ONE hundred years ago, in March 1915, the pages of the Daily Echo’s sister publication, the Southampton Pictorial, published a photo this week showing a group of our gallant boys smiling for the camera as they indulged in some simple pleasures while going about their business in the town.

Many of the soldiers, especially those encamped only a short distance away on Southampton Common, would pass down The Avenue at Southampton and patronise the stalls that had sprung up along the roadside selling sweets and treats.

It was claimed that some of the favourite purchases made by the soldiers at the time were chocolate and Bullseye sweets.