Of all the lots that come into our saleroom, none are more moving than those relating to those brave men and women who fought, and died, for this country.
Our militaria sale on May 27 sees one of the most incredible pieces of WWI memorabilia I have ever seen go under the hammer.
It is the diary of 19-year-old Private Leonard Wilkinson who signed up aged just 17 in 1915.
While the pages span four years, its most moving passages relate to the eight-day Battle of Flers-Courcelette in September 1916 – one of many in the conflicts in the 141-day Somme Offensive.
Private Wilkinson survived the battle but others in his company were not so lucky, with 350 out of 500 men dying on the French battlefield.
In his diary he describes the first time British tanks were ever used in combat on September 15 – their debut being an abject failure.
He writes: “Two tanks or “caterpillars”, as we knew them, had been allotted to us, but these did not help us at all.”
He describes how one became stuck in a muddy trench, with the other bursting into flames which, more usefully, acted as a landmark for disorientated troops.
Wilkinson was a junior accountant working near The Oval when he joined the 15th London Regiment – the so-called Civil Service Rifles, named for its many civil service and ‘pen-pushing’ recruits.
On midnight on September 14, the battalion was informed it was to “go over” the following morning at 6.20am.
He writes “We were “in for it”, that we could plainly see.”
In the early dawn he and two teenage comrades swapped addresses pledging to write to each other’s parents if their son did not make it.
One of the trio, 18-year-old Private Pete Faulkner, would be dead just hours later.
On the morning of the attack Leonard and his friends attempted breakfast but the “jam tasted of paraffin”, gratefully swigging a rum ration instead.
He writes: “We clambered over the top of the parapet and were immediately met with a murderous machine gun fire, some of my pals falling at once.
“The din was terrific… the rattle of dozens of Jerry machine guns made it seem impossible for us to live a second under the hail of bullets that showered by us, yet we pushed on.”
Within seconds another pal, 18-year-old Private Alec Reader, was dead.
Wilkinson writes “Young Reader fell at the side of me with a groan and blood gushed from a wound in his head, I just turned to glance at him and could see that death was instantaneous and so passed that cheerful spirited lad.”
The diary describes the following eight days of sleepless horror, clambering over mud-drenched bodies from trench to trench, dodging bullets and even feigning death.
Hours into the turmoil, Wilkinson left three newfound comrades to smoke a few “woods” (Woodbine cigarettes), returning to find all three dead.
He writes: “The third man was a terrible sight, he had been killed instantly, all the flesh had been blown away from his skull leaving just a skeleton of a face, bits of flesh, brains and blood were all over the place.”
Wilkinson is unflinching in listing the German soldiers he killed, which he describes as “murders”, with their deaths continuing to haunt him throughout the diary and beyond.
His grandson, John Wilkinson, who consigned the diary for sale, said: “He never spoke about his experiences in the war- not once. I think he was scarred by it all and reading the diary I think I can understand why. I was 12 when he died. I remember him as a dignified man who we would visit every Sunday in his care home. He was very proper.”
Wilkinson continued to serve in WWI until the Armistice, fighting in both Ypres and the Spring Offensive and being awarded both the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
When he returned to civilian life in 1919 – still age just 22 – took up a job at Barclays Bank in Leicester, where he was to meet his future wife Betty Elson who he married in 1927.
In 1921 he transcribed his original four Trench pocketbooks into the album on sale.
He died on April 13, 1977, at the age of 80.
What these men went through defies our understanding today. The scale of the loss was unimaginable. I am privileged to have encountered Private Wilkinson, even if it is only through the pages of his diary.
Auction Details
Auction: The Hansons Medals, Militaria & Firearms Auction
Auction date: 27th May 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
