Abingdon and the First World War
Those Who Served
Brogden
William Brogden
Details from the Abingdon Roll of Honour
Name: BROGDEN, William
Status: Returned
Address: 6 Railway Terrace
Rank: Corporal
Regiment: Royal Field Artillery
Chronology: September 1914 to February 1919, France
There are entries in the Roll of Honour for other Abingdon men with this surname. To find them go to
Like many other Abingdon men who had served in the war, William Brogden received this invitation from the Mayor and Corporation of Abingdon to attend a lunch - referred to as "Dinner" although it took place at 1pm - on the occasion of the Welcome Home Parade on 4th August 1919.
These festivities were the subject of a film made at the time and 10 minutes of clear footage still survives - possibly William Brogden is somewhere in the film?
To find out more about the film and the work that has been done to understand it better go to the legacy website from the Coming Home Moving On project.
https://www.cominghomemovingon.org.uk/
William Brogden sent home cards to his future wife, Edie. This one has a printed front and back but enclosed in the middle is a sketch of the remains of a town. The note says "Epehy" which is also the battle named at the bottom of the wreath, appearing to list all the battles his regiment fought in.
The battle of Epehy was fought in September 1918, so this card must have been sent close to the end of the war.
The contrast between the upbeat printed cartoon and the bleak scene of devastation in the sketch is interesting. Was William passing a subtle comment on the war to his girlfriend at home?
Original scans from the WW1 Families Collection
click on an image to see it in close up
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We welcome new scans of photographs and other documents, and personal details or memories. They must be of someone who lived or worked in Abingdon or very nearby and relate to the First World War. Click here for further information about how to contact us to do this.
