In honour of Remembrance Day on November 11th, I'm sharing the story of my husband's grandfather, Noah Clement Draper, a man who couldn't swim, but still joined WW1 as a sailor in the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve.
Noah's story has been passed down in a series of letters he sent to his wife and family starting in November 1916 when he signed up, until March 1919 when he finally came home. Reading about his experience on ship gives a unique account of the Great War not often shown in images and film of those horrendous days.
A ditty box was included with Noah's kit. A ditty box is a lockable wooden container where a sailor kept his most treasured items like photographs, money, letters, writing instruments, etc. Anything that mattered to him during those long trips at sea were locked inside...his life in a box...and a lifeline to those he loved. Losing a ditty box was devastating. Although we don't know if Noah painted or embellished his ditty box as some others had done, we know what it held on the day it was stolen.
Ditty Box of James Hoyle Allen, Dover Patrol WW1. Courtesy of BBC A History of the World
Join me at Heroes, Heroines and History where I tell and show the story of Noah and his ditty box.
We will remember.
