Memories of the War to End War

[Drone_pilot]

When the war began in August 1914, I was living in a room at Chalcot Crescent, Chalk Farm, and fellow artist David Bomberg had a room on the corner of St George's Square nearby. Also in the neighbourhood were several other ex-Slade students, including B. Meninsky and Geoff. Nelson. The first three months of the war were particularly difficult for us. Money was conspicuous by its absence, for there were no student's grants in those days.

In this situation of penury, Bomberg wrote to Lady Ottoline Morrell and the Artists Benevolent Fund, but without result. My effort was to call on Augustus John at his house in Chelsea. It was a winter evening, and the spacious studio was unlit save by a wood fire in a large open grate. We sat in silence facing each other beside the fire, I hesitating to reveal the purpose of my visit. Finally, John got up saying he had to go out. Together we left the house and walked along the King's Road toward the Six Bells. As he was about to enter the pub, John handed me half a crown. This result was as disastrous as Bomberg's had been. The sight, as I reached Piccadilly, of a Red Cross ambulance filled with wounded 'Tommies' put the finishing touch to this rainy night's adventure

read the rest of this interesting story here.
Full Story (http://www.users.waitrose.com/~wrs/howitzer.html)

[Bombardier]

At the Woolwich Depot the recruits were housed in small rooms that had formerly been married quarters. There were two or three beds to a room, but not beds of the conventional type, they consisted of three planks that could be placed on two low trestles about 6 inches from the floor. These low beds were useful at times; at night when one of the occupants who had taken too much liquor, rather than get up, would prefer to relieve himself from his bed, resulting in a good deal of urine over the floor, and splashes on the walls.

The accomodation was pretty much the same in 1983. LOL :D

Great article Drone_pilot, Nice one pal

[Drone_pilot]

hee hee don't i know it :)

[trackman]

the only time i spent in woolich was when i handed in my i.d. at the end of my time. i didnt like the place at all,my brother was a drill pig there though.... me, i joined in 69 at bramcote now that was a fun place to start my army life,pulling 25 pdrs round the old air fields.....and it had a better tynasium than p company......

[John A Silkstone]

You can’t beat driving the Quad while pulling the limber and 25 pounder around Woolwich. Funny how the traffic would get out of my way.

Silky