France 14^th November 16

Tuesday

E.H.S.

My Dear Harry,

I yesterday received your letter of the 5^th for which I thank you very much and also for “Hugo” which I read last night and enjoyed very much.  We still have our cellar and are now quite at home in it.

I am sure from Mother’s letters that she enjoys her visits to Worcester very much, and am very glad you are within easy reach so that she can visit you fairly often.

We are still having a very quiet time and I daresay it will continue so throughout the winter.  Winter weather is not helping us.

We have been served out with the sheepskin coats and all sorts of warm things besides such as gloves, undervests, belly bands so should keep warm enough throughout the winter.  I must say we are splendidly equipped for the winter but if we should have to make a move I cannot imagine how we shall manage to take everything with us.

The front page of “The Daily Sketch” dated October 24^th shows a picture entitled “Tommies frolic somewhere in France” or something very much like that.  In the left hand top corner is the remains of a house and it is under that house that our cellar is.  The fellows in & around the old cab are not of our Battery but one of them who is in the shafts & is smiling very broadly comes down to see us nearly every other night being a friend of one of our men.  The picture will not give away our whereabouts as no name is mentioned.

Am just going to turn in so excuse more.  With love to Ethel.

Yours,

Bernard.

In On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., 38, Park Avenue, Worcester, England.

Postmarked ARMY POST OFFICE S75.  17 NO 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Signed EW Stoneham

YMCA post card

To Rev T.W. Walters M.A., Vicar of Whitwick, Whitwick Vicarage, Leicester shire.

From J.W. Brotherhood.  Home next Wednesday for 10 days.

Card postmarked CATERHAM SURREY 22 SP16

Nov 14^th 016

No 4564 4^th (Res) Leicester Regt C Coy

Riverhead Warehouse, Louth, Lincs.

My Dear Rev Walters,

Just a line to let you know where I am.  This is a lovely place here, & quite homely and we share & delight in the loving hospitality of a kind & courteous people.

I am now fully restored to health & strength, & all is well with me.  I intend while here, to make a thorough study of the place, & to visit & Public Houses, & other places, & then I will write you a letter on “Town Life in War time”.

Please accept my sincere wishes & excuse short note as I am very busy indeed.

Trusting you & yours are well.

I remain

Yours very sincerely

J.W. Brotherhood

There is no envelope with this letter.

On Gloire aux Allies card

Cpl S.S. Yearby

Z Battery R.H.A.

5th Brigade 8th Expeditionary Force

On Active Service.

Dear Vicar

I am in a perfect state of health hoping all are the same in old Whitwick.  We are all right up to now & are doing some excellent work as a good British Soldier should do for King & Country.  Give my best respects to all at School & tell them I am still smiling.  We are having some very wet weather that’s the worst of it bad weather.  We don’t mind if it would give some nice weather but still we shall have to stick it good night + God Bless you all should like to hear from you.  Yours etc Charlie.

Card addressed to Rev. Mr. Walters, The Vicarage, Leicester Road, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.  England.

Letter postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 68.  NO 19 14.

PASSED BY CENSOR No 1059 in circular cachet in red.

FIELD SERVICE POST CARD.

I am quite well.

Letter follows at first opportunity.

I have received no letter from you.

Signature only.  Cpl S.S. Yearby

Date 3-1-15

Card addressed to Rev. Walters, The Vicarage, Leicester Road, Whitwick, Nr Leicester.  England.

Letter postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 70.  3 JA 15.

94 Fernbrook Rd,

Hither Green

S.E.

2-11-16

My dear Quinn,

With very great sorrow I read the sad news in Louie’s letter.  If sympathy could help you me all at home send same, but it cannot, so I can only bid you dear to try & be brave & I pray God will comfort you & help you through this trouble.  When you are able I shall be pleased to see you anytime.  Thank Louie for writing me please, & believe me to remain your sincere friend  Rosie

In envelope addressed to Miss E. Quinn, 72 South St, Greenwich S.E.  Postmarked 4 Dec 16

Second letter.

28 Creed Place,

Maze Hill,

East Greenwich

S.E.

Dear Emily,

I feel I must write you these few lines after the awful news I read from the Kentish Mercury, I really don’t know how to express my sympathy for you after my own great loss I can feel for others I must say this has upset me very much to know that the one that sympathised so much with me should meet with the same fate well dear this terrible war doesn’t bare thinking about just imagine what poor Mothers and sweethearts are suffering they are paying a terrible price.

Well dear you must try and bare up as I have done myself & although I can assure you it was no easy task but as we all know time is a great ‘ealer.  I hope you will express my deepest sympathy for his Mother although I do not know her.

I conclude with love to all

I remain yours very Sincerely

Dolly.

In envelope addressed to Miss Emily Quinn, 72 South Street, west Greenwich S.E.  Postmarked Greenwich S.E. 11 Dec 16

On the back of a YMCA notepaper is written

Nights are growing very lonely.  Days are very long I’m a growing weary only listening for your song.

Old remembrances are thronging through my memory. 

Thronging till it seems the world is full of dreams just to call you back to me.

Chorus

There’s a long, long trail a winding into the land of my dreams where the nightingales are singing & a white moon beams.  There’s a long, long night of waiting until my dreams all come home, til the day when I’ll be going down that long, long trail with you.

All night long I hear you calling, calling sweet & low seem to hear your footsteps falling everywhere I go.  Though the road between us stretches many a weary mile somehow I forget that you’re not with me yet when I think I hear you smile.

Chorus

November 9^th 1916

My dear Harry,

At last I am able to make an effort at replying to your letters of the 22^nd and 29^th ultimo.  I don’t know what you will think of my harsh treatment of you but we have really been very busy lately.  You read through the lines wonderfully well.  They did have a very rough time while I was at the cage.  Had I not been there I might not be here today.  The whole of my team that went up were killed except one, who was wounded.  I don’t know when the war will be over.  Being a bit miserable I think it will last sometime.  How I hope not.  The prisoners looked awful wrecks mostly.  We could talk to them & they seemed to be delighted to be prisoners.  Now for replies to the 29^th letter.  My ankle is still swollen & when I am carrying heavy weights sometimes it gives & it is fearfully painful for a minute or two.  Otherwise it is painless & I stay with the battalion.  If one is in the trenches & has anything the matter he is sent to hospital.  If in supports he goes sick & is excused duty, given light duty or medicine & duty, according to the doctor’s judgement.  Bernard is right.  The mud is terrible, but when on working parties &c in the trenches we get boots, gum boots, that cover the whole leg.  They are waterproof but if you keep them on long your feet get wet by perspiring.  Nothing further is heard of Dickson & from latest opinions I believe he is dead.  He must have had a terrible death, poor fellow.  Exposure or exhaustion.  If he had been in hospital we would have heard by now.  I have not told his father as he should get official news soon.  I was glad to hear Mother was with you once again.  I often wonder how she must be worrying.  I had the parcel Mother sent from Worcester.  Thank you for the book which I will read at the first opportunity.  Thank Ethel for her two letters.  She will pardon my delaying a reply until later, I know.  Well, once again we have had a spell in the trench & a spell out in supports.  There is plenty of work in them & when not actually in the trenches (that is when in supports & reserves) we have to supply a strong working party for digging & carrying.  I hate working in the rain especially as they are six hour spasms.  It is much more difficult also when everything is so wet.  One good thing our section will do none of these fatigues in future as we have guns, carts & ammunition cleaning to occupy our time.  Yesterday the battalion were going up the line again but I am on my way to a place near the sea to receive a course for instruction in the machine gun.  We had a train journey till this evening & we are to report at bedtime when the R.T.O. (Rly Transport Officer) is going to find us some huge covered trucks to sleep in.  I expect we will continue the journey tomorrow.  The only thing I can do till reporting is to spend time in a Salvation Army Hut writing letters and eating & drinking.  It is quite a cosy place & the food is very good & remarkably cheap.  I expect your next letter will arrive at the battalion while I am away but I shall receive all letters &c safely on my return.  We are not very elated to learn that the tent floors of the camp we ultimately get to float all over the shop.  Of course I wouldn’t mind waking up & finding myself & “raft” on English shores.  The pictures on the back of today’s Daily Mail are interesting.  A couple of leave trains are evident & the people in them seem very jolly, which is not surprising.

Well I think I will close.  This long letter will repay to some extent the many I owe.  Give my love to Ethel.

Yours as ever,

Alan.

November 11^th.  Arrived & it isn’t at all muddy.  Tell Ethel I think the Irish soldiers very funny.

No envelope with this letter.