From Geordie Land to No Man’s Land, written by George Russell Elder, was dedicated to his pal Edmund (Ted) Watmought who was killed in action in August 1918 whilst George was on home leave. George's diaries included the following conversation with Ted as he was about to return to Newcastle:- Ted said, there's something going to happen to me here. George replied, oh shut up man don't be daft you’ll be here all right when I come back. Three days later, back in Newcastle, George met up with a fellow soldier from the headquarter signallers. Who said to him. Did you hear about Teddy the same night I left the battery. Teddy and a driver who took my place had been literally blown to pieces by an 8 inch German shell that had dropped on top of the dugout. Poor Ted, He must have known, a finer lad one couldn’t find. Following an article in the SUN newspaper promoting our book last December, we were contacted by a genealogist who was interested in tracing the descendants of Edmund (Ted) Watmought. He very quickly managed to trace a nephew of Teds living in the south of England aged 88. After corresponding with the nephew and great nephew we arranged a meeting in February 2012 where we were able to exchange information that both families had in their possession relating to their ancestors. This information included a diary, the last letter Ted wrote to his mother and a hand written map detailing the positions of the 315 Brigade before YPRES in June 1917. The initials on the back of the map were G R E, my grandfather George Russell Elder. || This book was written by my grandfather after the first world war in six exercise books we have the original books.

A British sentimental postcard. || Two rather grim scenes comprise the pictorial element of this postcard. The first, in the top right-hand corner, shows two British soldiers firing their rifles from a dugout. Beneath this vignette is pictured a living room, with a distracted-looking mother sitting bolt upright in an armchair, her three daughters kneeling in prayer around her. The verse below, headed ‘HOLY FATHER, IN THY MERCY (1).’, reads, ‘Holy Father, in Thy mercy, / Hear our anxious prayer, / Keep our loved ones, now far absent, / ’Neath Thy care.’. ‘BAMFORTH (COPYRIGHT).’ has been printed in the bottom left-hand corner. The text on the reverse states, ‘BAMFORTH & CO., LTD., PUBLISHERS HOLMFIRTH (ENGLAND) AND NEW YORK. SERIES NO. 4841/1 / PRINTED IN ENGLAND.’ || || A British sentimental postcard headed 'Holy Father, in thy mercy'. || Women || Postcard || Home Front

Walter Nicholson was born and brought up in Stokesley, North Yorkshire. He was aged 37, married with 2 children when he signed up to serve King and Countery on 22nd December 1914, an act of great patriotism as there were many men much younger and without dependant families who might have served in his place. Walter was employed in civilian life as a chauffeur and so was allocated to the Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Section (Army number 031643) as a Motor Lorry Driver. The Army Service Corps managed the vast supply needs of the army on many fronts and were a stragically important factor in maintaining supplies for the army as it made considerable advances over difficult ground. They operated in a variety of roles, providing food, equipment and amunition as well as transporting casualties to clearing stations and hospitals. In 1916 Walter was admitted to hospital in Brighton due to spinal injuries sustained whilst on active service. In hospital he wrote poetry reflecting his and his comrades war experience and expressing his patriotism and love of his country. This poems is attached to this story. Walter Nicholson was invalided out of the war in 1916 and spent the remaining years of the conflict making munitions. After the war he developed an interest in fossils and created a wayside museum exhibiting the fossils he collected in his work quarrying. He was also an amateur opera singer. He died in 1934 aged 58.