The chilling discovery of a blood-stained armband worn by a First World War stretcher-bearer, Private Frank Pye, alongside his vividly detailed wartime diaries, has resurfaced the grim realities of trench warfare.
This century-old artifact, a cotton armband marked by the bloodshed of battle, was uncovered by Hansons Auctioneers. Private Pye served with the 1/1 East Lancashire Field Ambulance during the 1914-18 war and documented the harrowing experiences in three pocket notebooks. Despite the fading pencil marks, his firsthand accounts of ‘Heartbreaking’ scenes remain clearly legible, offering a stark reminder of the conflict’s brutality.
According to Hansons, the harrowing diaries of Private Frank Pye serve as a poignant reminder of the devastation endured by a generation during the Great War. The collection of militaria items accompanying the diaries includes a rare edition of the trench magazine ‘The Pannier,’ wartime Christmas cards, various documents, photographs, and a heartfelt poem written by Frank for his brother-in-law, 2nd Lt Reginald Smallwood of the 5th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, who was killed in action in 1917. These artifacts collectively paint a vivid picture of the personal and widespread impacts of the war. It reads:
“Brother of mine, I’m sad at heart,
Though proud to think you played your part
Far from your home you fought so well,
And bravely fighting, nobly fell
Here in fair France vale you lie
But souls like yours, they never die
in God’s fair mansions they go to reign
In God I trust shall meet you again.”
Head of Hansons Militaria Matt Crowson said:
“It’s a fascinating and poignant collection. It really brings home the brutality of war, particularly Frank’s Army Medical Service stretcher-bearer’s armband. The cotton is soiled with dirt and splashed with blood from the trenches more than 100 years ago, a grisly testament to the horrors witnessed.
“He saw death and destruction on a scale most of us find hard to comprehend, or even think about, inflicted on both sides. For example, he described seeing German soldiers hit by British shells, and that ‘again a terrible sight met my eyes, men blown clean in half’.”
Born in 1882 in Royston, Yorkshire, Frank enlisted in the Territorial Force at the age of 31, joining the 1/1 East Lancashire Field Ambulance on April 7, 1913. His service in World War I began on September 28, 1914, in Egypt, where he initially served as a cook. Later, he took on the role of a stretcher bearer, facing the front lines of the conflict.
One diary entry reads: “I saw a lot of small balloons going over the German lines. I enquired what they were and was told they were containing messages and photos of Germans lying dead and starving.”
It goes on to say: “Each day was very quiet and everything going on alright all and all merry and bright until the 27th when two of my commanders were killed whilst bandaging another comrade up who had been hit in the head. The names of the two killed was Hastley and Rathbone and the others wounded Walton.”
An entry from 5/9/1917 states: “In the early hours of the morning our guns started a starvation barrage and the noise was deafening and any amount of wounded kept pouring in day and night – it was simply heartbreaking and a sight I shall never forget. We stayed in the firing line for 11 days and on the morning of the 11th at 1:15am we left the White Chateau for Ypres and directly we got on the road…..dropped mustard gas shells each side of us and heavy lyddite as well and the gas hung around us like a fog, but all went well until we strayed off the road owing to not being able to see with our masks on. I fell down a hole and an overhanging tree caught my mask and I was hanging by it and I had to slip my mask off and in doing so I got a bad dose of gas and it made me very ill for a day or two.”
Another entry reads: “On the morning of 17/7/18 a German plane was brought down about 200 yards from my cookhouse… It was a huge thing, it was brought down by machine gun fire. A bullet went right through his petrol tank. There were three men in it and when they dropped they set fire to it and it was burnt to bits.”
Head of Hansons Militaria Matt Crowson added:
“Though not part of the collection set for auction, Pte Pye would have been entitled to the 1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and Silver War Badge, the latter on account of his discharge on February 12, 1919, because he was no longer fit for military service. It’s hardly surprising his time in the military had to end but at least he survived. His diaries provide an important first-hand account documenting what so many men endured a century ago.”
Auction: The military collection will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ August 7 Medals and Militaria Auction. Further entries invited www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk
