Flanellette patches for cleaning a gun inside a paper packet marked AG Parker and Co. in a brown leather pouch. The pouch has a flap to open it, and a long narrow tab which hooks onto a a piece of metal to keep it closed. 'Raymond Lodge' is inscribed inside of the case in black handwriting the. 'Lodge' is also pressed into the leather.

Inscriptions / Translations:  'Raymond Lodge'

Notes:  Raymond Lodge (1889-1915) enrolled on a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham in 1906. He volunteered for military service in 1914 and was sent to France. On 14 September 1915, when shepherding his men into a communication trench, he was mortally wounded by a piece of shrapnel. He died aged 25. Some of Raymond’s personal possessions and military kit were returned to his parents, including this gun cleaner kit.

Millions of young men died during the War, and their loved ones needed to grieve. Many people turned to spiritualism, including the Lodge family who attended séances with the aim of contacting Raymond. Sir Oliver Lodge was convinced that he had communicated with his son and wrote books about his experiences.