Harewood House - VAD Nurse Beilby’s Convalescent Autograph Album

A beautifully executed autograph and friendship album compiled by - or perhaps on behalf of the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) Nurse Bielby who looked after wounded officers at Harewood House during 1918/1919. During these years at the end of the First World War, the stately home was loaned by Lord Harewood as a convalescent hospital for recovering officers. This lovely album contains the names and regiments of its contributors and is full of whimsical notes, sketches and messages of intense gratitude which capture the emotional temperature of young men recovering from the trauma of war.

A very good faux leather binding, textured boards inscribed in gilt to upper ‘Autographs’. Sound and square throughout. Endpapers reveal an inscription dated Xmas 1918 which reads ‘Nurse Beilby/With the best wishes/M. Batburn[?]. Different coloured leaves within contain c18 individual hand written and hand drawn entries. The majority of leaves remain blank.

F. Hughes has drawn the insignia of The King’s Liverpool Regiment; a b/w photograph titled ‘In memory of happy days’ depicts 2 nurses, one of whom must surely be Nurse Beilby and is inscribed by M. Oakes (possibly the other nurse in the image); a sepia portrait photograph of Geo Davis GSN wishes every success; J. Smith has drawn the East Lancashire (Egypt) coat of arms; S.R. Peachy wishes Nurse Beilby ‘a bright and happy future’ and thanks her for the cups of tea; Pte Graham of the 2/7 West Yorkshire Regiment and Gun Walsh of the Royal Garrison Artillery have drawn their insignias; several poems and whimsical one liners fill additional leaves.