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For the original story, you can check out our blog post at the link below 👇
www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/survived-by-...
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April 16, 2025 at 7:34 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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Rob delivers the final talk of the Friend's Spring Lecture Series on April 10th 7.30pm at Shrewsbury Castle. Using objects from the museum's stored collection, he asks the question: How have the loving ones of killed soldiers of Shropshire grieved?

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(Rrob next to Thomas Price's temporary grave marker, brought back to the UK by his wife Sylvia. It is a simple wooden cross, with square cut diamonds at ends apart from the bottom. In black paint are the words 'RIP' in the top diamond, followed by 'KILLED / IN / ACTION' down the top part of the vertical cross and '250085 SGT PRICE T.V. / 10th K.S.L.I. along the horizontal. At the lower part of the vertical cross '29.7.18'.

Image 4: One of several luxury French cosmetics gifted by Private Aubrey Price to his mother, Mercy for Christmas 1944. Vibrant red Gemey powder, within a circular metal case, with circular cotton applicator and a metal top, with a loose circular paper advertising note(?) 'ROUGE / A LÉVRES / GEMEY /procédé synthochrome / création / RICHARD HUDNUT / PARIS'. Aubrey was killed two months later on the 7th March 1945 in the Netherlands and the luxury cosmetics were preserved by Mercy through her grief. For more, see https://www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/survived-by-grief-cosmetic-dis-comfort-a-gift-from-a-soldier-son-to-mother/

Letter written on a single page of blue notepaper by Private Lancelot ‘Lance’ Kitchen to his sister Vera (transcript further below). Eight months after writing the letter, Lance died as a prisoner of war in June 1916.
Trimulgherry, India Oct 1st /
My Dear Vera, /
Thank you very much for your Kind letter received safely yesterday. I am glad to hear you enjoyed your school holiday. I expect you are getting quite a big girl now what standard are you in school. I am sending you a few pictures I will collect a lot & send you soon. What are you doing with them all. I will have my photo taken soon & send you one then you can show your teacher your big brother who has been to the front fighting the Turks. I don’t know when I shall be coming home but I will come as soon as the Germans have all been beaten & I don’t think that will take us long now. I have enclosed a picture out of a paper, you can see the date trees that is where I have been fighting Well Vera dear write me another letter soon (a long one) Best love to you & all at Home
I remain /
Your loving Brother /
xxxx Lance xxxxxx

This soldier doll was given to a young son when his father, Lance Corporal William Smith, was killed in the First World War (1914-18). It is very fragile, with several holes where the filling material will escape with only the slightest movement. Some of the holes were sewn up long ago and then over time and/or playful use the stitching has come loose, revealing the holes once again. The doll is made of a single piece of fabric, details such as jacket, hat and facial features have been drawn or printed on with ink.

April 8, 2025 at 7:06 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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The full story of Jessie the donkey's cart discovery is now available to read at our 'Stories from the Collection' webpage, and just as we add a new layer to Jessie's archival story at the museum!

www.soldiersofshropshire.co.uk/recovering-j...

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Photographs of and newspaper clippings within the museum collection about Jessie the donkey from the 1940s through to the present day. At the centre is Jessie’s wooden cart within the cobbled service courtyard of Pitchford Hall with Rob (left), James Nason (centre) and Derek Owen (right) around the cart. Rob holds the museum’s Jessie portrait by Lady Sybil Grant. Image courtesy of the Shropshire Star and reproduced by Copywrite of Shrewsbury.

Black and white photograph of Jessie and Private Ellis at the Flaxmill Maltings, Shrewsbury, 1942, with soldier’s kit bags to be taken to Shrewsbury Railway Station.

March 24, 2025 at 1:09 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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At the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum, we have a new landmark accession- a servicewomen's dress, worn by Joan Crooke!

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March 3, 2025 at 1:37 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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A gift from Supreme Allied Commander of the First World War (1914-18) Marshal Ferdinand Foch!

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A gift from Supreme Allied Commander of the First World War (1914-18) Marshal Ferdinand Foch!
On Rob’s recent visit to the historic Pitchford Estate, just south of Shrewsbury, owner James Nason almost forgot to show me two precious family items with a military and Shropshire connection. The first, a silver-tipped leather riding crop, engraved and gifted by French Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch to Pitchford’s General Sir Charles Grant.
Sir Charles, onetime Honorary Colonel of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (1931-47), served for a time during the First World War as a liaison officer between General Sir Henry Wilson, Chief of the Imperial General Staff and Marshal Foch. Engraved on the silver tip is ‘C J C Grant from Marshal Foch 1st Jan 1919’. The object was likely gifted as a token of appreciation or esteem for Sir Charles’s work and/or friendship.

The second family item is a handwritten note by Marshal Foch to Lady Sybil Grant, dated 16th September 1919. Lady Sybil was Sir Charles’s partner and followers may remember her as the painter and adopter of Jessie, a hardworking army donkey that one year helped deliver Shrewsbury’s Christmas mail. Daughter of Prime Minister the Earl of Rosebery, Lady Sybil was an incredibly characterful and accomplished individual, a leading writer of her day. Rob has translated the letter roughly…

‘THE MARSHAL FOCH /
Dear Lady Sybil, /
The work for which you /
devote yourself so generously is very /
worthy of interest so that I /
express to you my wishes the /
warmest in favour of its full success /
With my most respectful regards, /
F. Foch’.

The work that Marshal Foch commends Sybil for may relate to her fundraising efforts for disabled service personnel. One of the fundraising activities Lady Sybil organized was a fête at The Durdans (Surrey), her other home.
A thank you to James and Rowena Nason for enabling us to see these family items and interesting for Rob from the perspective of engaging with objects associat…

Black and white portrait photograph of Marshal Foch in military uniform, 1914-18. Nationaal Archief, Netherlands. Creative Commons, CC0 1.0.

February 23, 2025 at 1:54 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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Will reveals his favourite set of medals on display, awarded to Sergeant Major R. Jones, 1st King’s Shropshire Light Infantry!

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February 20, 2025 at 3:05 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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#ww2 #militaryhistory #shrewsbury #shropshire #socialhistory #ksli ##localhistory

February 8, 2025 at 7:28 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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#firstworldwar #shrewsburycastle #womenshistory #shropshire #shrewsbury #localhistory #socialhistory #militaryhistory

February 7, 2025 at 2:26 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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#shrewsbury #militaryhistory #womenshistory #wrac #ww2 #secondworldwar #Shropshire

February 3, 2025 at 7:15 PM

Soldiers of Shropshire Museum

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Women's history in the cornerstone of our museum’s mission towards better inclusivity and representation, and we have shared stories of women on social media, blog content, online exhibitions and displays
#womenshistory #militaryhistory #servicewomen #shropshire #shrewsbury #firstworldwar #ww1 #waac

January 30, 2025 at 12:32 PM