He was one of the last surviving veterans of the first world war. Like
many young English boys he joined the war at the age of 18 with the
idea that he would be fighting glorious battles. Like many of his
comrades he found that war was anything but an adventure and soon began
to realize the long arduous Hell that he would be trapped in for four
years.
By the late 80s, Donald had settled in the Sussex coastal town of Seaford.
We were brought up to spell duty with a big 'D' and our duty was to God
and our country and that was the end of the matter.
[on shell shock] There is a breaking point for most people. Those
people descended to something less than human. They were robbed of all
humanity and dignity and courage, all the things that make life worth
living really.
[After World War I] "I lost all my youth, the best years of my life you
might say and I lost so many friends. A few medals don't make up for
that. Nobody wins in a war, they lost but we didn't win."
[Before World War I] "I was in a crowd of other 18, 19, 20-year old
boys and we thought it was going to be a tremendous lot to go and knock
the Kaiser off his throne."