Alyson Swift contacted us through our website to tell us about her great grandfather, John Mattison.
John was from Richmond and was called up on 10th May 1917, joining the Royal Flying Corps.
While he may look very smart in what is known as his ‘Maternity’ pattern tunic and side cap, Alyson wanted to draw a different aspect of his role in the First World War to our attention:
“He was an entertainer in the the camp concert party. He and his party won a talent contest at the Croydon Empire Theatre. He sang ‘the Laddies who fought and won’ and ‘keep right on to the End of the Road’ for which they won 20 pound!!”
John the entertainer surrounded by men in their ‘Hospital Blues’. John must also have been wounded or sick as he too is wearing the uniform underneath his Highland garb.
Explore more memories from the ribbon
-
Sister Kate Luard
Sister Katherine (Kate) Evelyn Luard Kate was born in Averley Essex on the 29th June 1872, the daughter of the vicar and the tenth of thirteen children. Her childhood was spent at Aveley Vicarage and then Birch Rectory near Colchester. Between 1887 and 1890 she attended Croydon High School for Girls. Her headmistress and school founder, Dorinda Neligan, had been a nurse in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/1, as well as being a suffragette and campaigner for women’s rights. She may well have been the inspiration for Katherine’s desire to go into nursing. On leaving school Kate took various jobs to earn money to train as a nurse. This she did at Kings College Hospital in London. In 1900 she served with the Army Nursing Service for two years in South Africa during the 2nd Boer War of 1899-1902. Following nursing work at home, on the 6th August 1914, aged 42, Kate enlisted in the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve. Kate served in France until 1918, firstly on ambulance trains then at Casualty Clearing Stations. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross and Bar, and was twice mentioned in dispatches for gallant and distinguished service in the field. Her various letters to her family at home were published in two books: ‘Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front 1914-15’, published anonymously in 1915, and ‘Unknown Warriors: The Letters of Kate Luard RRC and Bar, Nursing Sister in France 1914-1918’ first published in 1930. Kate never married…
-
Maud Florence Hoare
Maud Florence Hoare Maud was living in Ashford in Middlesex when she enrolled as a VAD for the British Red Cross. She joined in January 1915 and was stationed at the Military Hospital Catterick Camp. Maud spent approximately a year at Catterick Camp. Stationed from 15th January 1918 until the 9th of February 1919. This information, provided by Alathea Anderssohn has been drawn from the Imperial War Museum’s ‘Lives of the First World War’ archive.
-
Gertrude Berry
Gertrude was born in 1891, She spent the war as a nurse in the Other Empire Force, Voluntary Aid Detachment, QAIMNS. She was sent straight to France upon joining the Red Cross and from the 9th November 1915 – 8th June 1916 and then 1st July 1916 – 1st August 1916 she was stationed in France. In 1917 she married Harry O ‘Baines. Gertrude was posted from March 1917 until April 1917 at Military Hospital Havant before moving to Catterick Camp in March 1918. This information has been drawn from the Imperial War Museum’s ‘Lives of the First World War’ archive.