Tag Archives: Colonel Gordon Wilson

I accept the white feather

I am hoping to attend the ceremony at Ors on 4 November this year to commemorate the death of Wilfred Owen a hundred years ago (see Damian Grant’s post of 4 November 2016), and thought we might go on from … Continue reading

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The Medical

About now, Thursday 7 January 1915, George Calderon went before a Board for medical examination. It is rather surprising how little concrete information one can obtain now about military medical examination procedures in the First World War. Recurrent themes are … Continue reading

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‘We are not bamboozled’

About now George Calderon was informed by letter, or told to his face, that his ‘real status’ was ‘that of interpreter’, i.e. not ‘second lieutenant’ as he had disingenuously interpolated in Form M.T. 393, APPLICATION FOR A TEMPORARY COMMISSION IN … Continue reading

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Zillebeke Churchyard Cemetery

This week I have received and read Jerry Murland’s 2010 book Aristocrats Go to War: Uncovering the Zillebeke Churchyard Cemetery. Nothing, I think, could evoke so strongly the character and ethos of the men George Calderon was with at Ypres in … Continue reading

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‘He downright cried’

One of the many symptoms of acute stress disorder is ‘hyperarousal’, e.g. irritability and outbursts of anger. About now, whilst Kittie was with him, Calderon learned that Colonel Wilson had been killed on 6 November: George was in hospital when … Continue reading

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The ‘Godfather in War’ visits

As Kittie put it, Calderon’s ‘great wish on getting back was to see Colonel Hedley and triumph over him’. (For Coote Hedley, see my post of 26 August.) The reason for this was that, in Kittie’s words, ‘on some occasion … Continue reading

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28 October 1914

George wrote his long letter to Kittie today at supper time. There had been two developments during the day that directly led to attaining his object of becoming combatant, but he left them until the end of his letter. During … Continue reading

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Another ‘Russian connection’

It is also surprising that in his letter of yesterday Calderon did not mention Captain Fitzgerald, with whom he had shared a hotel room at Ypres. This ‘full-blooded Irishman, black and hairy’ had, we presume, accompanied George to Dunkirk with … Continue reading

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29 September 1914

It is clear from something Calderon wrote to his wife at the end of October that he did suffer from bouts of depression whilst he was an interpreter with the Blues.   On this day, Tuesday 29 September, he wrote … Continue reading

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Status

There are no letters from George to Kittie on 23 or 24 September 1914.  At first this seems odd, since he had been writing to her every day.  They were a Wednesday and a Thursday, and you would expect him … Continue reading

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A possible penny drops

Yesterday Calderon sent his wife three large closely written pages of letter, today he sends her four.  He describes tents, ‘messing’, people, clothes, furniture, military equipment, horses, exercises, soldiers, officers, all in vivid detail and thick with names. His back … Continue reading

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17 September 1914

In the morning, George and Kittie left Ringwood and travelled to Southampton.  Here they said goodbye for the time being and Kittie returned to Hampstead.  After lunch George caught the train to Ludgershall and walked to the vast Windmill Hill … Continue reading

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16 September 1914

This morning, ‘between us’ as Kittie put it, Calderon was got up and dressed, his luggage was put on (sic) the car, and he and Kittie came out of the house just after eight o’clock.  At that moment, a telegram was … Continue reading

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