Leicester soldier's letters from First World War available online
Now letters, diary entries and postcards revealing a Leicester soldier's experiences in the First World War are available to see online.
The powerful memories of Private Arthur Trolley are being used by teachers and museums to bring history to life for youngsters.
He wrote dozens of letters and diary entries between enlisting in the army at the Magazine in Leicester in March, 1915, and his death, in his mid-20s, in France, seven months later.
His relatives, who still live in the city, have passed on many of his documents to Leicester Arts and Museums learning team to be used as an educational resource.
Arthur's niece, Irene Mead, of Groby, said: "He wrote lots and lots of letters, in such a short space of time. They've always been kept very carefully in a case. But I'm pleased they are being used in this way.
"It's important. People should know how this man left a very good job and young wife to go to war, and never came back."
Arthur worked in a hosiery factory in Leicester and married his wife, Lucy, not long after he enlisted in the Leicestershire Regiment.
He wed against his parents' wishes and one of the letters used by the learning team is to his father, explaining his actions.
He wrote further letters, diary entries and postcards to his family as he trained, then served on the Western Front.
Some of the postcards were to his brother, Frank, Irene's father.
His last diary entry was in October 1915, saying he had "left for the trenches."
He died within weeks, one of hundreds killed in the battle of Hohenzollern Redoubt, in France.
His wife never remarried.
His brother, who also served in the army, was detained in a prisoner of war camp, but survived the war.
The online resources include the telegram his family received telling them he was missing and newspaper articles about the battle in which he died.
Lauren Mead, 25, Arthur's great great niece, who lives in Leicester city centre, said: "It really brings it home to people what happened. Everything is so local. He was from Grasmere Street, and I walk down there every day. It makes it so real.
"It's about him being remembered. "Using this information and these documents for teaching, shows people how the young men who died made the ultimate sacrifice."
Arthur's letters are used in sessions for secondary school groups at Newarke Houses Museum, where students can investigate objects from the First World War and explore a replica trench. Now the documents are online, more people will be able to find about his story for school projects or personal interest. Ginny Copley, learning officer for Leicester Arts and Museums, said: "Reading these brings the story closer people, because he was local.
"I think they make young people realise that these soldiers were only a few years older than them."
To see the documents online visit:
Irene Mead with some of the many letters Pte Arthur Trolley sent during the war
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