THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE WILL VISIT IWM LONDON TO VIEW FAMILY LETTERS FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Imperial War Museum London
Wednesday 31st October, 2018
Ahead of Armistice Day, The Duchess of Cambridge will visit IWM London to view letters relating to the three brothers of her great-grandmother, all of whom fought and died in the First World War. The letters and documents provide a fascinating and poignant account of life and death in the trenches. The letters are part of IWM’s Documents Archive, which provides a means to research, reflect and remember the extraordinary contribution and sacrifice made by so families during the First World War.
Ahead of #Armistice100, The Duchess of Cambridge is visiting @I_W_M in London to learn about the lives of her great grandmother’s three brothers, who fought and lost their lives in the First World War. #IWMLondon pic.twitter.com/kjfDUyTwmu
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 31, 2018
Before looking at the letters Her Royal Highness will take a short tour of the First World War Galleries where she will be shown elements of the galleries that relate to the experience of her relatives. In the galleries, The Duchess will meet historians, curators and the fellow descendent of a First World War soldier. After leaving the First World War Galleries, Her Royal Highness will proceed to IWM’s Explore History room, which is a drop-in research and work space at IWM London. The Duchess will be shown several documents that relate to her relatives’ experiences of life on the Front, including a letter of condolence from the Keeper of the Privy Purse at Buckingham Palace.
Francis Martineau Lupton, The Duchess’s great-great-grandfather, had five children. His three sons Francis, Maurice and Lionel were all killed in action while serving during the First World War. Their sister Olive, who worked as a Nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment, is The Duchess of Cambridge’s great-grandmother. She married Lieutenant Richard Noel Middleton, who also corresponded with the family during the war. The eldest brother, Major Francis Lupton, served with the 8th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment and was killed by a bomb on 19 February 1917 aged 31. His brother Lieutenant Lionel Lupton, youngest of the three, had been killed in action only a year earlier aged 24. Lionel served with 28th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, spending significant time in the Front Line trenches in France. Captain Maurice Lupton served with the 7th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment and also spent time in the trenches, occasionally meeting with his younger brother, Lionel. Maurice was the first family casualty of the war and was killed by a sniper in 1915 aged 28.
