When Laura Potts, a founding member of York Against War, visited York Castle Museum to see the First World War exhibition, 1914: When the Word Changed Forever, she was not expecting to find her Grandfather’s name alongside a pay book in one of the display cabinets.

In 1964, Ronald Mallorie Priestman, donated to York Castle Museum his pay book, as well as Royal Army Medical Corps (R.A.M.C.) insignia, medals, service stripes and more from his time with the R.A.M.C. during the First World War.

Now, fifty years later, Granddaughter Laura was not only very surprised to see them on public display, but also delighted to be able to learn more about her Grandfather’s time with the R.A.M.C., in a Casualty Clearing Station at the front in France.

Laura said:

“I couldn’t believe it; I saw the pay book and then I saw next to it ‘A soldier’s pay book, R M Priestman from Ilkley, Quaker and pacifist’ and I exclaimed to my friend in the middle of the museum on a busy Saturday afternoon, ‘That’s my Grandfather!’

“When I got home I looked into it, and later spoke to my mother and museum staff, and I discovered that my Grandfather had donated several items to the museum. I told the staff that we had more of my Grandfather’s belongings from the First World War including diaries and photographs, which my brother Graham and I have now decided to donate too.”

Philip Newton, Assistant Curator of History at York Castle Museum, said:

“We were amazed to hear from Laura; this is such a rarity. Laura has since brought in her Grandfather’s diaries, and she will kindly be donating them to the museum. They were written daily between October 1914 and August 1916, and are such a valuable document of the war.

“Her Grandfather’s items are of particular interest to us because we have relatively little in our collections relating to the Quakers during the First World War.”

Ronald Priestman served with the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1914 to 1919. His pay book came to feature in the exhibition as part of the Recruitment Office section.

His diaries, and conversations with his family, will allow the museum to put the objects in a much more informative context.

York Quakers are curating their own exhibition in the Community Rooms at York Castle Museum as part of the exhibition 1914: When the World Changed Forever.

Ronald Priestman’s newly donated diaries will feature in a film as part of this exhibition which will be open to the public from the beginning of November.

They will also be transcribed, with passages being released on the York Museums Trust website: www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk

Laura added:

“I’m so glad to be able to contribute to the little heard story of those who decided on principle not to fight in the First World War. The diaries, and the photographs my brother has sent to the museum, provide a detailed account of daily life at a Casualty Clearing Station on the Western Front.

“My grandfather was a very special person in my life and my brother and I are very pleased to be able to follow his lead in donating to the museum.”