Photograph showing Henry Lucas in uniform ; Replica Medals British Service Medal, and the Victory Medal ; Photograph of us at our Grandfathers Grave at the military cemetry at Esquelbecq. || Our Grandfather Henry Harry Lucas was born in Nenagh in Co. Tipperary. We know he moved to Dublin where he lived for a while in Merrion Avenue where he was employed as a coachman. We are not sure the reasons our Grandfather enlisted but he did and was to serve with The Royal Garrison Artillery. We do know thanks to war records that the 39th siege Battery had served in the Somme area up until 1915, it is unknown to us whether our Grandfather had served there although we do know that he had served in Flanders between 1915 and 1918. It was in 1918 when our Grandfathers service had ended after sustaining wounds after what we believe to be during the second German offensive of 1918 where all the lines seemed to have been overrun. Henry we also know had been moved to an Australian casualty clearing station in Esquelbecq where he died of septisemia two weeks later. Our Grandfather is buried at the cemeterary in Esquelbecq that had been opened in 1918. We unfortunately have no original medals although his medal certificate we obtained from the national archives allowed us to purchase replicas (picture above). Our Grandfather's uncle was also a soldier who was one of the first recipients of the Victoria Cross. John Lucas V.C had been awarded this medal for his outstandig galantry during the New Zealand Wars. In recognition of our Grandfather's sacrife he and other parishoners are remembered on a plaque in the Holy Trinity Church in Rathmines.

Lyndhurst road in Peckham, 1915 || || The family at Uncle Billy's grave || Photograph || || Interview || Interview with Kathleen davies

Photograph of William Hunt and other Prisoners of War in Germany. || A postcard (photograph) of William Hunt (standing in dark clothes, centre) with 3 other British Prisoners of War. On the reverse in written: From: Corp. Wm Hunt, 8th Loyal N. Lancs. Regt, German no. 62768, Hameln No. 19, Deutschland. 21st November 1917. The photograph was printed by Rud. Engels jr. Quakenbruck & Cloppenburg. The postcard's stamps include: P.41 Postorufstelle - Hameln, and Londones, Paid Jan. 15 - 18. The postcard was addressed to Hunt's fiance Miss Stone May Stone, 28 George Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, England. This is part of a collection that relates to William Hunt. Hunt signed on in 1915 at Manchester Town Hall to the 5th City Battalion, Manchester Regiment. His initial training was at Bellvue, Manchester then Morcambe and finally Grantham, before going to France in December 1915. He fought at Albert and Fricourt and after a spell behind the lines with trench fever was sent back to the front to join the 8th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment at Thiepval where he was injured by mortar fire, wounded through the thigh and taken prisoner on 26th August 1916. He then spent the rest of the war in two or three prisoner of war camps before being repatriated at the end of the war and demobilised at Preston on 19th March 1919. In his attestation certificate, downloaded from the Ancestry website, Hunt's details include: No. 1712 ?; Corps: 5th City ? Batt. Mtsr Manchester? Regt; Your name: William Hunt: Address: Rosslyn, Hazelwood Rd, Hale ?, Cheshire; Age: 24 years 10 months; Trade: clerk; Married: no; Previous service: no; Witness to Hunt's signature: K. Howell. Two CDs of his story have been recorded telling the details of his wartime experiences from signing on to repatriation. These are marked 20 SB Manchester Res. L/C William Hunt, No. 17127. WW1 memories. A number of photographs of the period are also in the collection and postcards to his fiance, May Stone. || || PR29 William Hunt and other Prisoners of War || William Hunt || Postcard