Brian Willan

Brian Willan
Charles Frederick Ball: from Dublin’s Botanic Gardens to the Killing Fields of Gallipoli
Dublin: Liffey Press, [2022]
9781739789206

The thoughtfully designed cover had drawn me to this publication, and the ‘back-of-the-book-blurb’ tempted me in, with mentions of botanic gardens, love affairs revealed through personal letters, and the inclusion of rare photographs, which meant that I was eager to discover the story of Charles Frederick Ball. From the moment I picked up the book and read the opening sentence – “Fred Ball was born into a well-established local family in Loughborough …” I knew I was hooked.

Fred, as I learned he was called, was a late attender to the Loughborough Grammar School, but he excelled in the classroom, as he did on the sports field. The story follows his life and career before the First World War. His love of botany and horticulture saw him first take an apprenticeship at nearby Elvaston, before moving to Surbiton to work with Peter Barr for a short time, and thence to Kew Gardens, where he spent several years, and was promoted to foreman.

After a brief period of working with his brother in South Nottinghamshire, Fred’s desire to further his career saw him take up a position at the Irish Royal Botanical Gardens at Glasnevin, rising from indoor foreman to assistant keeper. He took trips abroad to collect plants and seeds which he would grow back home, or send to various friends. He became a contributor to various journals, and editor of ‘Irish Gardening’, as well as being a keen member of several societies.

Fred’s love interest was Alice, who came from a well-to-do family who lived not far from him. Letters were written between the pair, and it is those from Fred to Alice that have survived and add life and colour to the story. They eventually married, in December 1914, shortly after Fred had enlisted for war service.

The contrast between Fred’s life in the early twentieth century, and his participation in WW1 is stark and very clear to see. The author treats the subject with consideration, empathy, and objectivity, engaging and interesting the reader from the outset. Willan carefully leads us through Fred’s horticultural career and plant-collecting travels in Europe, and like the author, the reader wonders where Fred’s career might have taken him had he not been killed at the age of 32 at Gallipoli. Fred’s memory lives on in many ways, but most notably through the species of shrub known as Escallonia C.F. Ball.

Verdict: a gripping story made all the more real by the author’s engaging style, and the personal quotes from Alice’s letters to Fred.

Rating: 5/5… (plus d'informations)