This is a story about the Vockins brothers - Albert Edward, Edgar William, Frederick Charles and Sidney - and they were my great uncles. They were from Hungerford, in Berkshire, and there were seven brothers in the family. Out of the seven, six served in the war and one did not go; of the six, two survived and four died during the war. Albert Edward was in the Royal Berskhire Regiment and was killed in January 1915. Edgar joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry and was killed in action in May 1915. Frederick was in the Royal Canadian Dragoons; he came back from Canada to join up and served from May 1915 to August 1915. He died during an operation for appendicitis on 3rd August 1915. Sidney enlisted in London, serving in the Post Office Rifles and was awarded the Military Medal in December 1917. He was killed in March 1918. || Copy of the diary of Pte. F.C. Vockins of the Royal Canadian Dragoons

A photograph of my grandfather, Harry Brain, in tropical army uniform was the start of a fascinating journey to discover the part played by Harry and, as I later discovered, his brothers in the Great War. Harry is on the left in the photograph and his brother on the right. Why was Harry in tropical uniform when his regiment, the Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars served throughout the war in France and Belgium? Who was the unknown brother beside Harry in the photograph? Harry had been wounded in the war and the bullet in his leg was never removed. Where was he when he was wounded and what was he doing? During my research I was amazed to find that Harry had three other brothers who had served in the war. Albert Brain, 2nd Battalion Warwickshire Regiment missing believed killed in action 21st Nov 1914 in Fleurbaix, France, George Brain 10th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby) Regiment killed in action 22nd March 1918 in Havrincourt, France and William Brain 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards. Harry was wounded in the Battle of St Quentin 23rd March 1918. One can only imagine the anguish of their mother Sarah Brain of Calthorpe Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire on learning that two of her sons had been killed and another wounded. George had moved to Tollerton, Notts before the war and George, a former postman in Bloxham, near Banbury had married then moved to Liverpool. Albert and Harry, however, like very many other Banbury men had set out from Calthorpe Street, Banbury to do their bit in the Great War. I found a photo of Harry in a group of wounded/sick men and nurses in the grounds of the Red Cross Hospital, West Street, Grimsbury. This Wesleyan Chapel was used as a hospital from 1915 to 1919. It would be very exciting if the other men in the group could be identified. It transpired that brother George is in the photograph. He was with the 9th Btn. Sherwood Foresters who were in Egypt in Feb/Mar 1916. Harry was in Egypt with the Corps of Hussars from 20th April 1915, probably attached to the Dorsetshire Yeomanry but, also, at some point in Dec 1915 he was attached to the Lancashire Hussars. He joined the Oxfordshire Hussars in France in Dec 1916. Harry and George were both victims of the German Offensive in March 1918. Although their service records no longer exist it has been possible to piece together where the brothers were and what they were doing at the time the war ended for them. Digitising and uploading the artefacts and documents about the men who served will ensure that their experiences and sacrifice will never be forgotten. || Photographs 1. Harry & George 2. Banbury Red Cross Hospital Newspaper Extract 3. Albert Killed in Action 4. Harry and his comrades in 1918 || || Photograph || Harry (on left) & George In Egypt 1916 || Middle East || Harry & George || Egypt || || Banbury, Oxon || Banbury Guardian dated || Albert Brain || Announcement of Alberts Death || Photograph || || Harry Brain and other wounded/sick patients and the nursing staff in the Red Cross Hospital, West Street, Grimsbury, Banbury, Oxon || Harry in Red Cross Hospital, Banbury. Back row 5th from left || Photograph || Banbury, Oxon || Harry Brain& Fellow servicemen || || Harry and his comrades || Photograph || A group of Oxfordshire Hussars in 1918 (except the man in the back row on the right who appears to be from an (unknown) Irish Regiment). Harry is on the right in the front row. || Harry Brain

Photograph of Frank and Fintan in uniform; memory card, Fr Willie Doyle, SJ || My uncles Frank, Fintan and Jack Kelly joined up when their family was living in what is now Northern Ireland. Frank was a mathematician and the family story is that he crawled out and calculated the trajectory of the shells from the German lines so that his unit's lines could be re-adjusted to avoid being shelled. He got a medal for his bravery. Jack was thought to have died but turned up in a hospital, badly shell-shocked, after a long time. I've also brought along a memory card of Fr Willie Doyle S.J., a military chaplain, who died during the Battle of Passchendaele on 16 August 1917. He was related to my family and I have a sketch family tree to show the connection. The photograph of Frank and Fintan is from a postcard sent from France to the boys' mother. || || Frank and Fintan Kelly || Photograph || Remembrance || || Memorabilia || Fr Willie Doyle, S.J. || Biography of Fr Willie Doyle from his memory card || Remembrance || || Remembrance || Memory card, Fr Willie Doyle S.J. || Fr Willie Doyle, S.J. || Memorabilia || || Letter || Remembrance || Fr Willie Doyle, S.J. family connections || Family tree showing relationship of Fr Willie Doyle to contributor