War Diaries Talk

Stumbling over peers

  • swalker0826 by swalker0826

    I'm currently tagging the 39 Brigade Royal Field Artillery and I came across a familiar name, so I googled him. Sure enough, Second Lieutenant Allen Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was the son of the 12th Baron Saye and Seele. It's not a terribly important observation, but as an American, I still find it so strange and fascinating that the upper classes still went along to the front lines.

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  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    It wasn't unusual at all - sons of aristocratic families had been filling the officer ranks for generations. If you ever tag one of the cavalry regiments, you'll find a great many Captain the Rt. Hon this and Major the Earl of that populating the pages. In many units, officers (and by extension the upper classes) had higher casualty rates than other ranks, per capita.

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  • Lizzieann by Lizzieann

    Today I found a future cabinet minister, Leslie Hore-Belisha, as 2nd Lt being posted in Nov 1914 to the 5th Division, Divisional Train. Tagged him as Person but thought worth mentioning his future career.

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  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Leslie Hore-Belisha (1893-1957 invented the Belisha Beacon Link: https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Who+invented+the+Belisha+Beacon Link shows also a photograph of a Belisha Beacon.

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  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    You learn something new every day! I had no idea that's what those crossing lamps were called.

    It's always interesting to come across a familiar name, isn't it? Robert Graves appeared recently in the diary of the 2nd Royal Welch Fusiliers.

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