WWI solider's journal found with the amazing sketches of the front

[bitstream]

I hope this is ok, I saw this today and thought many of you might find this pretty interesting. A British soldier's journal was found by his relatives. It contains his accounts of life on the front including the Christmas day truce and his really amazing sketches of the tanks, damaged buildings, etc.

Hero soldier Kenneth Wootton's amazing diary drawings of WWI horrors | Mail Online

I hope this is ok? I didn't think it was "news" as much as some really great stuff.

Oh, and to keep it a little on topic, see the photo of him in the link; is that a sidearm on his left side? Does anyone know what he would likely have been carrying?

 

[Filbird]

Thank you for your post - I had not seen this story. This war is fading into history, now that all of its fighters have died.

 

[cp1969]

Thank you for your post - I had not seen this story. This war is fading into history, now that all of its fighters have died.

The WWI museum in Kansas City is quite informative. One of the few in the country; maybe the only one.

 

[Grimlock]

Interesting read thanks for posting it.

 

[okie john]

Fascinating link. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that he used a camera lucida for the sketches.

The sidearm could be anything. I think officers supplied their own back then.

 

[jimmyj]

The sidearm most likely would have been a Webley or Smith and Wesson in caliber .455.

 

[JcMack]

My maternal grandfather fought for Kaiser Wilhelm. My aunt has a Luger he brought with him to this country around 1920. Reading the paragraph about the German stripped of his boots n socks after being wounded, gives you an idea of the mindset of the Hun as opposed to the allies. The english officer in the pic is wearing jodhpurs. Was that standard for all officers or just Cavalry?

 

[Texas Star]

The sidearm most likely would have been a Webley or Smith and Wesson in caliber .455.

Quite a few carried Colt New Service .455's. I've seen some with an officer's name and regiment engraved on them. Some had Colt .45 autos, one being Winston Churchill. He went to France after losing his political post at the Admiralty.

Webley and Colt also supplied .455 autos. After the war, most of the Colt .455 autos were transferred to the RAF, which issued them primarily to Coastal Command in WW II.

Apart from privately purchased Webley autos, some were supplied to the RFC and to the Royal Horse Artillery.

T-Star

 

[kraigwy]

Great Artical, thanks

What disturbs me is this:

The diary is expected to fetch more than £3,000 when it is auctioned off at the end of September.

How could any family member consider selling something like this. I would think they would want it to stay in the family.

Guess it takes all kinds.

 

[m1gunner]

A relative was an Army Photographer during WWl . We have over 200 original photos that he saved. Many battle field photos, some aerial recon photos and a number of detailed photos of troops he served with.

I wish there were some way to identify the men in the photos, as I am sure their descendants would like to get pics of their great grandpa at the front during the "Great War".

These pics were shot with large format view cameras, and many are contact prints, so the detail is amazing.

 

[Ogandydancer]

Thanks for the post. It is very Interesting. I can remember my Granddaddy talking about WWI he went in the army just afterward.
He told me that even though he missed the war he and his Co. were already aboard the train and almost ready to pull out of the station to try and capture Pancho Villa when he was either captured or killed, can't remember which for sure.

 

[Cyrano]

I don't think Pancho Villa was ever captured; certainly the Punitive Expedition in 1916 never found him. He was assassinated in Mexico in 1923, probably by the Mexican government to prevent him from meddling in politics again.

 

[guy sajer]

Inspiring , thank you for posting the article !

The sidearm most likely would have been a Webley or Smith and Wesson in caliber .455.

Or Colt New Service .
This one has the hero's name inscribed along with "MC" .

 

[n4zov]

That is a great link and the story is fascinating. I've never seen an account by World War 1 tankers before, and I just hope the complete story is eventually published. War photos are becoming quite valuable and the more unusual the more valuable they are. Ebay always has a number of war time photo albums for sale. World War 2 photo albums kept by German veterans are particularly valuable.