19740 Private Joseph Leigh was a convalescent patient at Hickwells in 1915 due to sickness. His entry in Nurse Oliver’s album reads:

April

22/4/1915

Pte J Leigh

3rd Border Regt. No 19740

Kitcheners Man

(Shoeburyness)    (Essex)

He shares this page with entries from 5363 Private W Ferguson of the 3^rd Border Regiment, W Wallace of the 1^st Border Regiment and 50082 Driver James Gilbert of the Royal Field Artillery.

Joseph Leigh was born around July 1891 and, as he says, was a Kitchener volunteer, enlisting on 23rd January 1915.  His entry in Nurse Oliver’s album, whilst still serving with the reserve 3rd battalion of The Border Regiment, pre-dates his active service abroad and must have been as a result of sickness or accident in the UK.

After his spell at Hickwells, he went overseas to Gallipoli, arriving there on 10th October 1915.  I am assuming that he then suffered further sickness or was wounded in action as he was discharged from the 3rd Border Regiment on 5th December 1917 aged 26 years and four months.