A SOUTHSEA church is hosting a service to remember nurses from Portsmouth who served in the First World War.

The Church of the Holy Spirit in Fawcett Road will hold the memorial service at 2pm on Saturday 17 October.

It’s being organised by the Rev Emma D’Aeth, who is a deacon serving at the church and a nurse herself.

She has been tracking down the families of those nurses who went to serve in field hospitals on the battlefield during the war 100 years ago.

Among them was John Frederick White from Buckland  who was just 18 when he enlisted into the Royal Army Medical Corps in August 1915.

His first act of service was in August 1916 in France. Later that year he was posted to the 24th Field Ambulance and then the 26th Field Ambulance.

He died on 31 July 1917 whilst on duty as a stretcher bearer during the Battle for Pilckem Ridge, more commonly known as the 3rd Ypres Battle.

His niece Lynda Ibbotson from Drayton will be taking her granddaughter Sophie Ibbotson, nine, to the service and will be speaking about the uncle she never got to meet.

“I was never interested in history as a child but researching my family background and finding out more about John Frederick has really captured my imagination and got me more interested,” she said.

“I think it is really important for my granddaughter to know about her great great uncle and the sacrifice that he and others made for the freedom that we enjoy today.

“John Frederick was a pacifist which is probably why he enlisted as a stretcher bearer, but in a way this role was just as and if not more dangerous because he was going in to carry people away when the battle was raging. They needed to clear the battlefields of the bodies. They couldn’t just leave them there.”

The family never found John Frederick’s body or his medals, but Lynda does have his photos, letters that he wrote to her grandmother including one which he wrote on the day he died and also a handkerchief and a handkerchief case which he sent to her mother.

As part of the service, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Councillor Frank Jonas will read the names of all the nurses from the city who served in the Great War and John Frederick.

All are welcome to the service which will be followed by tea and cakes.

For more details contact Emma on emmadaeth(at)yahoo.co.uk or 02392 862108.