379: Eric Alfred Busby (photograph; memoirs)

Eric Alfred Busby served in the Royal Navy. He wrote letters to his grandchildren, one of whom contributed these and the photograph of Eric and his father, as a set of memoirs. They contain a description of surviving an explosion on a ship as a result of a collision with an American ship (potentially USS Manley), which set off depth charges.

His brother, Arthur Ernest Busby, also fought. He joined the Yorkshire Dragoons and served in the cavalry. Arthur was injured at Passchendaele, when his horse was shot from beneath him. He was also in a trench which got shelled, killing four of the six men there. Arthur was subsequently invalided home and trained to become a pilot, although the War ended before he passed his exam. He had lots of shrapnel embedded in his skin which would come out when he shaved. When asked what it was, Arthur would reply, "A present from the Kaiser."