From the declaration of war in August 1914 through to its final conclusion with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 Ernest Shippam in Chichester really had his finger on the nation’s pulse. He, more than anyone else in the city, and possibly the nation as a whole, had a clear idea of not only how the war was going, but the attitude and morale of those on the front line. Whereas those who planned the war might have to hand data on the horrendous number of daily casualties, they were less well informed on front line troop confidence. This was because of hundreds of letters he received from those on the front line who regularly wrote to him - his former employees at the city's meat paste factory.
Views: 1375 | Enquiries: 13Philip MacDougall is a much published local historian who has written a number of books on subjects relating to the south of England with books published on Chichester, the Medway Towns and Portsmouth. His more specialised interest is naval dockyards and among his most recent books are detailed studies of the former royal dockyards of Portsmouth and Chatham.
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