A SUITCASE packed full of the belongings of a First World War soldier has been discovered untouched 90 years after he was fatally wounded at the Battle of Somme.

Private Ted Ambrose's mother was so heartbroken over her son's death that she hid his brown leather suitcase in the loft.

Ninety years after the suitcase was stowed away, it has been rediscovered by the Private's great nephew.

Private Ambrose was gravely wounded in the head, arm and leg in an artillery bombardment after he went over the top on July 7, 1916.

The soldier, who was the eldest of six children, was rushed to hospital in Etaples, 40 miles from Calais, for urgent treatment.

His mother, Sarah, tried to visit him but the hospital denied permission and sent Private Ambrose's belongings in a brown leather suitcase back to Hertfordshire.

The story was revealed by historian Dan Hill ahead of the publication of his book, Hertfordshire Soldiers of the Great War.

John, the Private's great-nephew from Letchworth, said: "It was only when we opened the case that we realised the extent of the archive.

"It was very moving, especially the letters."

Personal items discovered in the suitcase include a prayer book, a leather pouch with fragments of the shell that inflicted the Private's fatal wounds and a brooch from his sweetheart, Gladys with the inscription: "The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another."

The suitcase, which remained sealed for decades, also included his pipe with burnt tobacco still inside and a letter from the soldier's father, a farm bailiff, wishing him luck.

Ted was not a famous soldier.
He was an ordinary lad from a sleepy village in Hertfordshie who simply did his duty.

Private Ambrose's mother added the medals that he received posthumously in 1916.

The soldier had travelled to the frontline with the 6th Bedfordshire regiment following nine months of training.

He received treatment for a perforated eardum after a shell exploded nearby, and experienced another stay in the hospital when he contracted German measles, before returning to the front on July 1.

On the day the Private was hit in the brutal Battle of the Somme, 100 men in his regiment were also killed or injured.

His body was buried at a cemetery outside the Etaples hospital.

Private Ambrose's suitcase was inherited by his sister Margaret and was then passed on to her sons John and David.

After seeing an appeal by the Herts at War project for an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War, the family finally decided to open the suitcase in 2014.

most read in news

Speaking about the heartwarming story, historian Dan Hill said: "Ted was not a famous soldier. He did not perform some uncommon act of gallantry which is remembered today.

"He was an ordinary lad from a sleepy village in Hertfordshie who simply did his duty.

"Whenever I go to France and pass by Etaples, I always remember to stop and say hello."

Source: Read Full Article