03.01.1919 Alfred Johnson, letter to Essie I have been playing football to-day the first time I have played in a match since the Artist days. I think all men with jobs with be demobilised fairly soon. They are demobilising 5000 a day now and that is soon to be nearly doubled.
[Johnson played football for the University of Manchester team where he studied classics in the early 1900s]
04.01.1919 Letter to from Artillery Lieutenant Alfred Johnson in Belgium to his wife Essie: It appears we are not off to Germany at least not for the present, which is rather disappointing
The Morning Post: Military Awards For services in France and Flanders A.F. Johnson, Military Cross
Olive Harcourt’s diary Jan 7th 1919
Men’s concert at Beaucroft Hospital. Mrs Smith went with us, fearful squash. They were dressed as Pierrots in white pyjamas, with paper pompoms and ruffs, Macken, Stubbs, Woodhead and Jacobs the best. The little play “The Area Bell” with Nurse Coggin.
Sidney Macken and Arthur Stubbs really good and amusing. We had a nice talk with them and Fred Woodhead on the stage afterwards.
Letter from Alfred Johnson to Essie, 8.01.1919 on Bruxelles Palace Hotel headed paper. Brussels is certainly a very fine town. We have been to the galleries, with sculptures by Rodin...
Various fair ladies tried to lead us astray and Lee was quite alarmed but I rather enjoyed it.
25.01.1919 Letter to from Artillery Lieutenant Alfred Johnson to his wife Essie:
I don't know what I got the MC for. The Major put my name in last September for things in general I think. That is all I know. We went to Dinant yesterday.
We have demobilised a good many men, sent about 40 away to heavy batteries to help with the horses.
The weeks drag on as Lieutenant Alfred Forbes Johnson waits to be demobbed - and he worries about his family and going back to his job at the British Museum.
He writes: “I found I could not sleep and began to think of nasty things in the war, so to stop that I tried to recollect early events with you.”
Then in March 1919 “There has been some good news since I wrote last. Officers who were in the Army in 1914 and who do not wish to stay on, are now to be released. I am under that, so it is only a matter of waiting for our allotment.”
The rest of his battery move on to Cologne and Bonn and have a good time going to concerts
Finally... a telegram from to his wife Essie on 17 April 1919 Arriving Dover today - home tonight
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Voices from 1918 has been developed by artists Sharon Hayden and Alastair Nisbet in partnership with Wimborne Community Theatre, Dorset History Centre and the Priest’s House Museum, Wimborne with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Thanks to all who have helped us with this project: Maria Gayton and staff at Dorset History Centre where we found Lady Mary Monkswell’s diaries; Joan Cocozza, ward of nursing auxiliary Olive Harcourt; Portland Museum where we found James Sansom’s diaries; the British Library and Wellcome Libraries; Priest’s House Museum in Wimborne and Gill Horitz from Wimborne Community Theatre.
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