France 19^th Jul August 1916

Saturday

My Dear Harry & Ethel

            Thanks very much for your letters I was very glad to hear of your first impressions of Worcester but am afraid you are not exactly charmed with the place.  I hope however it will improve on acquaintance – it must be rather hard and strange for Ethel but I have no doubt you will soon settle down – at least I trust you will.  When you get into a house and sort things out a little it will be a lot more pleasant & then I hope your letters will be more rosy.  I imagine you have quite a lot of trouble & work on your hands getting through the twelve books of Acts of Parliament and Law Cases but feel confident you will soon master them.

            Your letter cheered me very considerably with respect to War news as it was from that that I first learnt that the Italians had taken Gorizia and that the Allies had commenced an offensive from Salonika.  This strong pressure on every front must be very disturbing to Germany & with a little luck should mean the beginning of the end.  There must be some justification for the optimism of so many well known & well informed men.

            I hope to hear that Mother has been up to see you as it would do her good and no doubt be a help to Ethel.

            On Thursday I was told I was to parade at 12.45 p.m. to go to the Rest Camp.  I had all my kit on and was quite ready to go when a message came through that it was cancelled.  It is rumoured that the whole Battery will shortly be going to a Rest Camp for a fortnight.  I don’t know whether there is any truth in the rumour but hope so, as I was very disappointed at not having the three days – I am still without an opportunity of spending money.

            By the bye what does “hoi polloi” mean?  It is rather hard to get hold of a Greek dictionary out here.

            I had a letter from Alan a few days ago: he seems to be having quite a good time and I believe he is as far away from me as it is possible to be on this front.

            Well I have no more news so with love.

            I remain

            Yours,

                        Bernard.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I have been made “full bombardier” – this is very satisfactory and gives me more wealth to spend (an additional 8^d per day).  Oh for the chance of a good bust up.  B.

In On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., c/o The Surveyor of Taxes, 1 The Avenue, The Cross Worcester, England.

Ans^d  27/8/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE T 1*.  21 AU 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Signed W.D. Samuel.

France

August 19^th 1916

My dear Ethel,

Thank you for your letter of last Sunday.  I am afraid the Worcester men had not travelled to any alarming extent.  I do hope you will get to use the place but for goodness sake don’t become dowdy as well.  I don’t think you will of course.  I have just been advised to warn you to make enquiries as to whether your house stands a chance of being flooded as the river rises sometimes.  What is the cathedral like?  Your next letter will give me all particulars I expect.  Now for a little off my own bat.  Owing to something of a rush my letter to Harry could not go till yesterday.  We have been busy lately & have come some little distance from the trenches for a considerable time I think.  There is a big town near our billets, which are barns, with plenty of shops.  We went in last night & had some of the best wine (port) we have ever tasted & some very nice pastry.  There is a beautiful church there but we must go in the daytime as the interior was not very distinct in the dusk.  It contains a scrumptious altar and organ & any amount of beautiful paintings.  All the windows are of the same style.  There is none of the gawdiness of the village churches.  The prie-dieus (chairs) are all the same & the panelling is rather sombre.  I don’t think much of the pulpit, which is thoroughly continental.  We are hoping, two or three of us, of going to a service tomorrow called High Mass but I fear a route march will clash with our intention.  Our barn is the best we have ever been in & is quite clean & rain proof.  The farmhouse is the cleanest we have seen also.  The country is beautiful in this neighbourhood.  The hops are in bloom or whatever their condition of bearing hops is called & the plants cover all the poles & wires & hide them.  Hop plants are dark, the hops are light green and they set off well against the cornfields.  Half of each cornfield is cut & the wheat put in sheaves and stubble.  A field containing growing wheat, sheaves and stubble is a picture.  There are any amount of thatched buildings & barns with roofs of red tiles.  In the distance can be seen the tops of the town’s towers, steeples &c which bring back the pictures of fairy yarns.  The avenues of trees are plentiful and every pond is surrounded with willows.  Two prisoners German officers, were marched through this town & they appeared remarkably joyful.  Oh! there is a picture house there showing Mr Charles Chaplin.  It is nearly time to take in letters & it is time for tea, so I will close, remaining

            Yours affectionately,

                        Alan,

I think I had better address this to Harry.

Envelope addressed For Ethel, Ans August 27^th 1916.

On embossed Royal Coat of Arms headed notepaper.

Friday 18^th August 1916.

Dear Sir,

            I am applying for a Commission in the Royal Artillery, and from the enclosed form you will see that a certificate as to moral character is required.  If you will be good enough to fill this in for me I shall be very much obliged.

A certificate regarding education is also required, and enclosed is a letter and envelope addressed to my late Schoolmaster which I should be glad if you would forward on to him together with the application form.

I am sorry to cause you all this trouble, but I know you are always willing to give a helping hand where possible.

The fighting seems to be all in our favour just now, and I think Germany is beginning to realise, at last, that she is up against a very tough proposition.

I have seen a large number of the prisoners, who are a fine well set up lot of men, well fed and clothed, so from this one can judge that the pick of the German Army is trying to repel our attack.

A good deal of rain has fallen this week & the roads are becoming very bad for traffic.  I hope it will soon be fine again, because good weather makes a great deal of difference to us.

I hope you enjoyed & benefitted from your holiday & trust that Mrs Walters and all your family are well.

With best wishes for the progress of your work in our old parish.

I am

Yours most respectfully

J.H. Pegg.

The Rev T.W. Walters.

There is no envelope with this letter.

FIELD SERVICE POST CARD

Addressed Rev T.W. & Mrs. Walters, The Vicarage, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.  Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE G  22 DE 16.

I am quite well.

Best wishes Christmas 1916.  J.H. Pegg

FIELD SERVICE POST CARD

Addressed Rev T.W. & Mrs. Walters, The Vicarage, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.  No postmark.

Nothing crossed through.

Best wishes Christmas 1917.  J.H. Pegg

Addressed Rev T.W. & Mrs. Walters, The Vicarage, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.

France

August 17^th 1916.

My dear Harry,

As expected your letter of Sunday arrived yesterday.  We are out resting today and expect to do plenty of marching and have considerable rest.  I was very interested in your arrival at Worcester but sorry the place is nothing to write home about.  I don’t know which I would prefer, the plenty of hard work or the twelve big books.  I have a distinct dislike for that sort of literature.  I am glad you like the river & hope you will have time to do a little boating.  I expect you will like the place much better when you become used to it.  (Brilliance!)

Madge King married one of the Wythes, a big but poor Worcester family, and lives at Crowle, which I understand contains several old houses with beautiful interiors of the Tudor period.  Dickson went to school at Bromsgrove & was not excited in any way about Worcester’s charms, but for the Cathedral.  Is it far from your place?  You have plenty of people under you & it will be all right to have a room on your own.  When you are accustomed to the work do you think you will be occupied all your time?  We spent an afternoon in the place you mentioned & met with the peculiar waiter & waitress, Jean and Augusta, of whom I wrote I think.  The place is bashed about certainly but not to the extent you would think.  There are still one or two very swagger military shops there, which have appearances of English connections, and any amount of the smaller shops as everywhere.  The small shopkeepers stay & risk the occasional shells for the chance of making money, which they do very well.  There are many lovely houses all of which contain splendid halls, the walls of which seem to be of marble but are of painted plaster.  Generally speaking it is very deserted.  I shall not forget one day.  We were walking through a town & heard a shell.  Shortly afterwards a man came rushing along the main street at a fearful pace pushing a mail cart with baby over the cobbles & making a terrible noise.  We reached the heart of the town & heard another crash which was a hundred yards off.  Everybody chased off at once & you could have entered the estaminets & helped yourself to beer and money very freely if you were not afraid of the shells.  On our way out of the town to the camp we heard the shelling which continued regularly for a little time.  We have a Mrs Gamp who has called the parapet “parfait”, retaliate “repaliate” and a mascot “muskit”.  Yes the news was certainly cheerful.  I think the Russians have done something great since as well.  We are going out this afternoon for a bathe & small outing but will return early to get a good night’s rest prior to tomorrow’s adventures.  You ought to hear some of our rumours.  Tigers are not as wild.  We have had a few showers at night time & water is not so scarce consequently.  It is much cooler also.  Will you tell Ethel I will send her a short note later as it would be such a tremendous amount to censor at one sitting.

            Your affectionate brother,

                        Alan

You had better put your address on your letters for some time.

On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., c/o The Surveyor of Taxes, The Avenue, The Cross, Worcester.  Ans^d 27/8/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 124 19 AU 16.  Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3274 cachet.  Signed H. Simpson

P Battery

Royal Horse Artillery

Woolwich

Dear Sir,

            Excuse me for taking the liberty with writing to you but still I thought it my duty.

            I don’t suppose you know me by name but you remember the young fellow up the Leicester Road what had the accident with his face well I am the man.

The reason I write is because I was up in London me & my young Lady, Miss Waldram for our holidays I only had two days of it & was called up from here so I had to mobilize at Woolwich with being a Artillery man so therefore I couldn’t say goodbye to any of my Whitwick friends.  We are having a fine time up to now.

We are under orders for the front they are sending troops away all night long, but we cannot get to know where to.  It is quite different to what the S. African war was all moves are done quietly this time, we have the right man in the right place Lord Kitchener.

Well I think we shall come off Victorious in the end all being well & the sooner it is over the better for everyone one of us there will be a great many lives lost.  I have volunteered for the Front & I shall not care how soon I can go.  I am so anxious to see active service & trust in God to bring us safely back again our Maker is the only one to look forward to.  I was so pleased the Doctor & the Nurse got my face better just in time or else I should & have been left behind & that wouldn’t have suited me at all.

Well Sir I must draw this to a close & please give my kind regards to anyone who may ask about me, & say I went away with a good heart like a British Soldier should do & also please Mr Rev Walters the main thing, pray for me good bye for the present

Yours Respectfully

Charles Yearby.

In envelope addressed to Rev. Walters, The Vicarage, Whitwick, Leicester Road, Whitwick, Leicestershire.  England.

Letter postmarked WOOLWICH S.E. 17 AUG 14.

France 11^th August ‘16

Friday.

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            Thanks very much for your letter which I received yesterday.

            I hope that by this time you will be getting fairly settled at Worcester, that your troubles re moving will not be great, and that you will both like the place and get a decent little house there.  I do hope that Ethel will like England and not feel lonely there.  It is fortunate that your first step should take you to one of the prettiest districts in England and the beautiful historic places surrounding Worcester should be a compensation for many disadvantages.  You have as always my very best wishes.

            I am afraid that this time my letter must be very short but as the only things I can think of are – that it has been very hot here recently almost unbearable and that for the past two or three days we have been having a very slack time.

            The sending of our men to the Rest Camp was stopped for a few days but I am glad to say was resumed yesterday and needless to say I am looking forward with great pleasure to my turn, altho’ at present I have no idea when I shall be going.

With love & good wishes,

            Yours,

                        Bernard.

In On Active Service envelope addressed to Mr Harry R King, Esq., c/o The Surveyor of Taxes, The Avenue, The Cross Worcester, England.

Ans^d  20/8

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE R.30.  AU 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Signed H Goole

2/Lieut B.T. Comins,

12 Royal West Kent

Pembroke House

Bromley Kent.

In accordance with Instructions received from War Office, you are to report at once to the 12^th Battalion Royal West Kent Stationed at Aldershot to take up your duties as a 2/Lieutenant.

You will provide yourself with bedding and kit as per enclosed list.

Your discharge, a certificate for which will be forwarded in the course of the next few days takes place as from 4/8/16.

You should return as soon as possible to the you’re your Cadet Company all clothing and equipment in your possession belonging to the Company (other than Officers clothing and equipment which was purchased from £8 grant).

The balance of your pay account will be settled by the O.C. your company in due course and you will be informed accordingly.

Please acknowledge receipt of these instructions by return.

E.P. Buchanan Lieutenant

a /Adjutant.

10^th Officer Cadet Battalion

GAILES.

Ayrshire.

11/8/1916

Flanders

August 10^th 1916

My dear Harry,

Thank you for your long letter of the sixth.  We are just been treated to a few shells.  What on earth they are I don’t know.  They seem to be coming straight for us.  Fortunately all in our district are duds.  They shake our dug-out each time all the same.  A shaking is nothing.  A scattering is unpleasant though.  Although shells are off some distance they make a noise as though they were very close.  I don’t know what the noise is like when they are very close & I don’t want to particularly.  It was very exciting running for dinner – which by the way was machonochie’s, pork, beans, (all tinned) & rice & jam – with shells shaking us up all the time.  But for this it has been quite quiet.  Being in the supports we have to censored three words but it is not too bad.  Today is the first day we have had rain – only a little shower at that – for weeks.  I am glad you are so near home Mother will realise how close you are now she knows the fare & go to see you I hope.  It seemed very strange to write to you at a different address from Kenilworth Road but it seems still more so now we have to change it from Dublin to Worcester.  I hope all the worries of house-hunting & furniture moving will be a thing of the past by the time you have this letter.  Oh! the articles in your parcel lasted quite as longer as parcels in the trenches lasted.  I can tell you.  The butter was in evidence for a very long time.  I understand from a Worcester fellow that there is a Cathedral & a splendid river for boating at Worcester.  I should think there was plenty of freshwater fishing there also.  If there is any fishing you bet I shall be there at the first opportunity although the South of the Wye is my spot.  With regard to the commission I applied as all the others did although I do not really mind one way or the other.  My previous letter will have explained the iron bars, and you must ask Mother to tell you all about it.  I hope you will still have some good weather so that you can trot round about the country.  If you don’t do so soon after your arrival the chances are that you never will.  Bernard wrote me a letter last week and I had to write to him very strongly on the matter.  He gave me all sorts of advice about gas and steel helmets, whereas I was out first & in the trenches.  My pals Dickson & Rogers (from Cardiff) consider my indignation justifiable.  Bernard is quite happy once again as he can spend money.  Rogers by the way has been made a sergeant.  He is permanently orderly sergeant and is not envied to a great extent.  Our last rest was quite good.  We all had a Sunday off & several of us were able to go a couple of miles & have a bathe in a lovely river on three or four occasions.  There was a pontoon at the side of the river & it was ideal for diving & coming out without having mud all over your feet.  It was very deep & the current was remarkably slow.  The camp we were at (we were there once before) has advantages & disadvantages.  It is some distance from our trenches & where we had to censored two words but there are splendid canteens quite close & a fair sized town not far away, the other side of which has the river running through it.  When there we don’t like the time spent in getting to the digging place, which is nearly as long as the time we are working.  The very last digging “stunt” was a corker & we all worked with bare backs, with the result that several fellows had a slight attack of sunstroke & a lecture from the M.O. Against advice to contrary.   They have gone to hospital.  I took my shirt off but missed sunstroke, lecture & hospital.  I suppose bathing in the river had put my back all right.  The “stunt” I was on took place every morning fortunately & I managed to return to the camp on a lorrie on three occasions which meant an extra couple of hours to myself at least.  I thought “My Son Richard” very good & am now reading “Aunt Jane & Uncle James.”

Time has flown so quickly on my pencil so slowly that I must close at once to catch the post.  I hope to write to Ethel tomorrow unless the fatigue I am now on finishes earlier than I expect, when I can write today.

            Yours as ever

                        Alan.

Flanders,

August 10^th 1916.

My dear Ethel,

The contents of the parcel were not “smallish”.  You & Harry both seem to have an idea it was very tiny & even if it disappeared quickly it was not on account of our large tummies.  Don’t think by any means that I thought it was rather small or anything like that.  It was quite the right size.  I am very glad you were able to get the screen after all, although I am astonished.  I suppose the solution to the mystery of your being able to obtain it was the fact of everything happening in Ireland.  As a rule people are not at all keen to get rid of anything purchased like that was at an auction sale.  Do you know who copied it?  I think the new move is great.  I hope you like Worcester & that everything is satisfactory from a feminine standpoint.  Doubtless it is large enough to prevent your becoming countrified and so forth.  The fatigue – namely that of fetching rations – mentioned in Harry’s was so short today that I was able to come back & take the letter out & write anew.  The whole time I was out shells seemed to be coming over very rapidly.  They seemed to be all round our locality.  I don’t know whether I’ve become nervy lately but one or two seemed pretty close to my napper & I was looking to see where one went & another came & I thought a piece flew very near my head.  Whether it was shell, lump of earth or imagination I don’t know.  For twenty yards & much more away from you the shock is perceptible.  It’s like a very sudden gust of wind shaking you up.  Yesterday I had a very sudden spasm of domesticity (is that word right?)  I made a fire in our cookhouse, which was once is only twenty yards away & cooked some lovely cocoa which we had for breakfast with some biscuits.  The cooks had not arrived & it was a good thing we did so as there would have been nothing to eat or drink for several hours afterwards.  Water was very scarce & I had to get some with another fellow & I thought we had walked all over Belgium & France when we had finished.  In the evening we made some tea from tea tablets.  I wish someone would invent hot water tablets.  Any amount of trouble would be saved.  One day we were out in the nearest town & we went into a very large restaurant & asked for steak, chips, tomatoes & tea.  At the same time a party of Australians were drinking French bottled beer.  When they wanted anymore they called “Jean,” an old man of fifty, & he would toddle away yelling “tout-de-suite” all the time as quickly as possible.  He would soon be back too with the beer.  Our waitress “Augusta”, kept us waiting half an hour, then took our order & asked us whether we would like tea or coffee – we could have what we liked.  We said tea.  Afterwards we received steak & chips.  The steak was beautifully tender but was not done as in English fashion.  We waited another half hour or so & then gave it up.  We mentioned the tea matter & she was sorry it was too much trouble & charged us two francs fifty each!  I thought she was in our debt on account of the tomatoes, tea & time.  She wrecked a whole evening.  It was a great pity there was no “toute-de-suite” about Augusta.  We are going digging or carrying shortly so I will finish.  Besides which I mustn’t forget the post.  Talking of carrying is painful.  Everything one has to carry seems to be of a most The next five lines are blue pencilled.  Needless to say it is impossible to observe this rule with one ten yards long.  The next three lines are blue pencilled.  Oh well!  It’s all in a day’s work.

With love, I am,

            Yours affectionately

                        Alan.

Both letters in an On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., C/O The Surveyor of Taxes, The Avenue, The Cross, Worcester.  Ans^d 20/8

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 124  11 AU 16.  Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3274 cachet.  Signed H. Simpson

LONDON, S.W. 1

8^th Aug 46.

Sir,

I am directed to inform you that His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve the award to you of the following decoration:-

“Additional Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”

Authority, London Gazette Supplement dated 24 Jan 46.

2. If, on receipt of this letter, you are still serving on the strength of a unit, you should show it to your Commanding Officer so that the award can be promulgated in the Daily Orders of the unit, and be recorded on your personal documents.

3. You should also write as follows, quoting your full personal particulars, including your personal number –

(a) if the award is a “Mention in Despatches” – to War Office (MS3) WHITEHALL, S.W. 1, forwarding an address to which you desire The Secretary of State’s Certificate to be sent;

(b) other awards – to War Office (C2 (Investitures)), WHITEHALL, S.W. 1, forwarding an address to which you desire the decoration forwarded.

4. If you are no longer serving you should act as indicated in para. 3.

I am,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant

R.G. Price Colonel

for Director of Organisation.

Major P.C. Benham (70163) MBE RA.,

9, Vint Crescent,

Colchester, Essex.

France August 5^th 1916

Saturday

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            Thanks very much for your very long letter.  I am glad to hear that you are both quite well and am pleased to be able to say I am very fit with the exception of pimples on my face brought on I think through bad water.  At last you know your destination and I suppose by this time you have left Dublin.  I think Worcester will be quite a nice place for you as even tho’ the town itself may not be very great show the surrounding country is beautiful as you must remember from our tour.  You are or rather will be very close to Ross, Malvern, Stratford and many other places and of course comparatively near to Cardiff.  Well I hope you will get the best of luck there and both like the place.

            I had a letter from Alan and in some respects he has a much better time than I do, as when not in the trenches he seems to be able to enjoy himself immensely.  Mother tells me in her last letter that he and a couple more have been having champagne & cigars.  The chance of such luxuries never comes our way.  After the strenuous times we have been having we are being granted three days rest at a rest camp near a very famous river.  Fifteen men go at a time and the second fifteen is now away.  The Camp is quite close to a town and the fellows are able to bathe to their hearts content in the river so it sounds very promising and I am looking forward to my turn to go.

            I hope you both enjoyed your holiday & very much envy you the sea bathing and also the placid quiet of a cricket match.  You must have had glorious weather – here it is too hot to move.

            Almost as soon as we reached here we had steel helmets issued and I would not think of going out without mine as they are very valuable, and save any number of head wounds.

            Well good luck & with love

            I am

            Yours              Bernard.

In envelope addressed to Mrv & Mrs Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin. Ireland.  At Enderlie, Auberetum Rd, Worcester England.

Ans^d 20/8

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE ***.  7 AU 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Also a Dublin postmark undated.