Welcome to The Bay Museum Website

The Bay Museum is a friendly museum situated on Canvey Island. Based in a degaussing station, it now offers a wealth of artefacts, books and displays focusing on both local and world military history focused on the First and Second World Wars. Open from 10am till mid-afternoon on Sundays, the museum is run by our volunteers who always warmly welcome visitors and are willing to impart their knowledge. They can also help you research your own family military histories and have extensive experience of visiting battlefields and cemeteries. Our website contains information about visiting the museum as well as archiving wartime records that we regularly transcribe online.

THE BAY MUSEUM AND RESEARCH FACILITY

CHARITY NUMBER 1204193

TRUSTEES

CHAIRMAN: D. THORNDIKE  VICE CHAIRS: J. HARRIS & A. REED  SECRETARY: G. BAKER  TREASURER: M. DANIELL

Letter to Rev Walters from J W Weston 20 Sept 1916

France

Sept 20 1916

Dear Mr Walters,

            It is some time now since I wrote to you, and now I am in a strange place for writing.  At the present time I am in a nice cosy dugout in the front line about 300 yards or so from Fritz.  I know it is hard to believe, when I tell you we have a spring bed leather chairs and a table which boast of a cloth.  We have a stove and cooking utensils, so just to make things homelike we make a pudding now and then using army biscuits crushed into powder for flour.  We are in a very quiet part of the line now, but we can do with it after the taste of the Somme we had.  I have been in these trenches for 5 days now and we shall not be relieved for another 3 days yet.  It rained all last night and part of today so the mud in some parts of our trenches is well over the tops of our boots.

We have plenty of rats here and very large ones too.  I got one of our magazines the other day (even if I am in the front line) so you see I get to know how you are all getting on.  I was sorry to read that more Whitwick lad had gone under.  I often think of you all at our men’s service, and other meetings which I used to attend, more so when I am in the trenches and have nothing to occupy my mind.  While you were holding your men’s service on Sunday I was just doing a two hours sentry go.  I was with you in mind if not in person.  I hope you and your family are in the best of health.  I am alright with the exception of a nasty cough.  Will you please remember me to all.  I hope I shall soon be back with you all and the war over.  I think we have had enough now.  Excuse writing as I am writing by candle light, I have been transferred to this regiment now so I have a new number 43418  yours J.W. Weston.

In envelope addressed to Rev. T.W. Walters, Vicarage, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.  England.

Letter postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 13  21 SP 16.

PASSED BY CENSOR 1968 in hexagonal cachet in red.

Notebooks of W. Allason.

All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

20th Sept. 1916.        The rain came down again the trench was occasionally shelled.  It was in full view of the German sausage balloons of which they had about 30 in sight.

On to opposite page is a 1/10,000 map of the area.

Notebooks of W. Allason.

All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

19th Sept. 1916.        It proved a fine day and the trenches were soon made habitable.  About half a ton of dirt had to be removed from the H.Q. dug out alone.  I went through Guillemont and Givenchy and had a look at Morval.  The Boche greeted us with a whiz bang.

Notebooks of W. Allason.

All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

18 Sept. 1916.          We moved to German line east of Guillemot.  It was very wet the trenches were in a very bad state indeed.  8 new Officers joined.

Letter from Bernard King to Harry & Ethel King dated 17th September 1916.

113rd Siege Battery R.G.A.

France 17th Sept 1916

Sunday

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            I yesterday received your letters dated the 10th instant – last Sunday – and am very much obliged to you both.

            I am now having the time of my life as I am with our Ammunition Column and enjoying a good rest.  It is splendid here: we are camped in a field some miles from the firing line and can only just hear our own guns.  Everything is nice and clean and there are no shell holes about, the war except for the traffic up and down the roads has not made any mark just in the immediate neighbourhood, but the one time villages which are scattered about are very battered.  It is glorious to be living in a roomy tent after having been confined to pokey little dugouts.  I have had several runs on the motor lorries and it is wonderfully interesting behind the lines: one sees more of the War behind the lines in a couple of days than up in the lines during a couple of months.

            I saw yesterday’s “Continental Daily Mail” & was glad to see the War News continues very good.  Up to the present Alan has not been in this district & I hope he will not have to come here – it is not over healthy for any one.  Our Battery are having a busy time once again six words blue pencilled out. I wonder if you have seen the picture “The Battle of the Somme”: I notice that one house refused to show it as it was a place of amusement & not a chamber of horrors.  It is glorious weather and in the field we are in French women are gathering in the crops – after three months of guns, shells you cannot imagine how delightful it is.

            Yours with best love,

                        Bernard.

In On Active Service envelope addressed to Mr & Mrs Harry R King, Esq., Glen Hilda, Park Avenue, Worcester, England.

Ansd 24/9/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE R.5.  18 SP 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3624.  Signed F.L.K. Fletcher.

Notebooks of W. Allason.

All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

17 Sept. 1916.          It proved a fine day & the men soon had fairly good shelters constructed.  Timber from the refinery ruins was a great asset.  I went forward to reconnoitre Morval and Les Boeufs.  There was considerable shelling on the way but we had a magnificent view.

Notebooks of W. Allason.

All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

16th Sept. 1916.        At 3.20 a.m. we moved off halted at the Citadel for a couple of hours and then moved on to the Sugar refinery (Waterlot Farm).  We got there about 11 p.m. there was no cover for the men and it drizzled steadily.  We passed some tanks on the way.

Letter from Bernard King to Harry & Ethel King dated 12th September 1916.

France 12th September

Tuesday

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            Thanks very much for your letter dated the 3rd instant which I received a couple of days ago but which I have been unable to reply to as we have been busy during the last few days – we expect to be busier during the next few.

            I was very glad to find you had got into a house of your own and hope by this time you feel at home.  Your address sounds charming and gives the impression of quite a nice place.  I shall be glad to get the books from you however quaint the colouring of the backs might be.  Send them by book post as then the postage is only four-pence & please send only one at a time.

            I had a long letter from Alan yesterday – with his usual good luck he has managed to fall on his feet a habit I hope he will cultivate.  Eight hours train journey does not as you appear to imagine mean a long distance out here.  It is always possible to get off the train, have a shave, and catch it up again.  A notice is posted up that it is dangerous and forbidden to lean out of the window but no objection appears to be taken to anyone walking the length of the train when in full motion by means of the footboard.  From his letter I don’t think the big town he is at is anywhere near this district.  He says it is rumoured that they are coming this way but he does not think there is any truth in the rumour.  I hope he does not as all the villages we come to are blown to atoms & it can hardly be called a healthy neighbourhood.

            I had a letter from Mother and was glad to know that she was having a few days at Clevedon.  I hope it will do her good there and that she will soon be paying you a visit.

I have not yet had my rest – I think it has again been washed out, but just at present it looks as though we have some busy days in front of us.

            As usual my letters are short but you must excuse me.  I can’t find news.

            With best wishes to you both

            Yours,

                        Bernard.

Ben King F.B.

In On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., Glen Hilda, Park Avenue, Worcester, England.

Ansd 24/9/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE R.5.  16 SP 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3624.  Signed G. Cork.