During the First World War, there were eight brothers in the Lord family. Hailing from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, these eight siblings all found themselves thrown into the same conflict that shocked over half the world. Many families would be all but torn apart by the time the war ended, with millions of mothers and fathers worldwide who would never see their sons again. The Lord brothers, however, all made it back alive.
This is even more astounding when taking into consideration that not all of the eight young men were old enough to fight. The youngest was only fourteen years of age, but was still able to trick his way into fighting. This is because he was able to use documentation that one of the older Lord brothers provided for him. This was not an uncommon practice at the time, and many youths were able to sign up for the war using similar means. Some historians suspect that, even if it was suspected or even known that a boy was too young for battle, many enlistment officers would turn a blind eye to the rules in order to bolster the troops with more young men.
The siblings’ contribution to the war effort did not go unrecognized. In fact, King George V sat down and personally wrote the young men a letter in which he thanked them for their service to the crown and to their countrymen. The Lord brothers had lost their father at the time they received the letter, and they were incredibly grateful to know that their service was appreciated by their country. Their father was also appreciated, for his former service as an army sergeant, the Mail Online reports.
Although they made it out alive, they were not entirely unscathed. A few of them did receive minor injuries in the form of bullet wounds. One of them even eventually died as a result of his service. One of the Lord brothers was a victim of one of the many gas attacks that took place during the war, and it eventually led to the complete failure of his health. While this was a tragic circumstance, it was certainly a more desirable fate than that of those who were gassed more heavily.
While one of them may have technically died as a result of the war, the Lord brothers were still nearly unfathomably lucky to have survived. The story of Arthur, Frank, Gilbert, Jim, Len, Sidney, Ted and William is a very rare one. Fortunately, the descendants of the Lord brothers are still alive to tell their amazing tale.