First World War Friendship Book for auction on 7th August 2024

Friendship books are small notebooks filled with drawings, messages, poems, jokes and autographs written by soldiers. This friendship book dates from 1919 and belonged to James O'Donnell, who served with the 10th Field Ambulance unit in Binche, Belgium. 

Men became instant friends with the soldiers fighting and working alongside them with a shared sense of comradeship created under very difficult circumstances.  Unlike postcards or letters that would be posted home, friendship books were kept with a soldier's belongings and not checked by his superiors.  This allowed those who contributed to the book to express their true feelings without censorship.

The 10th Field Ambulance was part of 10th Brigade, 4th Division when war broke out in August 1914.  The Brigade were held back by a last minute decision to defend Britain against a possible German landing.  The lack of any move by the enemy to cross the channel reversed this decision and they proceeded to France in late August 1914.  They were in action at the Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne and the Battle of Messines in 1914.  In 1915 they fought in the second Battle of Ypres and moved south in 1916 and saw action at the Battle of the Somme.  In 1917 they moved to Arras, then north again for the third battle of Ypres and among other battles, the first Battle of Passchendaele.  In 1918 they saw further action on the Somme, then returned to Flanders to fight in the Defence of Hinges Ridge.  The 10th Division was demobilised in early 1919 in Binche, Belgium.

The Field Ambulance was a mobile front line medical unit manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps.  Treating wounded soldiers very close to the combat zone.  The Field Ambulances formed an intermediate level in the casualty evacuation chain that stretched from the regimental aid posts near the front line and the casualty clearing stations located outside the range of the enemy's artillery.  Most Field Ambulances came under command of a Division, and each had special responsibility for the care of casualties of one of the Brigades of the Division.