Office: 11 B lackheath Village, London SE3 9LA Registered as Charity No: 326899 ae age exchange  heritage lottery fund LOTTERY FUNDED

Transcription: CHILDREN               OF THE      GREAT WAR                      "WE NEED YOU" This is a transcript of an interview conducted by Age Exchange as part of the Children of the Great War project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Age Exchange is a member of The Imperial War Museum First World War Centenary Partnership. www.childrenofthegreatwar.org.uk       www.age-exchange.org.uk If you wish to contact Age Exchange about this contribution, or access other archive material from its the Children of the Great War project, please email greatwar@age-exchange.org.uk Title Cpl Joseph Jones of the KRRC About: Joseph Jones The story was shared at: Age Exchange, London, UK On: April 2014 By: Malcolm Jones AE Reference: COTGW1 INTERVIEW WITH MALCOLM JONES "My grandfather Corporal Joseph Jones was in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He was a milk-roundsman according to his marriage certificate and was born and bred in Islington North London and had gone to Copenhagen Primary School. In one picture here he was photographed with his brother and father and in the other on his own. As far as I can find out he was either in the 3rd or 4th Battalion as I know he went to Salonika, which he talked about when we were children. He was not a particularly charismatic character and as children I'm afraid we didn't spend a lot of time with him. But he did tell us one or two stories which my father even recorded onto old reel to teel tape. They are still there but inaccessible as the player is gone. I remember he told us a story about he and his friend advancing and suddenly coming under fire - he said that one minute he was talking to his friend and the next he turned around to see he wasn't there. He looked down and saw that his pal had been shot through the head only feet away from him. The other involved a queue of men waiting to get a mug of tea. The cook was serving the tea from a big 'dixie' (A dixie was a large oval-shaped metal pot with lid and carrying-handle for cooking. The lid was often used for baking (e.g. bacon and biscuit pudding) whilst the pot itself was employed to brew tea, heat porride, stew, rice etc.)... "As they were lining up a bomb of some kind, like a whizz bang, came flying over. Everyone dived for cover, when they got up there were some casualties including the cook whose head had been blown off and which was now floating in the dixie of tea. His final comment in a dry working class North London accent was '...and so no one had the tea after that.' As two 8 year old boys this story always stayed with us.

Transcription: und grünen Rei ... am Hut.  Der Feldpater predigte und dann hielt Oberleutnant Pöschek eine Ansprache auf deutsch und böhmisch. Alles war sehr feierlich und am Schluß besichtigten wir noch die festlich geschmückte Kaserne. Überall war heller Jubel. Mittags war noch ein Festessen

Transcription: CHILDREN               OF THE      GREAT WAR                      "WE NEED YOU" This is a transcript of an interview conducted by Age Exchange as part of the Children of the Great War project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Age Exchange is a member of The Imperial War Museum First World War Centenary Partnership. www.childrenofthegreatwar.org.uk       www.age-exchange.org.uk If you wish to contact Age Exchange about this contribution, or access other archive material from its the Children of the Great War project, please email greatwar@age-exchange.org.uk Title Angus Kidman Bird, rank Captain, a Cambridge Blue who lead his company in sport and drams About: Angus Kidman Bird The story was shared at: Clapham Library, London, UK On: Tuesday 25th February 2014 By: Chairmian Kenner AE Reference: CL0003 INTERVIEW WITH CHAIRMIAN KENNER Malcolm Jones: This is Malcolm Jones, I'm interviewing Chairmian Kenner on Tuesday 25th February 2014, and we're talking about Chairmian's grandfather, Angus Kidman Bird who lived in Cambridge, who we believe volunteered - at least achieved the rank of Captain...and we're lokking at some photographs. The first is on a group of men, who we don't know [much about who they are], labelled 'A' Comapny, June 1917. A remarkable mixture of unforms and uh, headweat [both laugh]. Certainly a very mixed groups of people, it looks like, from a nationality point of view. And the second picture is of a hockey team, the battalion hockey team 1917; you were saying that your grandfather was a hockey and high-jump "blue"? Charmian Kenner: A Blue - yes - for Cambridge University. I don't know if that was at this point, or later, because he came back at some point - possibly to finish his degree after the First World War. Did you know him at all? Oh yes, I did... What kind of man was he? Well I'd say...quite formal; a gentleman, in asense. He was always addressed as 'Mr. Bird'...not by the family of course, but by other people who knoew him. He was very tall, and I've inherited his same frame, which is very tall and skinny. He was quite reserved, so, this is why, believe it or not, I never had a conversation with him about the Great War. But fortunately my cousin did, so I know a little bit more from her, towards the end of his life. I think he didn't necessarily want to talk about it. It wasn't the kind of conversation you'd have with him, a sort of emotional conversation...

Transcription: Rechte Seite 26.10.18  Nicht einmal Gefechtsbereitschaft. Wunderbars Essen; Wil-   sons Antwort kommt im Text. Mein Vorschlag geht an   die Brigade. 27.10.18  Bis 3/4 11h  erhöhte Gefechtsbereitschaft. Ludenorff  ist gegangen.   Was hat das nur zu bedeuten? Ich warte nur immer   auf den Befehl: ,,Einstellen'', aber es kommt nichts. 28.10.18 Morgens geht der Regtstab weiter nordöstl.Meldung, der   Feind wäre bei Machelen durchgebrochen. Ich bleibe als Art   Nachkommando beim Alten Stand. Beim Nachgehen genieße   ich von den Höhen über die wir kommen, eine wunderbare Fern-   sicht auf die Herren Engländer. Abds essen wir zu 4 eine ganze   wunderbar gebratene Gans.Dann ziehen wider aus,   etwa 3 km von der jetzigen Front ab. Das Quartier wäre   sehr schön, aber die Nacht ist zu lang. Es gibt wieder Urlaub. 29.10.18 Morgens habe ich mit Racke eine kleine Auseinander-   setzung. Er hält meinen Standpunkt, daß ich jetzt in   Urlaub fahren könnte u. möchte für mangelnde Dients-   auffassung. Ich möchte nur ihn sehen, wenn er in die-   ser Lage wäre!! Der Tag verläuft ruhig.   30.10.18. Morgens 6h reite ich mit Quartiermachern ab nach Rechte Seite   nach Gaver. Die Quartiere für den Stalb sind sehr schön. Ich habe   nur ein ganz kleines Zimmer. Alles steckt voll. 2h kommt   der Stab. Abds kommt Tengler, mein Ek I. natürlich nicht.   Aber ich warte geduldig weiter. Die Nacht ist saukalt, weil ich   keine Decken habe, dafür tut die Ganzwaschung sauwohl.   Ich fange wieder an zu rauchen, weil es Blödsinn   ist, nicht zu rauchen u. einfach nciht zu halten. 31.10.18. Morgens 7h starkes Trommelfeuer. Ab 7h alarmbereit.   Dann kommt der Befehl, uns zur Besetzung einiger   Brücken nach Süden zu ziehen. Wir reiten um 10h ab   u. kommen um 1h nach Welden. Ein ganz schönes Zim-   mer, aber kein Quartier.Unterwegs gerüchtweise,daß die    Waffenstillstandsbedingungen schon bekannt wären: Besetzung   von Straßburg, Metz, Koblenz, sofertige Abrüstung. 1.11.18. Morgens kommen Zigaretten, dann halten wir, wäh-   rend Vater bei Brig. u Div. ist ein solemnes Früstück. Nachm.   reite ich fort als Quartiermacher in die Gegend von Neder-   walm u. finde nach längerem Suchen ein ganz nettes   Quartier. Ich reite dem Regt. entgegen u Vater weint   mir unterwegs vor daß es so weit ist, trozdem er mir auf   der Karte einen Punkt angegeben, der noch weiter ist.   Abds sehr erregte Stimmung.

Transcription: Absender, handschriftlich:   Inf. Biersack 1. Komp Landst. Inf Batl. Straubing III bay. Armeekorps z.Z. Brüssel Belgien  gedruckt:   FELDPOST An  handschriftlich und gedruckt: Wohlg. Fräulein Cielie Schweiger Mesnerstochter in  Hohenburg              Oberpfalz  Text der Karte:    gedruckt:   WELTKRIEG  1914 -1915            ____________ LANDSTURM - INF. - BAT.             STRAUBING       IN BRÜSSEL                               (BELGIEN)             ___________  handschriftlich:    Karte am linken Rand beschnitten,    dadurch Textverlust:       hrtes Fräulein bin gut angekom n in Brüssel und geht ganz t hier. Gott sei Dank das ich am      ...      weg bin. Hier ist es schön. Es ist auch auf Transport ganz schön gewe Viele Grüße sende  ... euch alle. Wiedersehn macht Freude

Transcription: the brigade. Please convey my deep sympathy to your wife. From yours sincerely, Ernest Walker". It must have been his Commanding Officer. That might be why we had those photos of Egypt in the scrapbook. Where the family would receive the telegram, it was obviously bery shocking but then a few days later there would be a latter form the Officer in charge which was much more personal. This is from the fleet surgeon and senior medical officer. it says "in reply to your letter of 21st November just received about your brother J. K. Garnett who was a patient on this ship from 30th October until 4th November 1915, he was estremely ill when he was brought on board and although he improved slightly he was never conscious enough to know where he was or to leave any message for his relatives. Please accept my greatest sympathy in your bereavement". "This is a telegram - Lft Garnett East Lancashire brigade admitted to hospital in Malta November 4th suffering from typhoid. Therse are all the messages that they received. They then have one from the hospital in Malta. That's a photo of his grave in Malta. The grave was visited during the War by this woman who became very famous - Vera Britoon. She lost her fiance, her brother and her best friend and she wrote a book about it and she was my Great Grandmother's friend. Her daugter, Shirley WIlliams is a Baroness in the House of Lords. Vera Britton was a nurse during the War. Her life was dramatised on TV. She wrote this letter to my Great Grandmother about visiting the grave. In the letter she tells her what the grave is like. This is Jerry's pouch that he carried with him. That's a book from the bible. They sent back to his parents..." [ENDS]

Transcription: 1re Classe le 14 Aout 1904 PAQUEBOT Portugal dÉJEUNER ----------------- hORS D'OEVRE Divers PLATS DE CUISINE Salade de boeuf, Viande froide Oeufs à la Béchamel Poison frit Pigeons au Sang Entre côtes aux Pommes DESSERT assorti CAFÉ

Transcription: gerückt als Kriegsreserve. Es soll nun das Fort Vaux entgültig genommen werden.  Ich wohne in einem kleinen Haus, indem ich schon Sept. 1914 eine Nacht geschlafen habe. Hauptm. v. Büttner u. Adj. Lt.  ? haben mich sehr nett aufgenommen. Ich esse mit den Herren zus. und spiele auch hie u. da einen Skat.  Hoffentlich bin ich bald wieder hergestellt, damit ich wieder meine Komp. übernehmen kann.  Nun genug für heute. Ich habe naturgemäss in diesem Brief viel von mir selbst erzählen müssen. Das liess sich nciht vermeiden.  Die Tage vom 25.2. ab waren schwer, sie waren aber doch schön.                                                                        Viele herzliche Grüße an Euch alle                                                                                    Euer tr. Konrad.

Transcription: Gv RI honi mal.y.pensr. Diue et mon Droit He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten. Pte. Harry Hodgkinson W. Riding Regt.