World War 1 project

My first contact with Lancashire Archives was last year when they hosted a World War 1 project as part of the Preston Arts Festival. Those participating were mainly creative writers who have worked in the past with material from the Archives. After looking at items in the archive relating to World War 1, I decided that work would have much more meaning if I looked at my own family items relating to the war.

Prior to WW1 Robert George Paxton was a chauffeur so when he enlisted he ended up driving trucks.

I researched a bit about the Service Corps and decided that at some time or other he probably had to transport ammunition. The needle felted grenades I made were based on pictures of WW1 grenades I found on the internet. One of the letters in my possession is from my grandfather's commanding officer, sent when he died of influenza a couple of days before the armistice. It began "It is with deep regret......" . The writing behind the grenades repeating this phrase over and over reflects how often it was written during the war.

Another piece of work I did a few years ago was a collage based around a scrap of photographic negative I found at the back of a pocket diary which had belonged to my grandfather. The child in the picture is my father aged about three.