A little leaflet has come our way, published in November 1916; it folds up to about the size of a playing-card. It would have been useful indeed for recognising the ribbons which take the place of medals in undress (i.e. when not wearing uniform).
We like the understatement: ‘Contrary to the British practice, French, Belgian and Russian soldiers may be seen in the streets of London displaying the medals themselves’.
Oh dear.
And, in passing, an early use of the term ‘PT’ in Rifleman Fred Walker’s diary from November 1918; at this point he was convalescing from the effects of a gas attack. As regards the dancing, this was tweeted by Dr Emma Hanna:
Folk dancing was used in convalescents notably by YMCA-sponsored instructor Daisy Daking. Dispatched to France in 1917 from Cecil Sharp’s group. Daking created a team of 30 folk dance instructors working with BEF in France and Flanders by end of 1918.
Languages and the First World War 