Armistice 100: Leeds soldier shot, decorated in hospital

No matter what the story, domestic or foreign, it was undoubtedly tinged by the effects of a war which was meant to be ‘over by Christmas’ but which dragged on for four bloody years.

In Leeds, several war wounded being tended at Beckett’s Park Hospital were awarded medals and commendations.

AMong them was Private J W McCullagh, of 38 Haigh Road, Rothwell, who was hit with gunshot in his left thigh while serving in France. Remarkably, before being posted, he had worked at the very same hospital in which he now found himself a patient.

He was awarded a military medal by Lt General Goodwin, director general of the Army Medical Service.

The article read: “The director general was obviously pleased with what he saw in the curative workships, where there is accommodation for 300 patients.” After visiting Becketts Park, Lt Gen Goodwin went to East Leeds Hospital, where a convoy of 150 men from France arrived the previous night.

In other news, the Yorkshire Post opened a Waste Paper Department, following numerous queries from readers about what to do with their unwanted newspapers. The advert on August 7 urged readers to put paper “to the best possible use” and failing that to contact the paper about collection.

And finally, news (or was it propaganda) that the Crown Prince of Germany was afraid of the dentist - this according to ‘Dr Davis’, who treated the Kaiser’s first-born.