Lives of the First World War

Photograph sent to the Hastings & St Leonards Pictorial Advertisor

The above portrait was received by the Editor yesterday (Wednesday, October 1915), and with it a letter from a soldier on active service in France. In this letter the writer says "This photograph was picked up after an attack on the 25th September, and seeing that it was from Hastings, and I am from the same town, I thought it was my duty to send it to you, so that you can publish it in the 'Pictorial Advertisor' or 'Observer'." On the back of the portrait are the words "To dear Len from Elsie". The young lady can apply for by writing to the Editor, 14 Claremont, Hastings.

In our issue last Thursday, October 1915, we published a portrait of a young lady which had been found on a battlefield and sent home with a view to finding the owner. During the morning the young lady called at our office, received the picture, and left the above portrait of the soldier who lost it. This is Pioneer (Frederick) L Soan, 2nd Royal Sussex Regiment whose local address is 58 Western Road, St Leonards. We are glad to say the finding of the portrait did not mean that he was either killed or wounded. He dropped it whilst in action and wrote to her to tell her about it.