General Election

12th December 1918, Letter from Alfred Johnson to Essie :

I have had various election papers but no authority for voting. I expect I should have voted for that Labour man. One has only to read Wrentmore's address to see what a fool he is.'

There are rumours that we are to go on to Germany later.

We have spent the night at Dinant on the Meuse - The Germans shot a lot of civilians here in 1914 and there are notices on the walls about it..

The last three or four nights I have slept in bed with sheets.

Friday: We have reached out destination, a place called Ardennes, on the Meuse in Namur.

[General Election 14 December 1918: Hampstead. Labour: Benjamin Skene MacKay; National Party: John Harris Wrentmore. Mackay, Labour gets 19% of the vote while George Balfour, Unionist wins with 70% of the cote and a majority of 9747.]

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Voices from 1918 has been developed by artists Sharon Hayden and Alastair Nisbet in partnership with Wimborne Community Theatre, Dorset History Centre and the Priest’s House Museum, Wimborne with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Thanks to all who have helped us with this project: Maria Gayton and staff at Dorset History Centre where we found Lady Mary Monkswell’s diaries; Joan Cocozza, ward of nursing auxiliary Olive Harcourt; Portland Museum where we found James Sansom’s diaries; the British Library and Wellcome Libraries; Priest’s House Museum in Wimborne and Gill Horitz from Wimborne Community Theatre.

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