Most resources available for researching those ancestors who fought in the Great War are ‘official’, but it is private documents which often provide more revealing human-interest stories such as the nurse’s autograph book described here by Sandra Taylor.
THE GREAT WAR | NURSE’S AUTOGRAPH ALBUM
Elsie Catherine Thompson was born on 14 June, 1896, in Ashton on Mersey, Cheshire, the third child and only daughter of Edward James and Emily Hulme (nee Rogerson) Thompson. The family resided in Ashton Grove, Ashton on Mersey, and Edward ran his own business as an estate agent, surveyor and architect, the family being wealthy enough to employ servants.
Elsie was probably given an autograph book as a present as she began collecting entries in the book on January 1, 1909, when she was just thirteen. On the inside cover Elsie has proudly declared herself the owner of the book, the very first signature collected on 1 January was a short rhyme written by her mother, Emily. Elsie added her own drawing on another page three days later. Over the years, a variety of drawings and rhymes from family and friends were added, but it is the entries from the First World War that make this little book such a gem.
When war broke …
