Lieutenant Pearson
Lieutenant Jack Hesketh Pearson was originally a civil engineer.
The brother of the then celebrated actor Edward Hesketh Pearson, he was Fred Roberts鈥� second in command when they found the printing press in the ruins of Ypres in 1916. On the publication of the trench newspaper, he became its sub-editor.
With Roberts he fought in both battles of the Somme, and was decorated with the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) and the MC (Military Cross).
Late in the war, Pearson (now a Captain) set up The Foresters鈥� Arms 鈥� a makeshift pub behind the front line which provided (often free) refreshment to wounded soldiers waiting for ambulances. While his superiors objected, the pub stayed open thanks to a petition organised by Divisional Chaplains.
After the war, Pearson travelled to Argentina to work as an engineer on the railways, later becoming a hotel keeper. He died in 1966.
