William and Elizabeth's wedding photograph, 1918; William's British War Medal (obverse); William's British War Medal (reverse); William's Victory medal (obverse); William's Victory medal (reverse); John J.'s grave, Bailleul Communal Cemetery in France. || William Gill was my maternal grandfather and he and his two brothers, John J. and Martin served in France during WW1. They were born in Ballyclemock, Newbawn, Co. Wexford in Ireland. John J. served first in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and then with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He died from wounds received in battle on 21 October 1916 and is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery in France. Martin was the youngest. He had gone to Wales to work in the coal mines. He joined the Welsh Regiment in March 1914, before the war. He was severely wounded on several occasions but survived the war although he had a metal plate in his head from his injuries. After the war he married and lived in Co. Wexford. My grandfather, William served with the Irish Guards and was at the Somme. He often told my father stories about the war of an evening by the fire. Once they were in the trenches and they had a letter they wanted to bring to the command centre to ask for help. It was night time. My grandfather volunteered to go and, as he told it, he used the light from the shells exploding around him to light his way. He had to stop and lie low when it was dark and run for it when the area was lit up. Brigadier Plunkett from Newbawn, Co. Wexford told my father that my grandfather was offered a promotion to a desk job at one point during the war but refused it saying that he wanted 'another crack' at the enemy. He also told this story himself. His attitude was that you had to stay and fight it out. He also recounted how they would raise their helmets up over the trenches perched on their rifles and draw sniper fire so they would know where the snipers were. William married Elizabeth Kelly in 1918 and settled down in Co. Wexford. || || Photograph || Wedding photograph, William and Elizabeth (Kelly) Gill || Remembrance || Wedding photograph of my grandparents, William Gill ad Elizabeth Kelly, 1918 || || Medal || William's British War Medal (obverse) || British War Medal - William Gill || || William's British War Medal (reverse) || William Gill's British War Medal || Medal || || William's Victory Medal (obverse) || Medal || Remembrance || William Gill's Victory Medal (obverse) || || William Gill's Victory Medal || William's Victory Medal (reverse) || Medal || || Photograph || 50.736482,2.735590000000002 || John J. Gill's gravestone, Bailleul Communal Cemetery || Remembrance

Photographs: John Barry; Michael Barry; William and Tommy Barry; John Barry memorial scroll; Michael Barry memorial scroll; Princess Mary gift box, Christmas 1914 (William’s); Discharge papers, William Barry; || John, Michael and William Barry were my great-uncles, my grandmother Mary Barry Whelan’s brothers. Their parents were John and Bridget Barry of Neamstown, Kilmore Quay, Wexford, Ireland. My great uncle, John Barry was born on 30 November 1888 and joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in January 1915. His service number was 17986. He was killed in action in the Balkans on 7 December 1915, aged 26. His name is inscribed on the Doiran memorial in Greece. My grandmother, Mary Barry Whelan kept a diary of all the events related to her brothers and kept their scrolls and photos on the wall of her hallway. They were the first things you saw when you went through the door. Michael Barry was born in June 1890 and joined the Welsh Regiment on 20 July 1916. He was killed in Cambrin in France on 23 July 1918 at 10:25 pm. Michael had arrived in France on Christmas Day 1916. He and some other Wexford men are remembered on a plaque in Maesteg church about five miles from Bridgend in Wales. William was born on 22 May 1896. He walked from Kilmore to Wexford town on 17 May 1917 to join the Royal Irish Regiment, service number 157749. He served in the Machine Gun Corps and was seriously wounded on 23 March 1918 in France. He was discharged in 1919 as no longer physically fit for war service. He was permanently disabled and bedridden and my grandmother looked after him and spent much of her time going up and down to him. He died in Nemestown about nine years late and is buried in Grange cemetery there. Unfortunately for the family the remaining brother Tommy died young also in 1926, so that was all the Barry sons deceased in the space of ten years. From 1911 to 1927, Bridget Barry, my great-grandmother lost her four sons, her husband and one daughter. Three girls remained and they married and lived to old age. My grandmother, Mary Barry always kept their memory alive. She married Myles Whelan who enlisted in the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1916 and was discharged in 1918. || || Balkans || Remembrance || John Barry || John Barry, Royal Dublin Fusiliers || Photograph || || Photograph || Michael Barry || Remembrance || Michael Barry, Welsh Regiment || Western Front || || Remembrance || William and Tommy Barry || Western Front || Photograph || || John Barry || Remembrance || Official document || John Barry memorial scroll || || Michael Barry memorial scroll || Remembrance || Michael Barry || Official document || || Princess Mary brass gift box, Christmas 1914 || William Barry's Princess Mary brass gift box, Christmas 1914 || Other || Remembrance

The interview was conducted by Age Exchange in partnership with The University of Essex and The First World War Centre –University of Hertfordshire –as part of the Children of The Great War project. Brian Key came to share the story of 3 men important to him from his family. There were 2 Grandfathers and husband of a cousin of his father. Fascinatingly they fought in three different theatres of war. The husband of the cousin of his father was Sidney James Scarfe. He was born in 1897 and died in 1952. He had worked as a groom at Rettendon Hall. By the time of the war he was working at Hoffman’s Factory in Chelmsford. He served on the Western Front including The Battle of Messines Ridge where he was injured invalided out. He recorded a cassette tape lasing one hour, His injury came about in a dugout on Menin Road when a whizz bang came over. Some men were killed but Sidney had a shrapnel wound in the leg that caused him to be invalided out. After spending times in nursing homes he looked after Prisoners of War later and had correspondence with them. Brian’s paternal grandfather was Thomas Albert Key who joined 1915. He ended up in the Army Service Corps in Park Royal. At the end of war was sent to Russia to support white Russians. He was stationed in Archangel and Murmansk looking after Bolshevik prisoners during 1918-1919.They lived wooden Huts. Little known about it as a conflict and Brian has the feeling the soldiers were unsure why they were there. Illness and disease were the major dangers to life. Died 1951 George Huffey was his maternal grandfather. He was a master wheelwright and joined in Thaxted. He initially joined the Royal Garrison and was finally sent to East Africa. He worked repairing and making cartwheels. It was a mostly a guerrilla form of war with hit and run attacks rather than trench warfare. Again more men died of disease than conflict. He died in 1957. Brian brought along a cassette recording and transcription of the recording with Sidney Scarfe He also brought photographs from North Russia with a collection of postcards both personal and general. There were photographs of Sidney having just joined up and Thomas in Russia. || || Western Front || Photograph || Sidney James Scarfe || || Balkans || Photograph || Thomas Albert Key || Thomas Albert Key & co. in Russia || || Sidney James Scarfe on a ward || Photograph