This is the story of two brothers, Alfred Richards, my grandfather, and Will Richards, my grand uncle. I have my grandfather’s British War Medal (known as the Squeak) and his ID card, his Certificate of Competency for Merchant 2nd Class engineer. He served in the Merchant Navy and I have two documents that make up his Discharge Certificate from the Royal Naval Reserve Force. However, aside of the second document, which details the ships that he was involved in, I have no information with regard to his war record; he served and returned home to Cardiff in Wales. His brother Will was captured in 1914 and became a Prisoner of War (POW) in Germany. He sent home a Christmas card from the camp and postcards that showed Will alongside other prisoners of war, all in football gear. Unfortunately however, I do not know if Will survived the war as I found all these articles after my mother died, and we had lost connection with the Cardiff side of the family. || British War Medal, The Squeak\n Postcard from Genova from Will and Christmas cards Alfred's ID card Photograph of Will in German POW camp Alfred's Certificate of Competency for Merchant 2nd Class engineer Alfred's Discharge Certificates from the Merchant Navy || || Alfred Richards || This is a photograph of Alfred (the date is unknown), and beside him is the British War Medal that he received for his service in the Royal Navy during the First World War. || Alfred's medal || Medal || || Will Richards and his fellow POWs || This is a photograph of Will and his fellow prisoners of war in the football team that they formed during his time in the Ruhleben POW camp circa September 1914. He sent this to his mother. || Will's wartime football team || Ruhleben || Photograph || || Ruhleben, Germany || Will's message home || Letter || This is the note Will sent home to his mother with the photo of his POW football team. || Letter home to his mother || || Soldiers' experience || Memoirs || Photograph || Photographs of one of the ships that Alfred spent time on, and one of the areas visited by one of the brothers || || Memoirs of Travel || Genova; Ceylon || These are three postcards that Will Richards had of two places he must have visited during his service - Genova and Ceylon. || Postcard || Will's keepsakes from his travel || || England || Naval Warfare || Official document || This was Alfred's Certificate of Competency for Merchant 2nd Class engineer he received before entering the Royal Navy in 1902. || Certificate of Competency || || This is Alfred Richards' Identity and Service Certificate issued after the war in 1921. || Alfred Richards' Service and Identity card || Official document || || This is proof of Alfred being apprenticed as an engineer long before the war, with the signed confirmation of he and his father. || Alfred's initiation into engineering || Official document || Certificate of Apprenticeship || || Certificate of Service and Discharge || Certificate accompanying the logbook that detailed Alfred Richards' service and officiates his discharge from the Royal Navy. || || Alfred Richards' service || Certificate of Service and Discharge || This is Alfred's discharge papers from the Royal Naval Reserve Force. || Official document || Cardiff, Wales; Malta || || Official document || Cardiff, Wales; Malta || Details of Alfred's Service in the Royal Navy. || Certificate of Service and Discharge || || Certificate of Service and Discharge || Official document || Details of Alfred's Service in the Royal Navy. || || Official document || Details of Alfred's Service in the Royal Navy. || Certificate of Service and Discharge || || Certificate of Service and Discharge || Document detailing Alfred's discharge with the Royal Navy from Cardiff to Malta when for his first voyage in 1901. || Official document || || This is a collection of different currency notes from around the world that either my grand-uncle or grandfather collected. || Collected Currency || Collection

A transcribed collection of postcards to and from Will Parsons (62 pages) || My granddad's experiences on hospital ships in the Middle East and India from 1915 to 1918.

A small girl and a boy wearing a British soldier’s uniform are depicted in a domestic setting on the front of this postcard. Kneeling on a rug, they grasp one another’s hands across a water-filled tub on which toy ships are floating. The caption below reads, ‘Tho’ the water is between us, yet our hands will meet again !’. The typeset details on the reverse state, ‘Art and Humour Publishing Co., Chancery Lane, London, W.C. / A & H “ TINY TICKLES ” Series. No. 420. British Manufacture.’. From the postmark, which is only partially visible, we know that the postcard was mailed on 9 August in Croft. There is also a message, written in black ink, headed, ‘Croft / Leicester’. It reads: ‘Dear Aggie just a PC hoping you arrived home safe on Wednesday we are having nice weather and Beatie and Alfred are having a fine time we shall be back on Saturday all being well we shall come by the seven o clock train from hear ? with love from Aunt Nelly & Beatie & Alfred xxxxxxxx’. The same hand has addressed the postcard to ‘Miss A Webster / 8 Duke St / Hinckley / Leicestershire’. || A British sentimental postcard || || Postcard || A British sentimental postcard