Rank: Private
Regiment: 5th Somerset Light Infantry
Parents: Mr & Mrs R Taylor
Brother: Mr Taylor
Address: 32 Vale Road, St Leonards
Other Info: Worked for Parrs Bank in Hastings. About to leave for India.
The text of the article reads: “We received the above portraits on Friday, and with them the following letter:- “Guernsey”, Vale Road, St Leonards. Dear Sir, I enclose two photographs if you care to publish them in this week’s Pictorial, one of myself and one of my brother, who is in a football jersey, is a Private in the 2nd Dorset Regiment, and has been taken prisoner with General Townshend’s Force in Kut-el-Amara. He went through all the campaign, and was wounded at Christmas fighting near Baghdad. No news has been heard from him since December, although we believe he is quite safe. He was in Parr’s Bank, Hastings in 1912, and then left for their Bournemouth Branch, and was in the local YMCA football team. The other photograph is of myself, and tomorrow I am leaving to join my Regiment, the London Scottish, so hope to fill his place now he is handicapped for the duration of the war. I am only 18, am also at Parr’s Bank, Hastings.”
The text in ‘Prisoner of War’ from September 1916 reads “Private Taylor was in the Somerset Light Infantry and was wounded in Kut on 30th December 1915, and taken prisoner with the rest of the British Army. He is now at Yozgad. He has been able to write to his parents. On 12th July he said: “In perfect health, don’t worry. Allowed four lines. So are you. Do send two packets of pipe ‘bacca’ weekly, also woollen socks, a shirt, pants, liver and kidney pills. Newspapers forbidden.” On 20th July he wrote again: “longing to be home”. In a further communication he says: “Yozgad in mountains. Warm in summer. Very cold in winter – snow. In perfect health. Always thinking of you all. “ In a further postcard Private Taylor got the better of the Turkish Censor by addressing his communication to “Mrs Taylor, Dowewin, 32 Vale Road, etc. He concludes by asking “How is Uncle Frits getting on? Heard he had an accident at the seaside”. The photograph was taken when Private Taylor was in India previous to going to Kut.”
Published: October 1914, May 1916 & September 1916
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View Comments (2)
His middle name was Manfield, and his father's name was almost certainly Richard. There is a very detailed account of his military career, mainly as a prisoner, as "A Kut hero", in the "Hastings and St Leonards Observer", 15 February 1919.
It is a pity that the newspapers used in the images are not identified -- they don't seem to be the local Hastings and Bexhill newspapers.
Hi Stephen. Thank you for providing this information, I have update the post to show this. Most of the soldier photographs on this website were taken from the Hastings and St Leonards Pictorial Advertiser, which was a sister paper to the Hastings Observer. Kind Regards, Kieron.