244:. Edward Brittain visited him in hospital, and then wrote to his sister, Vera, about his condition: "It is not known yet whether Victor will die or not, but his left eye was removed in France and the specialist who saw him thinks it is almost certain that the sight of the right eye has gone too... The bullet – probably from a machine-gun – went in just behind the left eye and went very slightly upwards but not I'm afraid enough to clear the right eye; the bullet is not yet out though very close to the right edge of the temple; it is expected that it will work through of its own accord... We are told that he may remain in his present condition for a week. I don't think he will die suddenly but of course the brain must be injured and it depends upon how bad the injury is. I am inclined to think it would be better that he should die; I would far rather die myself than lose all that we have most dearly loved, but I think we hardly bargained for this. Sight is really a more precious gift than life."
185:, described the mood of the school as "appalling jingoism". Nevinson complained that because he did not share this patriotism, he was "kicked, hounded, caned, flogged, hair-brushed, morning, noon and night. The more I suffered, the less I cared. The longer I stayed, the harder I grew." The headmaster told them on Speech Day that "If a man can't serve his country he's better dead".
250:
Edward
Brittain went to visit Richardson and on 7 May he said to his sister: "He was told last Wednesday that he will probably never see again, but he is marvellously cheerful.... He is perfectly sensible in every way and I don't think there is the very least doubt that he will live. He said that the
224:
Richardson admitted that the situation would change when he had to take part in the fighting; "I have so far come across nothing more gruesome than a few very dead
Frenchman in No Man's Land, so cannot give you very thrilling descriptions. The thing one appreciates in the life here more than anything
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amused themselves at our expense for about half-an-hour, but without doing any damage. Whizz-Bangs – about which one has heard so much – are perfectly harmless in a trench, as the trajectory is so flat that it is nearly impossible for them to land in a trench. There is practically no rifle or machine
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Vera arrived in London on 28 May 1917 and she spent the next ten days at
Richardson's bedside. Those close to Victor at the time felt that Vera intended to marry Victor, and devote her life to caring for him. As Bishop and Bostridge point out, "His mental faculties appeared to be in no way impaired.
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on 9 April 1917. It was later reported that he "was leading his platoon was hit in the arm but took his coat off had the wound bandaged and went on; it was at the 2nd German line that he got the bullet through his head and the
Colonel himself gave him morphia because he was in pain." His commanding
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In
January 1917, Richardson was sent to the 3rd Army School. Edward Brittain pointed out that he "has the courtesy title of Captain while he is there and has to wear Captain's badges; it is a most curious thing and I have never heard of an instance of it before." The following month, he was back on
259:
On 8 June, however, there was a sudden change in his condition. In the middle of the night he experienced a miniature explosion in the head, and subsequently became very distressed and disoriented. By the time his family reached the hospital Victor had become delirious."
215:
and was sent to the
Western Front. He wrote to Vera Brittain on 31 October, describing life in the front-line trenches; "It was very quiet and without much excitement. We did not get any heavy shells at all till the last day when a couple of
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officer wrote to his parents; "You have good reason to be proud of him... he did his best and it was a good best too. I have sent his name in for the
Military Cross and I have no doubt that he will get it."
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the front-line. He told Vera
Brittain that he expected to be involved in the planned major offensive that would end the war and hoped that he would "not come down at the last fence."
247:
Vera
Brittain decided to return home after the death of Geoffrey Thurlow (a close friend of Edward who she befriended also) and the serious injuries suffered by Richardson.
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162:, who became a close friend and confidante, particularly after the death of Roland Leighton. He is most remembered as "Tar" or "Tah" from Vera Brittain's
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last few days had been rather bitter. He hasn't given up hope himself about his sight." At about this time Victor was visited by an officer from the
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192:. Soon after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Richardson abandoned his studies to join the army and was commissioned as a
274:(this was the church attended by the Richardson family), and the Hove War Memorial, which is situated in the Hove public library foyer.
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500:
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146:, East Sussex as the elder son of dental surgeon Frank Victor Richardson and his wife, Emily Caroline. He was educated at
158:. They were described by Leighton's mother as the "Three Musketeers". Edward later introduced Richardson to his sister,
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on 5 October 1914. While training in
Horsham in January 1915, he caught meningitis and was sent to a hospital in
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Richardson was sent back to London where he received specialist treatment at No. 2 London General Hospital in
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else is the truly charming spirit of good fellowship and freedom from pettiness that prevails everywhere."
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gun fire and what there is appears to be unaimed – fixed rifles and swinging traverses for the most."
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charity for blinded servicemen, and voiced his intention to learn Braille and enter the church.
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Richardson died of a ruptured cerebral abscess on 9 June 1917. His posthumous award of the
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Letters from a Lost Generation. First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends
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295:. Richardson's letters to Vera Brittain were published in a book by Alan Bishop and
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wrote about Richardson in her First World War best-selling 1933 memoir
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was gazetted on 15 June. He was buried in his mother's grave, at the
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Richardson, whose ambition was to become a doctor, won a place at
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In September 1916, Richardson transferred to the 9th
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232:Richardson was badly wounded during an attack at
592:British military personnel killed in World War I
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399:(Supplement). 23 October 1914. p. 8531.
126:'s First World War best-selling 1933 memoir
512:British Film Institute: Testament of Youth
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439:(Supplement). 15 June 1917. p. 5997.
419:(Supplement). 2 July 1915. p. 6553.
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181:(OTC). A fellow schoolboy at Uppingham,
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587:British Army personnel of World War I
7:
114:(18 March 1895 – 9 June 1917) was a
572:Military personnel from East Sussex
567:People educated at Uppingham School
20:Vic Richardson (Australian soldier)
14:
582:King's Royal Rifle Corps officers
70:, London, England, United Kingdom
597:Recipients of the Military Cross
18:For the Australian soldier, see
268:Hove Old Shoreham Road Cemetery
577:Royal Sussex Regiment officers
525:Berry, Paul; Bostridge, Mark.
301:Letters from a Lost Generation
204:. He was promoted a temporary
118:officer who served during the
1:
306:Richardson was portrayed by
242:St. Mark's College, Chelsea
190:Emmanuel College, Cambridge
618:
177:The three boys joined the
17:
314:television adaptation of
51:, England, United Kingdom
509:Stewart, Claire (2014),
318:. He was also played by
272:St Barnabas Church, Hove
213:King's Royal Rifle Corps
179:Officers' Training Corps
353:"Spartacus Educational"
142:Richardson was born in
557:Burials in East Sussex
451:"My Brighton and Hove"
527:Vera Brittain: A Life
198:Royal Sussex Regiment
531:Chatto & Windus
492:Paint and Prejudice
76:Cause of death
602:Testament of Youth
487:Nevinson, C. R. W.
436:The London Gazette
416:The London Gazette
396:The London Gazette
325:Testament of Youth
316:Testament of Youth
293:Chronicle of Youth
288:Testament of Youth
168:Chronicle of Youth
164:Testament of Youth
129:Testament of Youth
82:(cerebral abscess)
495:, Teeling Press,
380:, pp. 11–12.
322:in the 2014 film
308:Michael Troughton
208:on 4 July 1915.
194:second lieutenant
183:C. R. W. Nevinson
107:Victor Richardson
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29:Victor Richardson
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45:18 March 1895
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334:Heyday Films
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62:(1917-06-09)
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552:1917 deaths
547:1895 births
518:3 September
431:"No. 30135"
411:"No. 29125"
391:"No. 28949"
60:9 June 1917
541:Categories
456:6 November
358:6 November
340:References
206:lieutenant
97:Occupation
41:1895-03-18
489:(2007) ,
330:BBC Films
196:with the
120:Great War
87:Education
533:, 1995).
299:called
202:Brighton
480:Sources
68:Chelsea
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234:Arras
520:2014
497:ISBN
458:2014
360:2014
332:and
312:BBC2
218:5.9s
166:and
154:and
144:Hove
57:Died
49:Hove
35:Born
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368:^
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