Fred Findlay and family life while in the trenches

Fred's story is an incredibly moving one. He enlisted in the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1915 and died in Fricourt on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The family archive is extraordinary, consisting of newspaper cuttings, letters, postcards and photographs. The striking thing about the correspondence is the sense of really being able to know Fred. He comes across as a kind, funny young man who loved his family very much, especially his sister Sarah. He remained a central part of family life even from the trenches and family happenings were as important to him as what was happening in the war. In one letter he wrote to thank his parents for the food parcels that they had been sending and to say how much he enjoyed having a salmon tea. However, he also asked them to stop sending them as he knew how expensive it was and he preferred that they spend the money on the household back home.