6 Squadron RAF, Ma'Asker & Habbaniya Cemeteries
WW1 Artefacts belonging to Cpl Fred Johnstone Royal Flying Corps
My grandfather left 6 Squadron in early 1918 due to ill health and returned from France with many mementos, some of which are shown below in the first photo gallery. He also brought home his WW1 war diaries and wallet which he carried with him everywhere while he was serving with 6 Squadron over the western front. Amazingly, the wallet remained unopened for more than fifty years until his death in 1969 when I was able to examine both its contents as well as the cryptic entries my grandfather made in his diaries. Photographs of the documents held in the wallet are displayed in the second photo gallery below.
This is a metal model of a Bristol Scout, made by my grandfather during WW1. For the rest of his life he kept it on his desk, mounted on a valve stem taken from an RE8 engine
The gold wedding ring given to Fred in 1918 by Ethel. The inscription 'GEE' gave rise to the title of my first book, 'For God, England & Ethel'
The WW1 medals belonging to my grandfather, Corporal Fred Johnstone of 6 Squadron Royal Air Force
The watchmaker's eye glass as used by my grandfather during WW1 and afterwards
A piece of shrapnel, a clip of French Lebel 8mm "Balle D" rifle ammunition, a wireless receiver tuning knob and a piece of carved wood taken from a bombed building during WW1
War diaries kept by my grandfather when he served with 6 Squadron during WW1
Royal Flying Corps 'sweetheart' badge, given to Ethel by my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone, most likely in 1918
The knife, fork and spoon set used by my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone with 6 Squadron during WW1
Leather Balaclava worn by my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone with 6 Squadron during WW1
The Army Book 64 Pay Book (WW1) for my grandfather, Corporal Fred Johnstone, 6 Squadron
The Army Book 64 Pay Book for my Grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone RFC - payment details for 1917
This is the red identity disc and Royal Flying Corps badges that my grandfather wore for the duration of WW1
These binoculars were carried by my grandfather during his time in Belgium and France
This telescope (six inches long) was owned by my grandfather
This is a piano tuning key used by my grandfather
This miniature needle case was retrieved from a bombed nunnery in Amiens during WW1 by my grandfather, Fred Johnstone
This two-inch long set of brass dominoes was carried by my grandfather during the Great War
This is the Royal Flying Corps cap my grandfather wore throughout the Great War
My Grandfather's bone penknife, inscribed with 'FWJ'. He carried this with him during WW1
This pigskin wallet shown below was in my grandfather's possession for the duration of WW1. Though he carried it home to England intact, he would never again use it nor, to my knowledge, refer to the documents it contained. The photographs displayed below, with all of the army documentation that a returning serviceman was obliged to carry after the Armistice, give an insight into the life and times of the Great War
The pigskin wallet (and its contents) my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone Royal Flying Corps brought back from the Western Front and never used again.
The contents of the wallet my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone Royal Flying Corps brought back from the Western Front
The pay book my grandfather had whilst serving in Belgium with 6 Squadron during WW1
The inside pages of the replacement Army pay book my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone Royal Flying Corps had in Belgium after his first one was lost - he was put on a charge for losing it.
Royal Air Force Form F5 687 Demobilization Account for my grandfather Corporal Fred Johnstone 6 Squadron
My grandfather's Protection Certificate and Certificate of Identity (Army Form Z 11), issued to him so that he could claim benefit after he was demobbed from WW1
Form Z 518 Army Certificate of Employment (front) my grandfather was provided with when he was demobbed after WW1
Reverse side of Army Certificate of Employment my grandfather was given when he was demobbed after WW1
Army Form Z53 - Demobilization Envelope for WW1
Reverse side of WW1 Demobilization Envelope
The letter from the Goldsmiths College that accompanied the jewellery diploma my grandfather gained in December 1914
Late Pass from the No 1 Wireless School Squadron, Royal Air Force
Medal Notification Letter - WW1
Letter to inform what medals are to be given for WW1 service
Combined Leave and Railway ticket (third class) for HM Forces Overseas (in uniform) - return journey from Basingstoke to France. This is the face of the ticket
Combined Leave and Railway ticket (third class) for HM Forces Overseas (in uniform) - return journey from Basingstoke to France. This is the reverse of the ticket
Telegram of congratulations wired to my grandfather from 'Starlight', Ethel's nickname, the day he enlisted in the RFC
Sticker declaring which London Railway Station is to be used for the return trip at the end of the period of leave
Army Form Z21 - Certificate of Demobilization, issued to my grandfather when he was transferred to Reserve in 1919
The 'Free From Vermin' certificate issued to my grandfather on the 11th January 1918, five days before he married Ethel
Postcard with woven RFC emblem - not sent