The Wildgoose Chase

I met Chelsea Pensioner Walter Wildgoose in 1977 when he was 87 and I was 26. Through a series of letters written over the last year of his life, he passed along his life story - the workhouse children's home, a life in the British Army witnessing the opening battles of World War I and life in India, a remarkable family surviving the bombs of World War II London. This blog will document my research and progress on the novel I'm writing about this amazing man.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Wildgoose Vacation Over: The Junes of Walter's Life

Sorry I've been away from this site for so long. It has taken longer than I thought to close down my life in Atlanta and move it up to New York.

However, Walter and his story are never far from my thoughts. To jump-start my writing again, I decided to go over the timeline I've created from his letters and from other research I've done. Though the month is almost behind us, I thought I'd pull out the important events noted by Walter that happened during June. Seems like a good place to start!

1919 June: Walter reports back to his unit in Grantham after a bout with quinsey (complications of tonsillitis) lands him in Grove Road Hospital, Richmond, for two weeks.

1920 June: Walter's C Company goes to Basra to quell the uprising in Mesopotamia (now Iraq).

1926 June 24: Third son, Ronald Leslie, born in Chaubattia, India.

1930 June 6: Walter's final discharge from the army after 22 years' service.


I'm not sure of which aspect of Walter's life I'll focus on next. The Sheffield Workhouse days was where I left off, so maybe I'll pick up there.
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posted by MaryB @ 6:01 PM  

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