Historic Records Men of July 1916

Date: 23 July 1916. Connection: Letter from St Dunstan's; Whereas I was Blind, My Story of St Dunstan's. Lieutenant Ian Fraser of the 2/4th Gloucestershire Regiment, was blinded by a German bullet on the Somme on the 23rd July 1916 when he was just 19-years-old. His journey to recovery began at St Dunstan's Hostel for blinded sailors and soldiers in Regent's Park, London and later, at the young age of 24, he became chairman of St Dunstan's, a position he held for the next 52 years. The autobiographical 'Whereas I was blind', published in 1942, and 'My Story of St Dunstan's' published in 1961 are, in my opinion, two of the most inspirational books one can hope to read and I had already had copies of both for many years before I picked up the letter by Ian Fraser which he sent in 1944. When he signed his name on that letter, he had been blind for nearly thirty years, and he would die, as Lord Fraser of Lonsdale, in December 1974. Photograph courtes...

Date: 28 July 1916. Connection: Victory Medal. I was the high bidder on Frank Golding's eBay-listed Victory Medal in February 2022, and at the time of writing he remains my only connection to 28 July 1916. Frank Golding was born at Fulham on the 6th October 1896, the son of George and Eliza Golding and one of at least 12 children born to George and Eliza. On the 1911 census he's the youngest member of the family, aged 15, living with his parents and two older brothers, and still at school. Frank originally attested for service on the 22nd April 1915, joining the Devonshire Regiment with the regimental number 16388. Six days later, however, he was discharged as "not being likely to become an efficient soldier", this probably as a result of "very slight varicocele" and "slight varix [varicose vein] in right leg". Undeterred, Frank enlisted for a second time, signing up with the 23rd (County of London) Battalion, the London Regiment, at St John's ...

Date: 27 July 1916. Connection: 1914 Star trio & RFA shoulder title. I bought Gunner Harry Camp's 1914 Star trio at an antiques' shop in Hoddesdon in July 2024, and also bought his son's Second World War medals at the same time. I am always looking for medals to men who arrived overseas in 1914 but at the time of this purchase I was unaware that Harry also ticked my collecting box for July 1916. Harry was married in October 1899 and yet by February 1900 he had buried both his wife and infant son. Three months later he enlisted with the Royal Artillery. These are my notes about him. 9th March 1880.  Born at Hertford Heath April 1881.  Census gives place of birth as Little Amwell. The only child of John and Kate Camp. Living at London Road, Little Amwell. April 1891.  Census gives place of birth as Little Amwell. Living at 1 Church Hill, Little Amwell. 7th October 1899.  Marries Florence Rosina Rist at Holy Trinity Church, Little Amwell 30th December 1899.  Bi...

  1st July 1916 remains the worst day, as far as casualties were concerned, in the history of the British Army. This Historic Records blog focuses on the men of July 1916, not all those with a connection to that awful month, of course, but rather men with whom I have a personal connection. That connection might be an interview that I conducted with a veteran back in the 1980s; a postcard or a photo that links to July 1916, or more than not, a medal or medal group to someone who became a casualty. The photo above was acquired by me in 2019, and shows is British army officers photographed at the end of a month-long training course at the Fourth Army School at Flixécourt on the Somme in 1916. The photo dates to May 1916 and within six weeks, seven of these men would be dead. First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon attended the course and wrote about it in Memoirs of an Infantry Officer and in his journal. He was a second lieutenant when this photo was taken and he is seated cross-leg...