Flanders,

Sunday, June 18^th 1916.

My dear old Hal,

I had your letter of the eleventh immediately I had sent off my last one to you.  Such is the usual happening.  I am very discreet and I hope you are as I tell you ever so much more than I do mother or Bern.  We are in the trenches for six days from yesterday.  I have still my steel helmet.  We keep them you know as whether we are in or out shrapnel is always with us.  I am in the supports & would be in the front line but our company is too big.  As it is some of us have no dug-outs.  Eight of us have to sleep on two big stepped staircases which go into the bowels of the earth it seems.  There are only the stairs.  Eventually there will be a tremendous dug-out between them.  The stairs are finished.  The dug-out is not started.  I had my position very near the top and I slept to some extent.  Tonight I am looking forward to sleeping in a better quarter as I have discovered a flat piece of concrete flooring with considerable shelter.  I am glad your London interview was favourable and am waiting to hear the result.  Your top-hole parcel came last night at a very welcome time.  You and Ethel have gone to quite a lot of trouble and the things in it are just the things I am fond of.  The butter is fine.  We have less butter than anything.  French butter is terrible stuff.  We can buy French bread easily generally.  Saturday Friday night at twelve thirty (of course that is really Saturday morning) according to new time (we have put on an hour about a week ago) we were all roused for our first gas attack.  It was a very serious business.  They always are.  Someone of the guard rushes round and people are literally kicked awake.  I jump out at once.  We had to get our gas helmets in the dark, put them on immediately in a certain fashion & wait till the attack was over.  All the gongs in every billet and camp are sounding.  They have big hooters which are going all the time, and we bombard the Germans as fiercely as possible everywhere.  Just after I was roused the noise of everything was the loudest I had ever heard.  The fellows in the trenches open rapid fire also, & the machine guns.  The attack lasted till two but I think we made them hop & had by far the best of it.  Six good whiffs are enough to kill you.  Two make you very ill.  I think where we were was about the only spot the gas missed, but of course we had to be on the alert.

Yesterday I had to go near the front line & I was waiting when someone said “I don’t think I’d stand there too long, Kingie” so I moved, looked around & saw a notice “Beware of Snipers, Duck or Die”.  I am very careful since of that spot.  It was hard lines on Bernard having to split his leave.  I expect mother is feeling very anxious about the two of us.  I am afraid we are not likely to meet unless we are sent to the base which is improbable.  I used to think that the soldiers in the trenches were bored to death for want of something to do.  With us it is quite different.  You never seem to have a minute to yourself.  All the time going you want to spend in sleep.  Today’s letters haven’t come in yet but I am expecting one from home & looking forward to it.  As I am keeping this until I get a green envelope I may add a thing or two.  I can scarcely keep my eyes open so will wind up with best wishes from

            Yours

                        Alan

Who is Lord Kitchener’s successor?  You will see I have had your postcard from Ethel’s letter.  Let me hear from you soon.  It is the 21^st today & things are about the same.

On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin.

Postmarked ARMY POST OFFICE 4 25 JU 16.  Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 1347 cachet.

Ansd 2/7/16 on back of envelope.

1. Proceed by Bon Car at 9.10 AM to MEAULTE, send car back.

• Call at 126 Field Coy RE MEAULTE and explain that the 27 cyls will be removed from the dug out at the N end of the street in BECOK VALLEY tonight.

• Find out from each Fd Coy the (max) amount of space that will be ready by 10.0 PM tonight.

• The Coys are 126 on left, 98^th, 97^th.

• Proceed along length of front line and estimate the numbers and approx positions of recesses ready tonight.

• See officer of 97^th Coy about recesses in bottom of trench.

• Telephone from 126 Coy or somewhere in MEAULTE to F Coy RE VII Div when you are ready for the car at MEAULTE.

H Sanderson 2/Lt.

XXIth Div ****

For OC F Coy RE

16/6/16

Flanders,

June 18^th 1916.

My dear Ethel,

Thank you very much for your parcel and letter.  It is being enjoyed very much on “The Continent”.  I don’t know if I have any more grey hairs.  I would not be surprised if there were.  I have a nice little moustache which the King wanted me to grow.  You know what one of those flat tea cakes without currents is like – A flat thing with little holes all inside it – Well the French bread is like that but its size is enormous and it is crusty.  You would think it light but it is rather heavy.  Its colour is that of Standard bread.  We are getting to like it.  By the way the army bread is the crown loaf and it’s very good.  I don’t know whether to say eggs are of any use or not.  The fact is that I haven’t had one for three weeks & I am rather keen.  The thing is that if I want one very badly I can get one with little trouble so it really isn’t worth while sending me any.  Your parcel arrived without having suffered in any way.  I must say that was due to the packing.  Whatever the parcel is packed like however if something very heavy drops on it it doesn’t do it any good.  I had a parcel with some sausage rolls and tomatoes among other things.  It was beautifully packed but one side had been squashed & only one tomato survived.  The remainder had fuzed with three or four rolls.  As a rule however they come remarkably safely.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Have just heard of the jolly good news.  Damme I am glad.  Harry’s postcard has this minute arrived.  Of course he was bound to get it once they had seen him, wasn’t he?  I have nearly gone mad.  I am afraid you won’t like leaving Ireland and of course it will be your luck not to come to Cardiff.  Write & tell Harry to & tell me where, when &c.  What a funny thing I had the parcel first.  I can’t understand it.  Was the iced cake wedding cake & if so yours?  That is just like the army asks questions.  Ethel, have you ever tried sleeping on stairs.  Try.  As you haven’t any extra special training I will allow you to avail yourself of the stair carpet and an overcoat also a cap comforter otherwise a night cap.  They have packed sand-bags full of earth at the side so it’s quite likely we will be able to build up a bed (which I feel sure will collapse between three and six a.m. tomorrow.  Again, it will come in handy when you move.  How I pity you moving!  Once we did.  You won’t like leaving Dublin a bit.  That’s the fly in the ointment isn’t it?  We are going out digging tonight & I am going quite gladly.  In addition to what I have told Harry there is nothing to tell you as we doing the same thing six days after six days.  We only see Englishmen now.

We haven’t had any butter issued to-day so yours has come in very handy.  I am afraid most of this letter is about food.  I have nothing else to write about.  With much love I am,

            Yours affectionately

                        Alan.

The sandbags collapsed not.  We were awakened instead on a Gas alarm which proved to be a false alarm.  The weather is beautiful now with my usual luck I shall post these letters & then one from you.

This letter is in the envelope with the letter to Harry of even date.

Dated 12 Jun 1916

2/Lt R.M. Beesley R.E. has permission to pass either way in any trenches of Divisional Sector.  This pass to hold good daily till further orders.

** Codrington,

Major.

Staff Captain

63^rd Infantry Brigade

12^th June 1916.

Noted at top “Please return”.

France.

June 11^th 1916

My dear Harry

Thank you very much for your sympathetic letter of the fourth.  How is that you do not acknowledge either of my two letters to you or the one to Ethel?  I will not send this off until I have a green envelope so when you get this it may be ages after the actual writing.  The moustache is coming on all right.  I am very anxious to hear of your interview in London.  I hope it will be all that you wish.  It was very nice for you to see mother and Bernard.  Mother wrote me from London.  The naval battle evidently appears to have been a victory instead of a loss, thank goodness.  Our losses were enormous though.  We do wonder what is going on in Blighty.  The newspapers are very scarce & at least five days old.  I feel rather annoyed that I wasn’t at home to experience all the excitement of the daylight saving affair.  I should think it would be much better in the long run.  So you are to have no Whitsun holidays.  It’s about time then that you wished the Land Commission farewell.  By the way, will you come to England if successful.  I don’t know when we will be home on leave.  I shouldn’t think it would be for three months unfortunately.  This morning we left our dug-outs in the Reserve Trenches.  Our battalion had its share of the fighting line but my platoon was put in the Reserves, which is worse than being in the Firing Line as we have all the fatigues for the battalion & every night go on a working party.  Last night the working party had thrills, at least some of it, in which I was a unit.  Six of us had to get on to the parapet & carry sand bags & dump them in the place marked X in the accompanying picture.  (The accompanying picture shows a trench profile with X by the parapet.  The other letters follow the standard trench profile.)

A (which takes some seeing is the frame work.  B is corrugated iron at the sides & C the parapet.  Stray bullets are plentiful (not as much as usual last night) & dangerous & machine guns play along on you very often, when you have to lie down for some time.  The machine guns give you a warning but are somehow more objectionable.  Being dark you are not aimed at.  Every now & then rockets are fired which light the place up & you must keep perfectly still whatever you are doing.  We were glad to get in the trench again.  Shortly after that feeling of relief a shell exploded just far enough away to be harmless & the powers that were then decided we had better go back.  This party works for four hours.  I can’t of course give you the time.  We were not on the parapet long mind you – but quite long enough for this child, who would prefer a hardboiled egg – of course I did the thing properly and asked for a cigarette during the event, although I don’t like them.  We have just had our allowance of tobacco doled out.  We have different varieties of cigarettes & baccy each time.  We have an ounce of tobacco each & twenty fags.  I am still persevering with my pipe & smoke half a pipeful a day.  Only liking mild tobacco we must get fearfully strong stuff this week.  The names of the cigarettes would tickle you immensely.  I never heard of them before.  The places here are nicknamed, sometimes after parts of London & sometimes of a descriptive character in very forcible language.  All these names have become official too.  We are now in dug-outs resting out of bullet range except in exceptional circumstances.  Shrapnel is the only unwelcome visitor here.  Here for six days I expect.  We have had a few casualties so far.  We have been working all day although we are out “resting”.  We started at eight thirty, had an hour off for dinner, and got back in time for tea.  We were digging trenches.  We feel as though we were being cheated.  Things have not been improved by a constant drizzle all day.

Aunt Pollie sent me a parcel and we were able to have a feed.  She put sausage rolls & tomatoes in with other things & all but one tomato have fuzed with half a dozen rolls.  Strange to say a cake came quite whole, which is most unusual with parcels.  We bought some peaches at the Canteen as well.  I am afraid I haven’t much inclination for writing tonight (tis the twelfth now) so I will end hoping to hear from you immediately you know the London result.  Give my love to Ethel & with the same old wishes for yourself I am

            Your hopeful brother

                        Alan

On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin.

No postmark.  Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 1347 cachet.

SOME NOTES ON ARTILLERY COMMUNICATIONS.

2/Lieut. B.C. Felgate.

Reference:- Field Artillery Training, 1914.

Section 149.  Especially paras. 3. 4 & 5.

Section 185.  “Communication between brigade and battery commanders should be established immediately on coming into action, and it is the duty of battery commanders to see that it is so established.  The adjutant is responsible for organising the communications between the brigade observing station and the other points.”

            Other points include battery positions.

            It may frequently happen in enclosed country that the brigade telephonist may be quite close to the battery but owing to lack of cable or insufficient information as to their exact position, he may not be within sight of the guns or O.P.  Probably then a few steps round a corner or a wood in the direction of the brigade headquarters would discover him.  B.C’s should instruct their operators to be on the look-out for the brigade cable and make every effort to get into touch with the Telephone Cart at the earliest possible moment.

Section 201.  An alteration is here necessary in that Semaphore signalling had been officially abolished but may be used regimentally if so desired.  It of course involves a greater risk of exposure to the enemy than the Morse flag used judiciously.

Para. 5.  All Artillery signallers are trained in these abbreviations but it will be seen that to ensure efficiency and speed in the reception of orders, it is of the utmost importance that officers should be thoroughly acquainted with them so that no delay shall arise by the telephonist having to translate and receive his messages at the same time which in most cases would be an impossibility.  It will be readily understood that it takes much less time to send P.F.D. on a buzzer or by voice than to write “Put flag on Director”, so that should the operator be obliged to do this, he would lose the following signals.  Officers should invariably use the authorised abbreviations so that these may be thoroughly understood by everyone.

Sections 246 & 247.

Para 2.  The training of battery signallers has now been raised to a much higher standard than “Semaphore, telephone and buzzer”.

            As observing stations are now placed frequently at a considerable distance from the battery and where the country is much enclosed, a very much greater number of men than four may be necessary.  Should the line have to be extended as to involve the use of “one man” stations (always to be avoided if anyhow possible) the orders must be sent in very small groups at a time as obviously the men cannot write down or send on when reading a distant station.  The “one man” transmitting station then becomes “chiked” and the message is sent on either incorrectly or the first part is forgotten.  An order then should be given and the next station receiving should be watched until he has got that order away to his receiving station when he can turn his attention once more to the O.P. station and take another order.  It should be remembered that the minimum number of men at a visual transmitting station should not be less than three whenever possible to ensure satisfactory and speedy working.  According to War Establishments part VIII”, this would provide 6 transmitting stations of 3 men, 2 men at O.P. and one man and an officer at the battery.  The officer could write down his orders as the signaller calls them out.  Circumstances under which so many stations would be necessary are hardly conceivable.  In enclosed country the battery position is subservient to the O.P.  With telephone communication no difficulty would arise.

Message Forms.  A.F.B. 2121, 2122 and 2123.

It is of the utmost importance that all Officers should make themselves acquainted with the nature and uses of these different forms.  It may frequently be necessary for Artillery Officers to make use of the Divisional or Infantry Brigade Signal Services when the rules laid down for the use of these forms should be closely adhered to, to ensure prompt despatch and receipt of messages.

German Code.

            It is also important that Officers should know as much of the German Code as is possible at present.  The following are some of their more important signals.  The German morse code is the same as our own with the following exceptions and additions:-

                        a   .-.-              o –. (our G)               ch —-

                        e ..-..                u ..—

            full stop III (;) -.-.-.     (,) .-.-.-                        (:) —…

Column – RD (Run together)                     Messages understood – SN (run together)

Call signal – KA    -do-                                Wait = AS = .-…

Answer – K                                                    End of message – AR

Acknowledge – RRR  -do-                          Roman Numerals – ROM

The following prefixes are especially important:-

KR   means a War message.

SSD     “         Urgent Military.

SS       “         State of Military message.

A         “         Telegraph message.

D          “        Urgent private.

Also the following special signals:-

AV (run together) – Advance.

H.L. (two separate letters) – Halt.

From firing line to rear:-

G.V. –  Increase elevation.

M.U. – Ammunition required.

S.M. – Are we going to charge.

From rear to firing line:-

M.U. – Ammunition coming.

S.M. – Assault to take place.

Between Marseilles &

Malta

June 5^th 1916

Dear Moughli,

Thank you so much for your letter which I got before I started but which I had no time to answer before.

We got the news of this Naval Battle at Lyons but beyond the communiqué have heard nothing.  But there doesn’t seem to be a chance that any of Hood’s Squadron & especially the Invincible can have been saved.  It is too ghastly to think of all those boys having gone and it all seems a horrible nightmare.  I know what you must feel as so many of them were special friends of yours and you have my deepest sympathy – though their words of *** don’t really express what I mean.  I don’t imagine there is the least chance of getting news of individuals for some days and anyhow I can’t learn for a fortnight; and as one has more than enough time in this ship to think and there it sometimes seems almost enough to drive one mad.

I saw Leo’s mother only last week and she was so full of plans for his future.  I honestly believe the shock will kill her as her heart is none too strong.

If you should hear any detail do write them to me.  You are the only person who will write one news of individuals as to who is gone and who is saved so your letter will be invaluable.  You have my address

                        c/o Assistant Military Secretary

General Headquarters,

Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

c/o G.P.O.

E.C.

We are due at Port Said on Friday I believe.

Good-bye old boy

                        Yrs ever

                                    Pat.

Why, why are these things allowed.

With cover addressed to E.V. Culme-Seymour Esq.,

Royal Naval College, Osborn, Isle of Wight.  England.  With 1d Malta stamp and postmarked **** JU 6 16.

Annotated “Answered – June 15^th.

B.E.F.

Dear Alan,

Not written you for quite a long time – very sorry.  Nothing much doing here so very little to write about.  Had some Company sports last week and my section won the silver challenge cup.  It becomes my property.  Of course I had to do something for them so I made the whole section tight on Saturday night on Champagne & Whisky.  Strictly against order – but it only once in a way.  Cost me about seven pounds but it was well worth it.  Been issued with a push bike by the government so will have to learn to ride it.  Got a route march before me tomorrow.  Still playing about doing nothing.  Rather bored but manage to keep going.  The Army not claimed you yet I suppose.

                        With love

                                    Dick.