Letter from Dorsetshire Regiment to Vernon St.John, Vsct. Bolingbroke, 1917

Letter to Vernon St.John, 6th Viscount Bolingbroke, from Lieutenant S. Maitland Jackson of 3rd Training Reserve Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment, Rugeley Camp, Staffordshire.

In the letter, Maitland Jackson commends Lord Bolingbroke for his decision to enlist as a Private soldier rather than joining the Officer ranks as expected for a man of his station.

'the splendid example you have so nobly set is of inestimable value, as regards its effect upon the men of the ranks'.

Both Vernon's elder brothers, Henry and Charles, joined the army as Officers. Their younger brother's decision to enter as a Private was highly unusual. The letter from Maitland Jackson, which only came to light in 2023, provides a fascinating insight into how the regiment viewed his decision.

Information on Rugeley Camp courtesy of Staffordshire County Council:

Rugeley Camp was one of two army training camps constructed in the Autumn of 1914 in the Cannock Chase area. When completed, they could hold up to 40,000 men at one time and trained upwards of 500,000 men to prepare them for trench warfare on the Western Front. They had all their own amenities including a church, post offices and a bakery as well as amenity huts where the troops could buy coffee and cakes, or play billiards.

The letter remained in the viscount's possession until his death in 1974 and was generously gifted to the Friends of Lydiard Park by his former friend, Anne Barr, in 2023.