Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on May 03, 2003 at 19:27:19 from 195.93.32.8 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: Bob Blackett posted by Robert Dilley on May 03, 2003 at 16:51:56:
In my mind's eye, Beckfoot was never a farm; I see it as a small Victorian country house, built by a family who had made money in industry so as to enjoy the Lakes. Perhaps originally only a summer retreat.
I will carry on assuming that, as a member of the "officer class", Bob Blackett was an officer on the Western Front. He would certainly have got leave - everyone who was on the Western Front did. Men on leave wore uniform to avoid being presented with a white feather. There is no difficulty about birth dates. (I am oddly reminded of a story about a former employer, a subaltern on the Western Front, who, worried about the health of his men, went into a Picadilly chemist, whilst on leave, and bought a gross of condoms - the chemist leered at him and said "Have a good weekend, Sir!")