Programme for Christmas celebrations, Royal Naval Divisional Artillery Headquarters, belonging to James Cross

Item

Title

Programme for Christmas celebrations, Royal Naval Divisional Artillery Headquarters, belonging to James Cross

Identifier

9270.cpd

Subject

Unknown

Abstract

Royal Artillery Cap badge to top, flanked by Royal Naval anchors with Holly and Mistletoe: 'Royal Naval Divisional Artillery | Headquaters | Xmas, 1918 | at | Bellignies, France | A Merry Xmas'. Flanked by shields including list of battle honours.

* Humourous rules for the Grand Football Match, names of players, referee, linesmen, and stretcher bearers.
* Menu - "an optimistic forecast" includes "Roast Goose" etc.
* Concert programme
* List of officers and men of the 63rd (Royal Naval) Divl. Artillery
* Sketches [now faded] "Scenes in the life of Div. Arty.", including "Div Arty HQ in Action: it is regretted that no [sketch?] appears of the HQ staff as they are camouflaged 30ft below the [...] dugout [...]"

Part of a large collection relating to Jim Cross, Broadway, Worcestershire. Before the First World War he was a postman in Hereford, joining the army as a ˜sapper' (service number 62966) in the Royal Engineer (Signals) in January 1915. The collection includes artefacts from Serjeant James Cross' service as a despatch rider, and his memoirs “ dictated in his 90s in the 1980s-90s to his second wife, Jill. The memoirs are based on Jim's diaries from 1915, 1917 and 1918. Sjt. Cross served overseas in the 38th (Welsh) Division Signalling Company, and was later attached to Headquaters, Royal Artillery, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division.

Date

December 1918

Date Created

1918-12-01

Temporal Coverage

1918-12-31

Source

Folio

Medium

Paper

Type

Memorabilia

number of pages

6

Contributor

Richard Marshall
Alun Edwards
Mrs Jill Cross

Publisher

The Great War Archive, University of Oxford