Three Soldiers

Item

Title

Three Soldiers

Who?

Alan Humphrey, William Andrew and Robert Andrew

Item(s)

A postcard from William Andrew to his brother Robert, and dated March 8th, 1915 from Stirling, and is believed to have been sent from a training camp.

A photograph of Robert Andrew.

A photograph of Margaret Campbell/O’Keefe, who was the carer of Alan Humphrey.

Story

Alan Humphrey (13771) was born on October 5th, 1897 in Middlesex; the son of William Humphrey from Kilmarnock. He first joined the London Regiment, and then the Royal Flying Corps in November 1915. He was wounded, and then discharged unfit to St David’s Home in Ealing, London in 1919. Permanently disabled, he went to live with Margaret Campbell/O’Keefe (the great aunt of contributor Dorothy Moore), who was a nurse. Margaret Campbell died at the age of 68 in February 1950, and Alan Humphrey died in December 1950 at the age of 53. His occupation was given as street trader, and the family wonder whether he would have lived on with further care.

William Andrew (7999) served with the 1st and 4th battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. On July 12th, 1915, he was declared missing and presumed dead at the Dardanelles Campaign. He is commemorated at the Helles Memorial in Turkey.

Robert Andrew was the brother of William, and served with the Royal Field Artillery. He was in France with the British Expeditionary Force, and was entitled to both the Victory Medal and British War Medal. He survived the war, and went home to Kilmarnock, where he worked as a cashier, married, and raised a family.

When?

1914 – 1918.

Where?

Kilmarnock; Stirling; London; Dardanelles.

Contributor

Dorothy Moore; a distant cousin of Alan Humphrey.

Collection Day

10/04/2019, Glasgow City Archives, Mitchell Library, Glasgow.

This item was submitted on May 30, 2019