THE return of a traditional weekly newspaper prompted one reader to share the tragic story of his grandfather from 100 years ago.

Daily Echo publisher Newsquest recently brought back the weekly Christchurch Times, after a gap of more than 40 years.

Edmund Childs worked at the original paper for 15 years and was its head compositor.

He was called up to serve in the First World War despite not being fully recovered from an operation and died shortly afterwards.

His grandson Peter Childs, from Jumpers, still has a framed copy of the Christchurch Times from November 1917, which reports on Edmund’s funeral and the inquiry into his death.

Peter said the paper had been passed down through the family since his grandfather’s death, which had a profound effect on his family.

“His wife had to go out and do people’s laundry and send my dad out to work at 14,” said Peter.

The story from the Christchurch Times calls the case ”typical of many similar injustices which have been the result of carelessness or incompetence on behalf of Army doctors in examining men for the Army”.

It says Mr Childs had undergone an operation for appendicitis at Boscombe Hospital at the end of 1916 “and had not by any means recovered from its effects, when he was called up in the following July”.

The report adds: “Although he was obviously totally unfit, he was passed by the doctors in a most perfunctory manner, and sent to Yorkshire for training in the Durham Light Infantry. It was soon found that he was quite incapable of standing the necessary training, and after treatment in hospital he was discharged, after a few weeks service, completely broken in health, to die last week.

“An application for a pension was met by a reply that he had only been in the Army a short time, and a beggarly grant of £25 was considered to meet the case. Had he been properly examined he would have been left to follow his employment, and would probably have been alive today.”

The paper also reports on the funeral of Edmund Childs, which took place at Burton Churchyard, taken by vicar the Rev J Johnson and the vicar of Sopley, the Rev JF Vallings.

Mr E Eyres represented the Christchurch Times, where Mr Childs had worked for more than 15 years, or Lance Corporal Trevis, representing the 4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.

The Christchurch Times is out every Thursday, full of local news and issues, nostalgia, sport and the traditional vox pop on the back page. It is available for 40p at many newsagents, as well as free via some bulk distribution and door-to-door delivery.