Nurse Maud Alice Lineham’s First World War album was found by chance in a box of old books.
The archive contains evidence of the armistice from Christmas 1914, as well as poems and drawings made by 90 members of the British army, writes The Sun.
A 75-year-old seller from Derby, UK, who is not related to Lineham, said: “I came across the album in a box of old books when I was cleaning out her villa. This archive is a special delight. Maud was so diligent in making sure that the young people under her care recorded something, either in writing or drawing. I’m amazed at how talented they all were.” The album is expected to be auctioned at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire, United Kingdom. Matt Crone, head of the military affairs department, estimates it at 600 pounds (about 14 thousand Moldovan lei).
“The festive truce is a well-known story, but thanks to the discovery of this unique album we have a detailed picture of what happened. This emotional account underlines the senselessness of war,” explains the expert. One of the most important testimonies in the album belongs to Scottish soldier John Ferguson of the Seaforth Highlanders. The man was wounded near Messines (Belgium) on 26th December 1914. Another archive page contains a fragment of a white German flag of surrender taken from Sergeant Jones of the Royal Liverpool Regiment. There is also a description of the sinking of the USS Anglia on November 17, 1915, later described as a mass grave. It appears that the auction will take place on Wednesday, November 13.
Maud Alice Lineham was a distinguished pianist who worked at Spondon House Hospital in Derby during the war. The woman died in 1965.
