Nurse's WW1 album with memories from the trenches smashes estimates at auction

An album containing the memories of soldiers from the First World War has sold for thousands at auction. The scrapbook, found in a house clearance, belonged to nurse Maude Alice Lineham.

Around 90 wounded servicemen contributed to Ms Lineham’s album while she worked in hospitals across the East Midlands, including Leicester Royal Infirmary. First hand accounts from soldiers recollected the truce which led to German and British troops playing football during the Christmas period among other historic events such as the sinking of the hospital ship Anglia in 1915.

Prior to being auctioned off this week, Matt Crowson, head of militaria at the Hansons Auctioneers saleroom, hailed the diary album as an “extraordinary document giving the reader a real snapshot in time”. Its owner, a vendor from Derby, revealed they came across the album in a “box of old books”.

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She said: “WW1 nurses encouraged patients to write about their experiences as part of their recuperation. Maude’s album is particularly delightful as it is so complete and she showed such diligence in making sure the young men in her charge recorded something, either by the written word or a beautiful picture.

“I was so impressed by how articulate and talented they all were. Maude and her boys became part of my life when I transcribed the album. “Maude became very special to me. I wanted to make sure her book would never be forgotten. The stories it contains are so poignant and heart breaking, written by such brave young men.”

Among the album's entries was an eight-page account of the 1914 festive truce written by Scottish soldier John J Ferguson from the Seaforth Highlanders under the title ‘Peace on Earth’. John, who was wounded at Messines, Belgium, on December 26, 1914, wrote: “We started singing carols. They applauded us. They sang and we replied.

“I don't think we were as harmonious as the Germans. They had some fine voices among them. The stillness of the night, our mood may have helped but as the sound floated over the turnip field to our trench we were held spellbound.

Going into the auction, the album had a guide price of between £600 and £800 but it smashed all estimates, with the hammer going down at the price of £3,400. The premium-inclusive total paid by an online Canadian bidder was £4,685.

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