August 27 1916

My dear Moughli,

Just a line to tell you that I am on the way home to resume my former duties at the War Office.  There was nothing for me to do in Egypt and the W.O. people sent word that if I was no longer wanted out there I had better return as they were very short handed.  Hence the above address.  I trust it will not be long ere we meet.

I saw Arthur one day much to my joy.  He was looking very fit & in good form.  He spoke of taking home leave in October & I hope he will.  He had a truly rotten time on the Peninsula.  You may be glad to know that I heard from an outside but very reliable source that he has done very well indeed.

Have you finished your harvesting.  Arthur & I chuckled over you as a male Ruth!

I expect to arrive in London about the first of September, go home for a day or two – my people have taken a place between Fullerton & Stourbridge for six months – & then return to London about the 7^th to regular work.

Have you seen the letter Beatty wrote Mrs F about Leo!  If not I’ll send you the copy she gave me to read.  It is indeed a fine testimonial & applies to all the boys.  She seems quite heartbroken but writes bravely poor thing.

All other news when we meet which I hope will be soon.  Bless you

Y^rs ever

Pat

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

Glenville, Bitterne, Hants. Angleterre.  Postmarked Marseille Bouche Du Rhône 31 8 16.

Annotated “Answered – Sept 4.

France

August 27^th 1916

Sunday.

My dear Harry,

Your letter of last Sunday arrived on Friday, probably owing to our having moved, and I have not been able to reply before.  We left our good old barn, had an eight hours train journey, marched (this includes many rests) about four hours and arrived at a beautiful little village.  This time we are billeted in a school-room and it is very nice.  Our village possesses a beautiful modern church, a chateau (a much nicer establishment would have been built in England for the money), several very nice houses, whitewashes cottages, two shops, apple trees and a very big pond.  I very much doubt whether the pond is not the most important of the whole lot.  It is used for all sorts of things (the water is filthy and we have to wash in it) and its banks are the gossiping depots for the village ladies.  It is a pretty pond as on two sides there are trees & behind the trees the church.  The country round-about is slightly hilly & the land is mostly devoted to raising crops.  When we are out on a march we can see hundreds of little patches in the distance, triangular & square, with all sorts of colours.  Our village looks very pretty too in the midst of plenty of trees.  The only other trees are those at the road-side – every road is an avenue unless it is only three or four yards wide.  They have no hedges at the road-side (nor wire &c) nor between the crop fields, only where they are necessary, as round grazing fields.  We are not in the land of estaminets now.  They are called “cafes”.  The country people are very clean & are out in all their Sunday glory today.  All sorts of funny drinks can be obtained at the cafes & cottages.  Many new drinks have been discovered by our fellows, sampled and approved of.  We do a short parade before breakfast, a long one in the morning, and another in the afternoon, for drills, route marches, physical training and so on.  We are delighted to have the evenings free & a full night’s sleep – they are appreciated now.  Being a reserve machine-gunner (lately appointed with no extra salary) I have to spend my afternoons with the machine gun people & find the work very interesting & the names of the sixty-four parts very difficult to remember.  Today we had a late breakfast, a route march in loose dress with the object of having a swim this morning, and a church parade about six (which beautifully wrecks the evening) this evening.  Before we went for the swim they asked “How many couldn’t swim”.  Half way there was some talk of having the best swimmers out, so we anticipated a beautiful place.  We arrived & discovered a stream a few yards wide & not more than two feet deep.  We were all very tickled but enjoyed the humour of the affair.  The water was fine and clear & the spot was magnificent so it was worth the stunt.  I don’t know what is my trouble lately.  Both Bernard and you tell me the censor has been busy with my letters.  I can’t understand it as I have not suddenly become mad.  I don’t like the tea tablets at all.

I hope your work is not giving you too much trouble and that the house question will soon be settled to your satisfaction.  You say my letters turn up regularly on Mondays.  I am afraid this one won’t, but the moving hither is responsible.  I had a letter from Bernard yesterday & he is quite all right.  Mother told me you gave her a stamp issued by the Irish rebels for me.  Thank you very much.  They are very scarce indeed.

Well I had better close.  Remember me to Ethel and tell her I will write in a day or two and tell her all about a very big cathedral town two or three miles away.  We are absolutely safe here (except from Zeps I suppose)

            Yours

                        Alan.

On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., c/o The Surveyor of Taxes, The Avenue, The Cross, Worcester.  Ans^d 3/9/16.

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 124 28 AU 16. Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3274 cachet.  Signed WJ Shaw

France 26^th August 1916

Saturday.

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            Thanks very much for your letters.  I am afraid you are both very disappointed with Worcester, but hope that in the near future your opinion of the place will improve.  I hope by this time you have secured a house and are on the way to being more settled.

            I have not been to the rest camp about which I wrote as I am sorry to say that just as I was going the camp was closed down.  This was very disappointing but I don’t think the fact that some of us have not had a rest has been overlooked & I am still looking forward to a few days off.

            It has been quite quiet with us just recently very little doing and time hangs very heavily.  The weather is rather mixed at present, but it is a blessing having it a little cooler.

            I am absolutely broke for news so close with love.

            Yours,

                        Bernard.

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

Ans^d 3/9/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE T.17.  27 AU 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Signed J.W. England

BATTALION ORDERS.

by Colonel A.G. Jeffreys,

Commanding 12^th (LR) Battalion “The Queen’s Own” (Royal West Kent Regiment)

Aldershot,

25^th August, 1916.

PART I

1187. DETAIL           Orderly Officer for 26^th instant, 2^nd Lieut. B.T. Comins.

Supernumerary Orderly Officer 2^nd Lieut. B.W. Ashworth.

Orderly Officer next for duty 2^nd Lieut. B.W. Ashworth.

1188. CASH              Os. C. Companies will render not later than 9 a.m. tomorrow,

REQUISITIONS        Saturday morning, their requisitions for cash for the week-ending 31^st August, 1916.

1189 DISCHARGE. The undermentioned man will be paid to and for 3^rd September, 1916, and discharged “No longer physically fit for War Service”.

(Authority – Colonel I/c Infantry Records Letter, dated 23^rd Aug., 1916 – A.C.I. 1011 of 1916 & A.O. 170 of 1916).

G/10647 Private Thomas Acres “B” Coy.

1190 BOMBING       Brigade Order No. 1425, dated 23^rd instant, is published for information:-

                                    The undermentioned officer and N.C.O. have been detailed

COURSE.                  to attend the Bombing Course, assembling at Claycart Hill at 9 a.m. on Monday Aug. 28^th 1916, lasting 10 days.

2^nd Lieutenant C.H. Dann

G/12323 L/Corpl. Fermer F.

1191. BRIGADE       The undermentioned officers and N.C.O.’s have been selected

SCHOOL OF            to attend the 7^th Rifle Course assembling at the Brigade School

MUSKETRY.             of Musketry, on Monday next 28^th instant and terminating on Monday 11^th September, 1916.  They will report to the Musketry Officer at the Brigade School, Scarlet’s Road, Stanhope Lines, at 8.45 a.m. on Monday 28^th instant.

                                    Each Officer and N.C.O. will take the following:-

Service Rifle and Bayonet.  Oil bottle, pull-through and flannelette.  75 Rounds of .22 R.F. Min ammunition, 6 chargers of cartridges, dummy drill, 2 note-books, 1 fair copy and 1 rough.

Army Book 136 is no use as a fair copy note-book.

A fair copy note-book of at least quarto size must be taken.

            2^nd Lieutenant J.N. Mothersill.

“               A.K. Harding

G/12331 L/Sergt. Scrace C.G.       “E” Coy.

G/14567 Corporal Goddard, W.T. “C”     “

G/13352       “       Owen, G.           “C”      “

G/13327 L/Corpl. Upton, R.D.        “C”      “

1192 BRIGADE        The undermentioned officer, who attended the 6^th Rifle Course,

SCHOOL OF            at the Brigade School of Musketry, qualified as a 1^st Class

MUSKETRY.             Instructor.

                                                2^nd Lieutenant C.T. Mansell

1193. MACHINE      Os. C. Companies will render to the Orderly Room not later than

GUNNERS.               Wednesday next, 30^th instant, a return of all men suitable for transfer to the Machine Gun Training Centre.  Great care should be exercised in selecting these men, as all conditions of Army Council Instructions 1545 of 1916 must be fulfilled.

1194. FUNERAL.     By authority of the Headquarters, 23^rd Res. Infantry Brigade, this unit has been detailed to carry out the Funeral Arrangements of the last Lieutenant J. Simmonds, of the 3^rd Rifle Brigade.

The undermentioned officers will act as Pall Bearers:-

Lieut. R.C. Baylis.

    “     G.N. Bunyard.

    “     L. Hinge.

2^nd Lieut. A.S. Richmond

      “        W.H. Glover

      “        A.J. Cathcart

The firing party will consist of 40 Rank and File from “A” Company, who will be in charge of Lieut, H.C. Hopkins.

The Band and Drums will also attend.

(Sgd). G.D. Meadowcroft, 2^nd Lieut &

A/Adjutant, 12^th (LR) Battalion “The Queen’s

Own” (Royal West Kent Regiment).

Instructions for O’s. C. Trains.

In the case of the “ALARM” being given whilst the train is still in this yard, the O.C., Train will instruct all men to detrain and double to the fields beyond the Y.M.C.A. Rest Camp at the end of the Triage.

No attempt to rejoin the train must be made until the “ALL CLEAR” signal is given.

Os. C., train are responsible that the men are kept together as much as possible and that they all rejoin the train at the same time.

FRENCH ALARM.  All lights go out and all traffic ceases.

BRITISH      “         Several shots fired from A.A. guns.

Abbeville.      ALL CLEAR Bell tolling in the Town.

D.K. C****

Major

D.A.D.R.T.

———————————–

Receiver 20 14 watches

Nos

26700F                      17862F

26085F                      18686F

23554F

26230F                      Number struck through.

21930F                      Number struck through.

25842F                      Number struck through.

18081F                      Number struck through.

23631F                      Number struck through.

23313F                      Number struck through.

23553F

25820F

18303F

22/9/16                       R.M. Beesley 2/Lt. R.E.

——————————-

ALL SERVICES

Inventory of Plant, Tools, Instruments &c issued

for use on the Works (or Record of Requisition).

46 Section

Received 20/8/16

Description

57 Fourways, 2 twoways 2 singleways

Parapet pipes Straight 55 bends 52

                        Tools

25 Box Keys DE

27 Universal with ***

8 L Keys

1 Y    “

2 S.E   “

12 Clamps

85 Staples

                        Signature unreadable

                        23/8/16

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.