Dead Man's Penny. || Last week the Royal Engineers Museum had a work experience student, Daniel, and this is one of the posts he wrote for us: The Dead Man’s Penny would be given to the families of someone who had died at war. The family would receive a telegram about the death of a loved one. This would then follow with a death plaque and any medals the deceased had received during the war. The death plaque or ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ would be given to the next of kin of the servicemen who had fallen in the Great War between 1914 and 1918. The design of the penny was that it was a 12cm disk cast in bronze; it could also have a range of designs on it from an image of Britannia holding an oak spray with leaves and acorns to an imperial lion or the words “He died for freedom and honour”. This dead mans penny commentated the death of George William Whatford. George William Whatford was a Royal Engineer sapper and died at the age of 24.

Photographs and other articles relating to George William Douthwaite's deployment to Salonika, 1915-c1918. Includes materials relating to Douthwaite's baptism on Ash Wednesday 1916 at the Lambet (Lambert?) Camp, Salonika, and photographs of the Basra. || Turkish cigarette case Japanese postcards Postcards of Basra, etc. Confirmation certificate and books

Private William George Turner was a family relation to the contributor. William might have been the contributor's suspected grandfather's sister-in-law or brother-in-laws' son. The letter was found in Ernest Arthur Alderman (the contributor's grandfather) belongings upon his death in 1956. William George Turner was a private in the Coldstream Guard and died on 28 September 1915. The letter is dated 18th June 1915. It describes life in the trenches and the headache brought on by the 'big guns' written in old English. He refers to his family and asks after them. The letter is written to his aunt and uncle, suspected to be Ernest Arthur Alderman, he and his brother both married women named Hogsflesh. William was the son of George and Eliza Turner, of Yew Tree cottage, Greywood, Haslemere, Surrey. William is commemorated on the Loos Memorial. || letter dated the 18th of june 1915. 13435. PTE. W.B Turner. No. 7 Section No. 1 company, 1st Batt Coldstream Guard, First Brigade 1st Division, Britsh Expeditionary Force. France. My Dear Aunty & Uncle, I am now writing just a few lines hoping you are all quite well, I am very glad to say I am at present, I went in the Trenches on Sunday for the first time & it was strange at first, & we were under very bad shell fire I have now experienced what the headache is like I have never had it before, but it was the big guns that done it, & I pity anyone who have it. I had a letter come from dear Mum when I was in the trenches, & I was very glad to hear from them all, I hope you will let me have a line from you soon. We are having a rest now come out trenches on wed night. I hope Dear little cousin is getting on quite well, I should like to see him now, but he will be a big boy when I come home & see him & so will my dear little Florrie, no more news this time write to me soon, Love to all from your ever loving nephew, William xxxxxxx || || Private William George Turner || Private William George Turner's letter