Letter
James Lovegrove explained why he joined the British Army in 1914 at the age of 16.
On my way to work one morning a group of women surrounded me. They started shouting
and yelling at me, calling me all sorts of names for not being a soldier! Do you know what
they did? They struck a white feather in my coat, meaning I was a coward. Oh, I did feel
dreadful, so ashamed.
I went to the recruiting office. The sergeant there couldn't stop laughing at me, saying things
like Looking for your father, sonny?
, and Come back next year when the war's over!
Well,
I must have looked so crestfallen that he said Let's check your measurements again
. You
see, I was five foot six inches and only about eight and a half
stone. This time he made me
out to be about six feet tall and twelve
stone,
at least, that is what he wrote down. All lies of
course - but I was in!
What is the symbolism of a white feather?
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How was James Lovegrove treated by the recruiting sergeant?
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How much had James grown
between the two measurements?
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