A report in last week’s Gazette about a Leverstock Green lieutenant has helped piece together a First World War story about two Hemel Hempstead comrades.
John Hunt got in touch to tell of how his father, Private Arthur Hunt, was fighting alongside Reggie Secretan when he was killed in action.
John said his father, who lived in Apsley, was invited to tea by Reggie’s mother after returning injured from Passchendaele.
He said: “When I was young, my father told me one or two bits and pieces, but this story sticks in my mind.
“Reggie’s mother invited him to tea at her house in Leverstock Green to discuss how he was killed. He told her everything he knew, and she said she had a present for him. It was a Pomeranian puppy. He accepted and it lived to a grand old age.”
Reggie’s great-nephew, historian Charles Fair, now hopes he and John can share their stories and knowledge.
> To read the initial story about Reggie Secretan and the Hertfordshire-wide First World War centenary project, {http://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/community/herts-at-war-we-only-have-one-chance-to-do-justice-to-their-sacrifice-1-5142457|click here.}