On Thursday, 6 November, there will be a talk about soldier-servants in the First World War. It is being presented at the Treasure House by Robert Chester, First World War specialist and education officer for Sewerby Hall and Gardens.
Soldier-servants were known as ‘batmen’. They had to attend to the commissioned officer assigned to them, as a ‘battlefield butler’.
There were over 164,000 commissioned officers in the British Army during the First World War, and every single one had a ‘batman’. Yet these unsung heroes rarely appear in accounts of the First World War.
Sometimes ‘batmen’ were employed as butlers or other domestic servants during peacetime and just transferred their domestic skills to the battlefield. On occasion, they even served their own employer from the country house where they worked. More often they had no domestic skills at all and had to learn on the job.
They played a vital part in sustaining an officer’s well-being, maintaining his ability to lead his men. The talk will shine a light on these soldier-servants who often had extraordinary qualities.
The talk will take place at the Bevelrey Treasure House at 6.30pm. Tickets are £5 each and can be obtained from the Research Room on the ground floor of the Treasure House, by calling (01482) 392699, or online at www.eastriding.gov.uk/events.
They will also be available on the evening, if there are any places remaining.
