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3 Browning's Boys

‘AN HONOURABLE COMRADE AND DISTINGUISHED SPORTSMAN.’

– Tribute to Frank Browning, cricketer and rugby official

On Easter Monday 1916, Frank Browning and his men spent much of their time doing what they enjoyed best. For hours they were in the County Dublin countryside on military exercises, completely unaware of the dramatic events unfolding in the Irish capital and elsewhere. As they marched in uniform in the April air, surrounded by the trappings of Empire, a few miles away hundreds of armed rebels were swearing allegiance to a different flag and pledging to fight for Irish freedom.

Browning’s charges were not regular soldiers destined to fight in a foreign land, but older men, whose age and poor fitness meant that they were not needed for overseas military service. Instead, the volunteers spent their time on home soil, marching and drilling well away from the sound of enemy gunfire. The corps was an original ‘Dad’s Army’, and helped to recruit thousands of young men into the regular armed services. They wore a distinctive outfit, and their khaki uniforms displayed red armbands with the initials ‘G.R.’, which stood for ‘Georgius Rex’, the Latin for ‘King George’. However, the men became victims of Dublin humour and were better known as the ‘Gorgeous Wrecks’.

Aged forty-seven, Francis, or Frank as he was better known, was deemed too old for service at the front, but he played a vital role in personally recruiting hundreds of sportsmen into the services. Many young men who excelled on the sports field and later went into battle only did so because of Browning’s influence. His career and his life are essential to the story of Irish sportsmen in the Great War.

A barrister by profession, Frank Henry Browning was born in June 1868 in Kingstown, and came from an Anglo-Irish family whose roots were in County Limerick. At the outbreak of the Great War he established the Volunteer Corps, and many of his recruits would move into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers to form a ‘Pals Battalion’ made up of rugby players from across Ireland.

As Browning and his men made their way back into Dublin after their day on manoeuvres, word reached them that large parts of the city centre had been taken over by armed rebels.Around 1,600 men from the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizens Army had seized key buildings across Dublin. A proclamation for a new Irish Republic declaring that Ireland should be free from British rule was issued at the General Post Office, and shortly afterwards fighting broke out.

When the volunteer corps from the IRFU reached the inner city, not far from the familiar surroundings of Lansdowne Road, Browning’s men decided to split up. One half of the group went down Shelbourne Road towards the Beggar’s Bush barracks, whilst Browning took a section of his men down Northumberland Road.

It is not clear what Browning intended to do with his men, who had no ammunition, but it is abundantly clear that he had no indication of what was to follow. As he led his men down the road, four pairs of eyes were tracking their movements. They belonged to armed rebels Jim Grace and Michael Malone and teenagers Paddy Byrne and Michael Rowe, who had taken over a house on the corner of Haddington Road.

As Browning walked forward in front of his men, Grace and Malone tracked his movements and then opened fire. Seconds later a bullet pierced Browning’s head, and he slumped forward with blood pouring from the wound. His comrades scattered in all directions, with some taking shelter close to trees and walls and near the steps of houses. The bullets continued to fly, and when the shooting finally stopped a doctor arrived to help take the dying and wounded into nearby houses. Bleeding profusely, Frank Browning was initially taken to Beggar’s Bush barracks, and was then moved to a hospital in Baggot Street. There was little that nursing staff could do because his injuries were so severe, and two days later he died. He was one of five members of the volunteer corps to die that day, and thirteen of his comrades were also injured.

The Rising took everyone by surprise, particularly the men of the volunteer corps. They were puzzled, and also angry. Whilst they had volunteered to fight at home, they had not anticipated being fired at by their own countrymen on the streets of Dublin, and the attack on an unarmed group of soldiers did little to engender support for the rebels’ cause. When Padraig Pearse, one of the Rising’s leaders, heard of the shooting, he ordered that in future unarmed men should not be attacked.

The shooting of Frank Browning and his men appears to have been a mistake. Caught up in the drama and emotion of the time, his killers were clearly unaware that they were firing on a group of unarmed volunteers, and most likely mistook the men for regular British soldiers. In their attempt to secure Irish freedom, Jim Grace and Michael Malone had killed one of the most successful recruiters the British Army ever had in Ireland. They had also executed one of the most influential and well-respected sporting figures in Ireland.

Frank Browning loved the camaraderie of sport, and also had a great sense of duty, and within days of the war breaking out in August 1914 he became involved in encouraging rugby players to enlist. He sent circulars to all the Dublin rugby clubs calling on players to join up, he founded the volunteer corps and organised regular drilling practice on the pitch at Lansdowne Road.He was responsible for around 300 men, mainly from middle-class families, joining up, and he counted many of them as personal friends. They were well educated and articulate, and often came from the worlds of medicine, business and the law. Browning knew many of them through his connections with rugby and cricket, and he used that sporting bond to convince many to join up together with their teammates.

The official minute book stored at the archives of the Irish Rugby Football Union gives an insight into the work that Browning undertook to train men in the volunteer corps.

A memo dated 21 December 1914 shows he had secured a drill hall at Martin’s Riding School on Lower Pembroke Street in Dublin. Browning writes that ‘drills will be held there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 o’clock p.m, commencing (to-morrow) Tuesday, 22nd inst.’

Browning makes it clear that there will be little time to enjoy the Christmas festivities and the memo advises that ‘a field day will be held on St Stephen’s Day the 26th December’. He instructs his recruits to ‘fall in at the Tramway Terminus at Rathfarnham at 10-30 a.m. sharp.’ The men are also reminded to ‘bring their own rations’. The minute book gives details of how the volunteer corps was organised and it also records how the killing of Francis Browning in 1916 was viewed by his comrades. Days after his death, IRFU volunteer corp members wrote that Browning’s work would have a ‘lasting benefit on his country’ and they noted that ‘his memory will always be revered by members of the corps’.

His death rocked the IRFU, and robbed the organisation, of which he had been president, of one its most distinguished supporters and administrators.

Browning was buried in Dublin at Dean’s Grange Cemetery, and his colleagues at the IRFU erected a headstone, which praised him as an:

…honourable comrade and distinguished sportsman, who by his untiring efforts and splendid patriotism obtained from his corps over three hundred recruits for His Majesty’s Forces during the Great European War.

Although Browning was associated with rugby in his later life, it was a different sport that had dominated much of his forty-seven years.

Cricket was his first love, and he began playing the game seriously when he was a student at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Early reports indicate that his technique needed some refining and he was viewed as ‘not a strong bat’, while another observer commented that he ‘often sacrifices his wicket in an attempt to hit square leg’.

A short, well-built man with strong arms, Browning was a natural wicketkeeper, and sought out this position at school and at university. He became a regular member of the first eleven at Trinity College in Dublin, and quickly got a reputation as a batsman of some note. Wisden refers to him being an ‘excellent wicketkeeper and an effective bat with a pretty style’.

His efforts behind the stumps and his adventurous batting style were rewarded when he was selected for Ireland, and he made his debut in August 1888 against Scotland. The weather at Rathmines was ‘delightful’, and a large crowd gathered to watch the match, which Scotland won by five wickets.

Browning’s performances continued to catch the eye of the selectors, and his run rate for the university team was exceptional. In 1889 he hit nearly 900 runs in a season, which included two centuries. He was now a player in demand, and the following season was asked to play against a team selected by the famous W. G. Grace. His good form continued when he chalked up a half-century, a score that he equalled against a Cambridge eleven. Ireland repeated their visits to England in the next few years, and Browning would be a regular in games against sides like Oxford, Essex, Warwickshire and the MCC.

Cricket was now becoming an international sport, and in 1904 Ireland played host to the South Africans. In the run-up to the match in Cork there had been lots of rain, but when the two sides took to the field the sun shone and the playing conditions were good. Browning played one of his best games in Irish colours, and made a good first innings score of 40 following it up with 31 runs in the second innings. Irish bowler T.C. Ross was sensational, and took nine South African wickets for just 28 runs. His accuracy secured a famous Irish victory, Browning’s team winning by 93 runs. The news travelled widely, and the next day’s newspapers made pleasant reading for the Irish players as they scanned headlines that simply declared ‘The Colonials Beaten’.

The following year the Australians arrived on Irish soil, and Browning was asked to play against the tourists for a Dublin University team made up of current and former students. One of his teammates was Joseph Lynch, a right-handed batsman and medium bowler who was a commissioned officer with the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Lynch was much younger than Browning, and although he had just recently come into the university team he was viewed as a very able cricketer.The university side performed heroically, and Frank Browning scored 52 runs in the first innings and 54 in the second, making him Ireland’s top scorer in the match. His new teammate, Joseph Lynch, took four wickets, although it was at the expense of 113 runs. Ireland fought valiantly, but they were not a match for the talented visitors, who won by 231 runs. One correspondent remarked that the contest had been predictable, and that ‘as had been expected the Australians experienced no difficulty’.

It was a great occasion for Lynch to play against the touring Australians, but he would have to wait a further four years before he would get a call up to play for Ireland.

1905 marked a dramatic year for the young man from South Dublin as he joined the army and became a 2^nd lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers. Born in Monkstown in 1880, he was one of three children, and was educated at the renowned Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare. School provided young Lynch with many sporting opportunities. As well as cricket, he played golf at Killiney, he sailed from the Royal Irish Yacht Club, and like many other servicemen he turned out regularly for Monkstown Rugby Club.

After becoming a commissioned officer he was posted to India, so his sporting opportunities in Ireland were limited and he disappeared from the Irish cricketing scene for a number of years. In contrast, Browning’s international career flourished, and he made further appearances behind the stumps for Ireland, and even captained the side.

In August 1908 at College Park in Dublin, Ireland played host to a team from Philadelphia, and over a series of days played two matches. Frank Browning was selected to play in both games, and the Irish team had mixed fortunes.

In the opening match Browning scored 13 runs in his first innings, and he fared poorly in his second innings, with a knock of just 6. Ireland were torn apart by the bowling of Bart King, who took seven wickets for just 23 runs. The home side was well beaten, and Philadelphia triumphed by an innings and 7 runs. Frank Browning and his teammates had little time to dwell on the nature of their defeat, as the next game with the visitors began straight away. This time Ireland performed much better, and Browning was one of the star players with an impressive innings of 50 runs, which marked his highest ever score for his country. In the second innings he took a couple of catches, and the match was a draw.

Browning’s fine batting performance saved the game, and his work was rewarded when he was named as captain for Ireland’s 1909 tour of North America. The planned trip also provided good news for Joseph Lynch. Back in Ireland, and freed from soldiering duties, the young South Dubliner was once again playing cricket, and in a surprise move Browning selected his old university teammate for the tour.

Lynch and Browning travelled across the Atlantic and headed for Staten Island, where they faced an ‘All New York’ team in September 1909. Ireland were victorious in the opening encounter, Browning chalking up a respectable 30 runs.Joseph Lynch did not get a chance to bat in the first innings, and did not score in the second, but it did not matter as Ireland’s bowlers proved too strong for the home side. Further games followed with a Philadelphia side, but this time the Irish batting was poor, and great bowling by Bart King and ‘Ranji’ Hordern put paid to any thoughts of another victory. In truth, the Irish side was weak, and contained players like Frank Browning, who were now at the end of their careers. Browning managed only 7 runs in the Philadelphia games, and to most observers it was clear that his days as Irish captain were coming to an end. At the time of the American trip he was forty-one years old, and had played for Ireland off and on for over twenty years.

Although his wicket keeping was regarded as good, his batting in a number of the tour games had been poor, and it was apparent that he was past his best. The trip across the Atlantic ended his inter- national cricket career and that of Joseph Lynch, whose time in Irish colours was regrettably brief. Had he not gone overseas with the army in 1905, it is likely he would have enjoyed more international games.

Invalided home after contracting a fever, Joseph Lynch probably thought his army career was over as well, but his love of the military was rekindled in 1914 when the war broke out. He did not return to the Royal Irish Fusiliers, which was his old regiment; instead, he enlisted with the 10^th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment.

By September 1914, Lynch was back in uniform again and began battle training in a series of camps across England. He was highly regarded by his comrades, his leadership skills impressed those in the battalion’s hierarchy, and in April 1915 he was made a captain.

A year after he enlisted his opportunity to fight in France arrived, and in September 1915 he crossed the English Channel and landed in Boulogne ready to go into battle.Lynch and his comrades were on their way to take part in what would become known as the Battle of Loos, which was named after a small mining village in France. The British attack was being planned in conjunction with French forces, and on 25 September, the opening day of the battle, Lynch and his men arrived in the front-line trenches.

The offensive became significant in the history of the Great War because at that time it marked the biggest land battle in which British troops had ever been involved. The attack also saw the debut of new army divisions, and the first use by the British Army of poison gas. After a long march, Lynch and his men finally arrived at the front, where they joined soldiers from the 18^th London Regiment. According to his comrades he was in good spirits, despite the fact that he was probably exhausted after a long march, and like everyone else he was most certainly frightened. Being an officer, Lynch was under instructions to disguise any fear, knowing that such emotions could be counterproductive. At the front line the conditions were awful. There was barbed wire and mud everywhere, the trenches were flooded and it was raining. The attack at Loos was controversial because some in the British Army high command had reservations about the purpose of the offensive, which had been discussed at length by the French and British military hierarchy. Douglas Haig, who would later become commander-in-chief of the British Army, had carried out a personal reconnaissance of the Loos battlefield in June 1915, and concluded that the terrain was ‘not favourable’. He also felt that the enemy were well positioned, and remarked that there were ‘very carefully sited’ German defences. His worries about the strength of the Germans and concerns about the terrain would later turn out to be well founded.

Joseph Lynch probably got sight of the German defences within minutes of arriving at the British front line. As dusk fell he was on the move, and he and his men passed troops who had taken part in earlier attacks on the Germans. His first objective was to capture Loos, and just before he got to the village he received a flesh wound to his wrist. He was hurt and bleeding, and although the wound was not fatal it needed to be dressed, which would have required him to retrace his steps to a first-aid station. As an officer, however, the Dubliner was determined to stay with his men, so he refused to have his arm treated, instead carrying on into battle. He wanted to continue the attack and offer support and leadership to his comrades.

Lynch and his men from the Yorkshire Regiment were now close to Hill 70, and the men tried to gain ground by advancing in short, sharp rushes. As they moved forwards, Lynch was hit by a bullet, which went straight through his head over his left eye. He fell at the base of the hill, and was comforted by a doctor from the East Yorkshire Regiment. The medic could do little to help. Lynch never spoke, and died very quickly. His body lay on the ground for some time, and later that night it was recovered by soldiers from the 10^th Hussars.

Whilst the Battle of Loos did result in some ground being gained, it proved difficult to exploit any successes because of problems with getting replacement troops to the front line. Ultimately, the battle would prove to be very costly, 43,000 men losing their lives.

Many telegrams were sent out from London in the days that followed.

One arrived at the Lynch family home in Monkstown in early October, and ended with the traditional statement: ‘Lord Kitchener expresses his sympathy.’ The words informing the family of Joseph’s death were simple and sparse, and were contained on just three lines, yet the words generated a multitude of questions. The family wanted to know how Joseph had died, and wondered if he had suffered and where he was buried. Joseph’s father, Michael, wrote: ‘Please say by whom and where this officer is buried?’

Michael Lynch was informed that Joseph was buried near Loos, and was also given a map reference. His mother, Annie, wrote another letter to the War Office seeking information about what marked her son’s grave. The War Office informed her that wooden crosses were inscribed and placed on all the graves, which had been carefully registered.

In February 1915, Michael Lynch wrote to London, desperately hoping that his son’s belongings had been found. For obvious sentimental reasons he particularly wanted the return of his son’s watch, a ring and some field glasses. A month later he got a reply stating that it was with ‘regret’ that the items could not be found. Joseph Lynch’s possessions could not be traced, and it soon became clear that neither could his body. It seems likely that if he was buried his final resting place was dislodged because of the ongoing battle surrounding Hill 70. The battle for territory meant that Lynch’s body had been scattered, or was buried in an area now unrecognisable after a series of explosions.

Today, in the National Archives in Kew in London, it is possible to find Joseph Lynch’s army file, which chronicles his military career and details his family’s pain. Tucked away in the paperwork, which is a century old, a typewritten line starkly reads, ‘There is no record of this officer’s body having been recovered.’ Death brought heartache and uncertainty, and produced many questions with very few answers. The Lynch family solicitor, H.W. Franck of Dawson Street in Dublin, became a regular correspondent with the military authorities in London. Aged thirty-four, Joseph was a bachelor and died intestate, so his financial affairs needed to be sorted out. Eventually, money that was part of his army pay was forwarded to the Lynch home. It amounted to just over £100, which the solicitor described as ‘trifling’, adding that it would benefit Joseph’s father, who was ‘not a wealthy man’.

Other letters arrived in the Lynch household from Joseph’s battalion, which gave details of his last days and hours. J. Bernard Marshall, a padre with the 62^nd Brigade, told Joseph’s parents that he had strong faith. He wrote:

It is needless for me to tell you that he was a fine Catholic. […] Sunday by Sunday he led his men to Mass – a thing that many Catholic officers shirk – and I know that his constancy was a value to the men. They all spoke highly of him. […] Although I could not bury your son, I have not forgotten to offer Mass for him and remember him at the altar.

Joseph Lynch was not the only friend of Frank Browning to die close to Hill 70 in those awful days of September 1915. The day before Lynch was killed by a German sniper, fellow Irish cricket international James Ryan died as the British forces surged forward in an attempt to seize enemy territory.

Ryan, a 23-year-old, was a Northamptonshire lad. As well as playing for his native county, he made one appearance for Ireland against South Africa in 1912. He was born in the village of Roade on 15 September 1892 to Walter Henry and Alice Mary Ryan. His Irish parents were well off, and his father was a well-known physician and surgeon. Brought up in the Catholic faith, Walter and Alice sent their young son to Downside, a prestigious Catholic school near Bath, and there, as well as studying, he immersed himself in his love of sport. He was a very good all-rounder who excelled at many team games including hockey, athletics and football. It was at cricket where Ryan would make his mark and he was best known as a medium fast bowler, and also a talented right-handed batsman.

Aged eighteen in 1910, he left Downside and joined the army, and over the next few years would combine military training with his desire to play cricket. His talent with the bat and ball were quickly spotted by the cricketing authorities, and as a teenager in 1911 he made his debut for Northamptonshire.His career in first-class cricket was spasmodic and stretched over three years, but it was largely uneventful. During his time in county colours he managed just four wickets, and in fifteen innings chalked up 119 runs, with his highest score being 41.

During Ryan’s training days at Aldershot and Sandhurst, he once again excelled at sport as an impressive cricketer and footballer. He was a fast runner with a great turn of pace, and represented the army at athletics, winning the officers’ half-mile at the army athletic meeting.His military and academic curriculum vitae shows what kind of character he was, and it appears that despite his age he showed great maturity as a young man and had great leadership skills. It was his cricketing prowess, however, that impressed Sir Stanley Cochrane, a wealthy Irish businessman who was involved in selecting the Irish team in 1912. Now stationed in Ireland, Ryan was playing cricket locally, and some outstanding performances with the bat meant that he was selected for Ireland for the match against South Africa.

The game at the Woodbrook ground in July presented Ryan with a great opportunity to showcase his cricketing skills on a wider stage. Sadly, he performed poorly both as a batsman and a bowler. His bowling was expensive, and when he went to the crease he scored a duck in the first innings and just 5 runs in the second. He was most unfortunate to be dismissed twice by the great South African all-rounder Aubrey Faulkner, who would later see war service with the Royal Field Artillery.

Ireland were no match for the tourists, and South Africa won the game by an innings and 165 runs. The performance that day by Ryan did little to endear him to the cricketing hierarchy, and the English-born bowler would never appear in Irish colours again.

1914 changed Ryan’s life. As a young soldier with the Liverpool Regiment, he was a member of the British Expeditionary Force that landed in France just weeks after the war broke out. Still in his early twenties, he was mature beyond his years, and his leadership skills were rewarded in January 1915 when he was awarded the Military Cross for ‘gallantry and great ability’. Ryan was promoted to the rank of captain, and by all accounts it was a popular move amongst the ranks as he had the earned the respect of his comrades.

In battle he proved fearless, and like his cricketing comrade Joseph Lynch he saw action at the Battle of Loos in September 1915. Close to the infamous Hill 70, where Lynch died, James Ryan also lost his life. He was killed after he led his men in an advance aimed at capturing German territory. He died ten days after his twenty-third birthday. Within days, telegram number 3,644 arrived at the Ryan family home, ‘Tilecote’ in Northamptonshire. It simply stated that James had been killed in action and that ‘Lord Kitchener expresses his sympathy.’ Warm tributes from his fellow officers arrived at the Ryan residence from the men who had served with him. One soldier wrote, ‘I don’t believe anyone else could have led his men across that terrible piece of ground, but they would follow him anywhere.’

For James’s parents, the dreadful news from France brought grief, unanswered questions, and as with all deaths there was inevitably much correspondence that had to be dealt with. The Ryan family was informed by the War Office that James was buried behind the Mayor’s House in Cambrin, and that he had written a will before he died. Things were not straightforward, however, as James had officially left all the monies that he was due to a fellow officer. He wanted Lieutenant C. J. Phipps of the 1st Battalion of the King’s Regiment to have all his money, or any that was ‘due to me’. He also wanted his friend to have his ‘cigarette case and anything else he cares to have from my kit’. James ended his will by stating that ‘the remainder of my belongings including my Military Cross I leave to my parents’.

Lieutenant Phipps was contacted, and waived his right to any of his friend’s money. In early 1916, after more correspondence, Ryan’s possessions and back pay were finally forwarded to the family home in Northamptonshire.

The Great War cut short thousands of promising sporting lives, and the history of Irish cricket contains the names of young men who under different circumstances could have had a successful future in the game. Even before the war broke out in 1914, many potential players were lost to the sport because of military commitments at home or abroad.

Charles Trueman was another career soldier whose time in Irish cricketing colours was limited to just one appearance. He made his sole outing for Ireland in 1904 against Cambridge University at the Mardyke in Cork.Born in Devon in 1877, Trueman came from a military family, and his father, also called Charles Hamilton Trueman, had been a lieutenant colonel in the East Kent Regiment. Young Charles was sent to King’s School in Canterbury, and he attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst from 1895 to 1897.

The army was always going to be Trueman’s first choice for a career, and he became a 2^nd lieutenant in the Manchester Regiment, and was later promoted to captain after serving in the South African war and being honoured with the Queen’s Medal.

Stationed in Ireland, Trueman began playing cricket for County Cork and recorded a number of good innings as an opening batsman, notably against Dublin University and Na Shuler. Fate had a hand in his only international call-up in July 1904 when Ireland entertained Cambridge University in a three-day match at Cork. A number of first-choice players were not available for Ireland, so at the last minute he was offered a place in the starting eleven, and the side contained a number of other debutants.

Ireland won the toss and decided to bat and in his first innings. Trueman managed just 13 runs before he was bowled by Eric Mann who would later play for the MCC. In his second innings Trueman scored just 6 after being caught again off the impressive fast bowling of Mann. Sadly, Trueman’s debut performance was not deemed good enough, and it would be his first and last display for Ireland, who were well beaten by their visitors by five wickets.

Military duties brought Trueman back to England to military bases in Portsmouth and Aldershot, and he continued to play golf and cricket and shoot, and he was also a member of the Army and Navy Club. A sociable, outgoing individual, and a keen singer and piano player, he was often the life and soul of social events.

In 1912 he became an Assistant Inspector of Gymnasia at the barracks in Aldershot, and at the outbreak of war in 1914 found himself in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. He saw action in the Battle of Mons, and then in late August Trueman and his men from the Manchester Regiment arrived at Le Cateau to support men from the Suffolk Regiment. Trueman’s men moved forward on the morning of August 26 to offer assistance, and came under sustained attack from the German lines. By mid afternoon they were given the instruction to withdraw, but not before the men from the Manchester Regiment had suffered enormous casualties. Charles Trueman was killed as he led his men from A Company towards the German lines. The 37-year-old was later buried in the military cemetery at Le Cateau, and today he is also commemorated in the chapel in the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and at Blean Church in Kent.

He never married, and had no children. The Great War would bring further heartache to the Trueman family, and in November 1918 Charles’s soldier brother, Arthur, who had played much army cricket, would die from pneumonia.

Men like Arthur and Charles Trueman were always going to be career soldiers, and the prospect of military service was expected from an early age. When the war broke out in 1914, other men needed a bit more cajoling to give up the comforts of civilian life and take the ‘King’s Shilling’. There was no conscription in Ireland, so all Frank Browning could rely on were his powers of persuasion and an appeal to people’s sense of duty. He not only took a personal interest in helping young men join the military services, but he often provided character references during the recruitment process.

In September 1914, as thousands of young men volunteered for action, Browning was asked to sign the enlistment papers for one of his friends. He supported the application of Charles Fausset, and testified that he was of ‘good moral character’. Browning’s testimony for the schoolteacher worked, and two days later Fausset was examined by a doctor to see if he was medically able to fight. The GP declared that he was ‘fit for service at home and abroad’.