WHEN Laura Potts visited an exhibition about the First World War she was astonished to find memorabilia about her grandfather - a pacifist and a Quaker.

Ronald Mallorie Priestman was a non-combatant in the conflict and instead served with the Royal Army Medical Corps on the Western Front.

During a visit to the Castle Museum in York, Laura came across his paybook, insignia, medals, service stripes and more.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Laura, a founder member of the group York Against War.

“I saw the pay book and then I saw next to it ‘A soldier’s pay book, R M Priestman from Ilkley, Quaker and pacifist’ and I exclaimed to my friend in the middle of the museum on a busy Saturday afternoon ‘That’s my grandfather’.”

After speaking to he mother and museum staff, Laura discovered that her grandfather had donated several items to the museum 50 years ago.

She has now donated more material to, including her grandfather's First World War diaries and photographs, to the museum.

The museum’s assistant curator of history, Philip Newton, said: “We were amazed to hear from Laura; this is such a rarity.

“Laura has since brought in her grandfather’s diaries, and she will kindly be donating them to the museum. They were written daily between October 1914 and August 1916, and are such a valuable document of the war.

“Her grandfather’s items are of particular interest to us because we have relatively little in our collections relating to the Quakers during the First World War.”

Ronald Priestman served with the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1914 to 1919. His pay book features in the exhibition - 1914: When the World Changed Forever - as part of the recruitment office section.

Laura added: “I’m so glad to be able to contribute to the little-heard story of those who decided on principle not to fight in the First World War.”