Author Archives: Miranda Brennan

Letters of the First World War: “Excuse the writing”

Aged 17, Rifleman Stephen Brown wrote his third letter home from the army in the autumn of 1914. As October and November wore on, the mobilisation process was continuing, and teenage Stephen’s battalion, the 5th of the King’s Royal Rifle … Continue reading

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Easter ‘comfort gifts’ for Sussex soldiers

Over Easter in 1917, local people in Sussex organised gifts for soldiers. Local papers published an itemised list of who received socks. The Hastings and St Leonards Observer from 14th April 1917 lists who contributed to the Sussex Soldiers Cigarette and … Continue reading

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An Easter war wedding

‘War weddings’ were commonly reported in local newspapers throughout the war. Was a war wedding in your family featured? As the First World War failed to be ‘over by Christmas’, late April 1915 brought the first wartime Easter holiday. A … Continue reading

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Letters of the First World War: “I am getting on alright”

  In his second letter home, 17-year-old Stephen Brown settles into the army as war breaks out. After his emotional first letter home, which we posted last Wednesday, it seems Stephen Brown’s mother forgave him whatever he did to upset … Continue reading

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A newspaper clipping and a story of shell shock?

What First World War story lies behind this 1916 Easter newspaper clipping? On Monday 24 April 1916 the Hull Daily Mail published a report of the Easter bank holiday celebrations in Hull, which were largely cold and rainy. Near the … Continue reading

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Letters of the First World War: Stephen Brown, 17

Stephen Brown joined the army in July 1914, a month before the First World War broke out. He was 17 years old. This is the first in a series of letters Stephen sent his family. We’ll be blogging the letters … Continue reading

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Medical advancements in the First World War

Alongside the horrors of trench warfare, the First World War led to advancements in medicine and surgery. Did anyone in your family receive groundbreaking treatment? Private Denis Bailie was serving with the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment when he … Continue reading

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Letters of the First World War: stopping a bullet

Is there a story like this in your First World War family history? For Mother’s Day we take a look at a popular story from 1915. “His mother’s letters in his pocket saved his life” On 18 September 1915, the … Continue reading

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War poets of the VAD

When we talk about the ‘War Poets’, we often picture soldiers. But many poets and writers were active within the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). Here are three female war poets, all of whom can either be located on Lives of … Continue reading

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Discovering the war poets

To mark this year’s World Poetry Day, discover more about the poets of the First World War. Many ‘war poets’ of the First World War are well known. Poems by Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, for example, are widely studied in … Continue reading

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