Arthur & Alfred Jeffries were two brothers from the St Philips area of Bristol. Both died in 1915 on the western front. Their deaths were both reported locally as ‘killed in action’. But Alfred had really been shot for desertion. Geoff Woolfe is researching their story. We plan to publish a pamphlet about Arthur & Alfred later in the year. In the meantime you can read more about their lives & deaths here.
Chloe Dewe Mathews is a photographer who has been commissioned to photograph the sites where deserters from the British Army. She spoke about this recently in Bristol. You can see information about the project and some of the moving photographs here.
For more information email rememberingrealww1@gmail.com
For an interesting account on this subject, particularly relating to the role of Douglas Haig, I would recommend John Peaty’s chapter (chapter 12) in Bond and Cave’s Haig: A Re-Appraisal (2009).