Ladas Lewis Hassell was a fellow officer and good friend of Wilmot Evans in Jersey throughout May 1915 to early 1916. Lieutenant Hassell was born in Kent in 1894 and joined the army via the Jersey Militia.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the South Staffordshire Regiment, that were torn apart in Oct 1914 were replenished with new recruits in 1915 and new battalions were formed.
Both Ladas Hassell and Wilmot Evans were injured at Festubert on 16 May 1915 and appear together in the photograph of injured officers in Jersey where they were sent to recuperate.
The pair joined the 4th Battalion, a territorial unit on mobilisation in Jersey. Both Lieutenant Hassell and Lieutenant Wilmot Evans were therefore stationed at St Peter’s Barracks throughout the second half of 1915.
‘Hassell’ is mentioned affectionately several times in Wilmot’s letters to Mary Downing.
The photos here form part of Molly Evans‘ collection, taken whilst on a visit to her brother in Jersey in Oct 1915.
Ladas Lewis Hassell went on to win the MC and DSO and survived the war. Indeed, he achieved the rank of Brigadier General in the Second World War. He died in 1963.
Sources
- The London Gazette:
28 Mar 1916, Supplement 29528, Page 3428
Supplement 30399, Page 12316