David Stables Long was born at Scarfoot, Skelsmergh, Cumbria in May 1893 where both his father and grandfather had been dyewood grinders at Logwood Mill. He was educated at Mealbank school and Stramongate - then a Quaker school. Not wanting to bear arms but willing to do humanitarian work, in January 1916 he joined the Friend’s Ambulance Unit. SSA13 was a group of 45 unpaid men driving ambulances attached to the French Army. They were sometimes ferrying casualties well behind the lines but at other periods they were working under shell and gas attack and suffered alongside the regular troops. David was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his efforts. He was wounded in August 1918 and evacuated to a Birmingham hospital. He became a schoolteacher at Ackworth after the war.

1 photo, copy || This is my great aunt Gert. She was 30-32 when she went to France (1914?) as a volunteer nurse. She learned to drive an ambulance. This is a photo of her with a mystery man. We learned just before her death in 1971 aged 87 that whilst in France she had a baby. It would be great to know if I had some French relatives somewhere. After the war she returned but did not marry until 1939 aged 55, so never had more children.

Violet Alicia Aplin was the mother of Hugh Hinde who submitted this story. She was born on 25 December 1899 and during the war was in the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment)in London looking after wounded soldiers. She was 18 at the end of the war. In 1924 she married John Hinde (the Aplin and Hinde families knew one another) and they had three children, John born in 1926, Rosemary born in 1928 and Hugh born in 1936. || Picture of Hugh Hinde's mother Violet Alicia Aplin as a VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) Nurse