Army record

[Davedrave]

I would appreciate help with deciphering the writing at left in this extract from the record of a soldier in 298 Brigade Army Field Artillery. I can’t make out the letter in front of 298, or what is below it.

Dave

[tonepad]

2nd Line:

Fland -

"Fland" might be short for Flanders



Tony

[ShaunJ]

I read the second line as England something

[Neale1961]

2nd line
England – sick 
(“E” has been cut off the start of the word)

[Andy J2022]

As you probably know, a 'Brigade' in the Royal Artillery was the equivalent of a battalion or regiment in the rest of the Army, so I suspect the letter before 298 is D for D Bty, The next word is England but I can't make out the last word. I agree with Neale that my first instinct was 'sick'. This would make sense because the brigade itself was in France at the time.

[Davedrave]

Many thanks all for your help. I am currenntly writing an account of Walter’s time in the army, as far as possible, given the general anonymity of the lower ranks in the army. 298 Brigade seems to have had a very active war, from Messines through to the Sambre, and Walter seems to have been very lucky, seeming not to have been wounded. If he was in England sick in November 1917, that seems to have been one of the few quieter times for the brigade. I think he was probably quite a good soldier, since he ended up acting corporal and was awarded a Belgian Croix de Guerre in 1919.

Dave