Search records
Results

Lock of hair of Adelaide Gilmour, carried by her father in the First World War

Date made: c.1916

Description: This object must be regarded as one of the most poignant artefacts to have survived from the First World War. The lock of his daughter's hair and some pressed flowers were carried in his wallet in France by John Andrew Gilmour, a soldier from Braddan. The impact of the First World War on family life cannot easily be overstated. It is estimated that some 500,000 British children lost their father in the Great War; many would grow up with only a grainy memory of their father leaving for the front, never to return. With the family breadwinner gone, there would also be economic as well as emotional hardship for these families to face. Adelaide Gilmour's father did survive the war, though we cannot say if he returned unchanged by it.

Object name: Hair

Collection: Social History Collection

ID Number: 1985-0158b

Comments

Optional, not displayed

Manx National Heritage (MNH) will always put you in control of the information we send you. Read our privacy policy

Linked Records

Places: