P/e G.G. Hammond

2/7 Bat Mc/r Regt.

D Compy 15 Platoon

Crowborough

Sussex

Sunday

Dear Father & Mother,

I am sorry I was not able to write early last week but as I told you on my PC from Tunbridge Hilda and all the Southport people came over to see us last Thursday and did not go back until Friday so I have not had much time for writing.

On Wednesday Captain Nasmith asked me if I would take a strip, I was not over keen but eventually I offered to take it on.  I waited until Friday when the appointments were up on orders but strange to say my name did not appear on the list.  I was a bit surprised but not sorry, during the day I was looking out for the Captain to ask him about the commission when he saw me and called me to him.  He said “I have not put your name on the list for stripes as I am going to try to get your commission through.”  I thought he had forgot all about it.  I have not seen the adjutant yet & things will have to look up as I am down to go to the Dardanelles with the next draft & may possibly be home on leave next week if things are not moving with the commission

There is not much doing on here at present, we were out until 1-30 am on Friday on a night scheme and were fairly tired out, we have been having a fortnight special training.  Did you see that Granger had been killed.  The 7^th have caught it pretty heavily.  They say down here that there are only 80 men left but nothing is official.

I had a very good week last week, it was quite a pleasure to see some friends.  Willis wrote me a PC but I have not answered it until today.  I do hope my application comes off.  I suppose you have seen Arthur by now he is over to order his uniform.  How is Ma keeping?  Did you go for your Whitsuntide walk I forgot to ask you before.  There are woods full of bluebells down here & ferns in great quantities.  Could Ma send one on of her own made soda cakes.  It would be very acceptable down here also any other luxuries she may think of.  Have you heard anything about Dick Lister being killed I heard a rumour down here.

It has been frightfully hot down here.  It has just been raining for the first time for about a month.  It gets very warm climbing the hills with full pack on.  If I come on leave I shall bring my kit bag as I have any amount of stuff which I must leave behind.  Have you heard from Bugsy again lately.  I am going to write to him today.  I am sorry Gladys had not won the Tennis Championship, is she on the League team.  I think she ought to stand a fair chance.  I don’t know how I shall go on when this war is over I seem  to have forgotten nearly all my business but I suppose I shall pick it up again quick enough.  Have you seen Donohues lately.  I have not written to them since I came down here.  I think I will write again today.

Write soon as there is nothing much doing down here and it is very interesting to hear from you.  I am going to see Captain Nasmith today to see if there is anything doing, if I am coming on leave I will **** as we don’t get any notice I hope its off with the draft as I an almost sure I could get a commission, still it does not matter very much.  Don’t forget the cake &c

Love George

Green envelope FPO 28 27 Ju 15 to E. Hammond 9 Countess St Stockport

62210 RE

HQ 28^th Bde

9^th Sig Co

25 6 15

Still as fat as ever

Dear Ma & Pa

Received Pa’s letter OK the other day.  We are still in the same place we were last time I wrote but expect to be moving by the time you get this.  The weather has been glorious until today when we had a thunder storm.  There is very little news to tell as we have not been anywhere since last I wrote.  You can see we are pretty well in the country here as I have not seen a shop of any kind since we have been here.  I could do with a little tobacco as I have now run out and don’t seem to get any chance to buy any.  I see Lloyd George is fairly waking the old country up.  I see the Russians seem to have been forced to do a rather long retreat.  It is quite useless to expect anything else while the Germans have a preponderance of equipment.  There is plenty of heavy fighting this side and I think we shall gradually wear them down.  The French seem to be making headway.  If you send a parcel you might put a tin of Keating’s Powder in as it is very necessary in these parts.  I have not tried any French dishes such as frogs but they keep one awake with their croaking at night.  The brook here is literally packed with them.  Glad to hear you are all well.  Sorry to hear Gladys has got her usual complaint.  I suppose they would think Pa was my brother now he has such a fine row of teeth.  Do they still take him for a detective or Kitchener?  What has become of Geo?  Never hear from him.  Remember me to all enquiring friends.  Will drop you a line if anything interesting occurs.

Fred

On embossed Government notepaper

62210 RE

Sigs

Attached 28^th Bde

9^th Scott Div

18 June 1915

Dear Mar & Pa

I received Gladys letter of the 14^th OK.  We have moved again from the place I wrote last.  I don’t think we shall move much more.  We are a few miles behind the firing line.  We are in a very small village and even pumps are unknown.  There is a sort of brook runs along the road where the natives fetch their drinking water, wash their utensils etc in it.  I have not tasted water for a week or should I say practically since I landed in France without it being boiled first.  I have been working night again from 12 md to 8am.  We sleep in the fields which we prefer to the barns however I slept in a haystack the last 3 days.  Several of us go down to the La Basse Canal for a swim every day which is quite refreshing.  I can make them understand what I want as far as food and drink is concerned now.  There is rather a funny fellow who I knock about with when he wants some milk he asks for Dooley I suppose Gladys will know what he means and when he wants eggs he says durs hoofs.  There seems to be two words in French which the natives make very good use of.  One is compre and the other is no compre.  When they don’t wish to understand they say no compre altho I am rather inclined to think at times they are pulling out legs.  I am pretty well supplied with tobacco altho my cig supply is done out at present.  If you send any cigs now & then send Gold Flake.  With regard to grub we get plenty of it.  If you are really hungry of course one of Mar’s cakes occasionally would soon find a home.  Some of the fellows here get parcels and give you some so one likes to return the complement occasionally altho I can get along alright without and do not want you to start sending a lot of parcels.  I have a few francs by me but you can’t buy side issues in these villages.  We are in a farm house here and the cocks and hens are making their morning carol.  The Jocks have to be rather careful with their baw bees.  One sent a rather amusing letter home the other day.  He started something like this – Dear Mother I am sending you  five francs but not this week.  I heard about the Zeps paying Angleterre a visit.  I haven’t seen any round here.  I think it would be too healthy for them.  I wouldn’t mind the express occasionally.  We have been getting the D. Mail a day old up to now but rather question it when we make our next move.  There was rather a good article in it yday about machine guns which I think deserves attention.

Well I think this is all this time.  Hoping you are all well.  I will now go and waken the cook from his greasy bed and afterwards have a cup of coffee from the farmer.

Bye Bye

Fred

I got a letter from Will the other day.

62210 RE

Signals

Attached 28^th Inf Bde HQ

9^th Scottish Div

June 9^th 1915

Dear M & P

I got Gladys parcel yesterday for which many thanks.  The matches are quite unique.  I suppose you are all back again now and that Gladys is at school again.  We are having good weather now.  I did not see Asquith when he was over as we are a few miles from there.

However Fd Marshall Sir J French inspected us about a week ago.  He is quite a stiff built man and grey.  He looks very well.  We have moved from the place I wrote from last and are now at a farm house.  We have been sleeping out lately.  There are some Indian Cavalry in the village here.

We paid them a visit the other day and they gave us some of their grub which they called chuppatti.  It was like an oatcake and they put ghee on it which is clarified butter.  One of our lads tried their curry and he thought he had swallowed the cruet.  Fancy Bert Sheldon donning that uniform on.  Geo seems to have struck a rough lot.  I think he would have done better had he not rushed into it as he always does.  I hope he finds something better.

I think it is a wise thing in the making Ld (Lloyd) Geo the minr (minister) for munitions.  There is no doubt about it the High Explosives are very essential.  It is about time that we should be properly supplied with everything.  Of course we are.  Really wonderfully equipped but we can’t have too much artillery.

Well the post is due now and I think I am wondering a bit so Bye Bye for present.

Hoping you are all well

Burgy

Is Turk a real Turk or has he any fight in him?

Just smoking one of those fat cigs.

I feel like a Staff Captain

62210 RE

9^th Scottish Div

Sig Co

28^th Inf Bde

7^th June 1915

Dear Will

Just a line to let you know I am still kicking about.  Sorry I did not get a chance to see you before I landed in Flanders.  We are all in the pink here altho I had the misfortune to fall off a geegee the other day and knocked my arm a bit however it is nearly OK now.  We are billeted in a farm attached to a chateau.  There are some very old fashioned places in this part.  The beer here is very weak in fact it takes no notice of you however

We had a move yday and find that there is more go in it.  There are some Indian troops in this part so we have commenced eating curry which makes you think you have swallowed the cruet in fact it makes you swear in Indostani.  We are not allowed to say anything about military matters as it rather spoils one of giving many interesting incidents.  I had a bath in a small tub the other day which was rather amusing.  I got your cigarettes OK, in fact they have all vanished by now.  We get some given us every week but we have some many opportunities to smoke that they don’t last long & the ones you buy here are nothing like English.  Our Brigade have been in the trenches altho I have not had the chance yet.  They say they are simply great.  Parts being laid out with flower beds they have different names such as Kew Gardens . Harley Street Ldn. Bridge, the last name is a real bridge in the trenches.  The entrance is named Shaftesbury Avenue owing to the rows of trees.  In fact it is like being in Ldn without the busses & busers.  You are quite safe in the trenches as long as you keep your napper down but pop it up even only for a second and they’ve got you.

I had a letter from Geo about a week ago.  I was rather surprised about A Boon.  I hope Geo manages something.

Had a postcard from Gladys.  I hear Mar & Gladys have been to Blackpool.  I think Mar should get about a bit now she has the chance.

Well I don’t think I have anything else to say.  Will drop you a line again soon.  Am always glad to get a letter or post card.  We have a mail here once a day.

So Bye Bye old sport for the present.  Remember me to the Bhoys

Bungy

On the 7^th June 1915 Reginald (Rex) Warneford was serving in the 1st Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service based at Veurne on the Belgian coast. He flew a Morane-Saulnier Type L aircraft. Warneford encountered and attacked the German airship LZ37 on the coast near Ostend in Belgium He chased the airship from the coast to Ghent, Belgium. He succeeded in dropping several bombs on it despite the airship’s defensive machine-gun fire. The final bomb exploded and set the airship on fire. The explosion caused his aircraft engine to stop and the aircraft to overturn. He managed to land in enemy territory and after spending some time on repairs he took off and returned to his base. For this action, Warneford was awarded the Victoria Cross.

10^th June 1915 saw the 5^th Nigerian Regiment taking the stronghold of Garua in the German Cameroon in Africa. There had been fighting in the Cameroon since the outbreak of war. Fighting had been between British native forces led by British officers and German troops.

The French Army launched a second attempt to seize Vimy Ridge on the 16^th June 1915. The improvised German defences began an intensive artillery bombardment but despite this, the French army achieved their initial objective. German forces counter attacked, and just as they did after first Vimy Ridge assault, the French called off the attack. The losses on both sides were huge with the French suffering 100,000 casualties and the Germans suffering 60,000.

Once Italy’s entry into the war, the First Battle of Isonzo began on 23^rd June 1915. The Italians did not possess a particularly efficient or effective army but it required the Austrian army to oppose them. The alpine border between Italy and Austria favoured the defence by the Austrian army. The Austrians had taken up strong defensive positions on high ground against Italian attack. The initial gains by the Italians were soon repulsed with heavy casualties on both sides. This battle was the first of many Battles of Isonzo before the end of the war.

By Italy entering the war, significant Central Power front line troops were redirected to  face the Italians rather than engaging in other theatres of war on the Eastern and Western Front.