Dear mother
Lieutenant Stanley Charles Booker volunteered to defend his country during World
War I (1914-1918).
He was posted to France in May 1916 with the Worcestershire Regiment and sent regular letters home describing life in the trenches. On leaving for France he wrote a letter which began, 'Now, Mother, please be cheerful while I am away because after all it is only right that I should go, and many others have gone to do more than I; it is the right place for all Englishmen now and we are only taking a small part in a great work.'
In September, he received the Military Cross for his bravery when helping to rescue 14 wounded soldiers, but was killed by a sniper's bullet when attempting to rescue a colleague from No-Man's Land. He died on 10 October at Richebourg L'Avoue on the Western Front, at the age of 23.
Lieutenant Stanley Booker was one of 6,648 men enlisted in Bristol who were killed during the Great War. Over a thousand men from Bristol served in the 12th Service Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, popularly known as Bristol's Own Battalion. Service Battalions were often formed from single communities and places of work, meaning friends, relatives and workmates could join and serve together. These became known as The Pal's Battalions. While serving with family and friends may have made the hardships of trench warfare more bearable, one fatal action could tragically wipe out all the young men from one family, factory or street.
He was posted to France in May 1916 with the Worcestershire Regiment and sent regular letters home describing life in the trenches. On leaving for France he wrote a letter which began, 'Now, Mother, please be cheerful while I am away because after all it is only right that I should go, and many others have gone to do more than I; it is the right place for all Englishmen now and we are only taking a small part in a great work.'
In September, he received the Military Cross for his bravery when helping to rescue 14 wounded soldiers, but was killed by a sniper's bullet when attempting to rescue a colleague from No-Man's Land. He died on 10 October at Richebourg L'Avoue on the Western Front, at the age of 23.
Lieutenant Stanley Booker was one of 6,648 men enlisted in Bristol who were killed during the Great War. Over a thousand men from Bristol served in the 12th Service Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, popularly known as Bristol's Own Battalion. Service Battalions were often formed from single communities and places of work, meaning friends, relatives and workmates could join and serve together. These became known as The Pal's Battalions. While serving with family and friends may have made the hardships of trench warfare more bearable, one fatal action could tragically wipe out all the young men from one family, factory or street.