William Dick was serving with 1st Battalion Scots Guards in trenches near Ypres, Belgium in June 1916 when he was wounded in the leg by an enemy shell. His wife at home in Haddington, East Lothian received a series of letters from his friend Corporal Stark which were reassuring at first. His leg had to be amputated but he was expected to recover. But four days after he was wounded, his condition deteriorated and he died. A collection of William's belongings were returned to Mrs Dick and she kept them with letters and papers in his memory. This story is part of the Next of Kin touring project, revealing family stories of the First World War across Scotland (www.nms.ac.uk/connections/our-national-work/next-of-kin/).
Purse; Pocket watch, Brass name-plate; Embroidered postcard sent by William Dick to his wife; Unofficial lapel badge; Scots Guards sweetheart brooch; Shell fragment which wounded him; Memorial plaque; Letter from Corporal Stark to Mrs Dick; Letter to Mrs Dick from the Chaplain at the Casualty Clearing Station; Official photograph of Dick’s grave.