LONDON, S.W. 1

8^th Aug 46.

Sir,

I am directed to inform you that His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve the award to you of the following decoration:-

“Additional Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”

Authority, London Gazette Supplement dated 24 Jan 46.

2. If, on receipt of this letter, you are still serving on the strength of a unit, you should show it to your Commanding Officer so that the award can be promulgated in the Daily Orders of the unit, and be recorded on your personal documents.

3. You should also write as follows, quoting your full personal particulars, including your personal number –

(a) if the award is a “Mention in Despatches” – to War Office (MS3) WHITEHALL, S.W. 1, forwarding an address to which you desire The Secretary of State’s Certificate to be sent;

(b) other awards – to War Office (C2 (Investitures)), WHITEHALL, S.W. 1, forwarding an address to which you desire the decoration forwarded.

4. If you are no longer serving you should act as indicated in para. 3.

I am,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant

R.G. Price Colonel

for Director of Organisation.

Major P.C. Benham (70163) MBE RA.,

9, Vint Crescent,

Colchester, Essex.

France August 5^th 1916

Saturday

My Dear Harry & Ethel,

            Thanks very much for your very long letter.  I am glad to hear that you are both quite well and am pleased to be able to say I am very fit with the exception of pimples on my face brought on I think through bad water.  At last you know your destination and I suppose by this time you have left Dublin.  I think Worcester will be quite a nice place for you as even tho’ the town itself may not be very great show the surrounding country is beautiful as you must remember from our tour.  You are or rather will be very close to Ross, Malvern, Stratford and many other places and of course comparatively near to Cardiff.  Well I hope you will get the best of luck there and both like the place.

            I had a letter from Alan and in some respects he has a much better time than I do, as when not in the trenches he seems to be able to enjoy himself immensely.  Mother tells me in her last letter that he and a couple more have been having champagne & cigars.  The chance of such luxuries never comes our way.  After the strenuous times we have been having we are being granted three days rest at a rest camp near a very famous river.  Fifteen men go at a time and the second fifteen is now away.  The Camp is quite close to a town and the fellows are able to bathe to their hearts content in the river so it sounds very promising and I am looking forward to my turn to go.

            I hope you both enjoyed your holiday & very much envy you the sea bathing and also the placid quiet of a cricket match.  You must have had glorious weather – here it is too hot to move.

            Almost as soon as we reached here we had steel helmets issued and I would not think of going out without mine as they are very valuable, and save any number of head wounds.

            Well good luck & with love

            I am

            Yours              Bernard.

In envelope addressed to Mrv & Mrs Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin. Ireland.  At Enderlie, Auberetum Rd, Worcester England.

Ans^d 20/8

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE ***.  7 AU 16.  Hexagonal PASSED FIELD CENSOR 3447.  Also a Dublin postmark undated.

By

Major-General T. Bridges, C.M.G., D.S.O.

Commanding 19^th Division.

**************************************

4^th August 1916.

The Divisional Commander wishes again to thank all ranks of the Division for the way in which, during the last 10 days, they have upheld the best traditions of discipline and hard fighting.  The Division leaves a name behind it in the Fourth Army which will never be forgotten.

The battle of the SOMME is still unfinished, and every effort is being made to wrest the full fruits of victory from the enemy and to gain such positions as will seriously dislocate his defensive system.

To this end fresh troops are required and the 19^th Division will take its place at once in the defensive line in order to release another Division for the attack.

When this is understood by the troops, the Divisional Commander is confident that they will play their part ungrudgingly and that every individual will continue to put forth his best efforts in this critical period.

P.M. DAVIES. Lieut-Colonel.,

A.A. & Q.M.G., 19^th Division.

France

August 3^rd 1916

My dear Harry,

I had your letter of the thirteenth yesterday and was delighted to hear that Worcester is to be the city to boast of your future residence.  Strange to say the Worcester fellows think you are very fortunate.  They all say (they is the Worcester fellows in our platoon) it is a very beautiful place but we all know one’s native place is the most beautiful &c &c.  I never expected you to be so near Cardiff.  Is not the Government bucking up?  They have not been so long as usual surely?  I hope things will prosper with you.  I think it is about time good fortune became attached to the family.  I shall be interested to have all the details you can give me of your work, house and the place itself.  I am very glad you have had some foundation in the nature of a holiday to start work on.  Of course the Military XI won that cricket match.  You ought to have good cricket at Worcester.  Yes, as a rule we are in the Trenches the same number of days as we are out.  I think we are in a few more days in the long run.  This last time we were twice as long as usual to make up for an occasion when we were only in for a couple of days.  We came out this morning & had baths & changes of underclothing this afternoon.  The baths are huge vats in a brewery.  After my last letter things were much quieter.  Your parcel, I think I told you, arrived quite safely.  Yes, I am sure I did.  Our rest camp residences are nearly always different.  They were not at first.  Of course, sometimes our billets will only be a couple of hundred yards away from billets we have occupied before.  I always regret to leave improved dug-outs but have a certain amount of pride in the fact that they are sure to be appreciated by the next occupants.  Your letter was quite long enough to satisfy me.  You have no idea how eagerly I look forward to your letters week by week.  Always ask as many questions as you like.  It may be the cause of my writing something that I shouldn’t think of mentioning.  Mother knows where I am.  The Dickson’s found out & will have told her.  Evidently Ethel did not have time to write.  She will have all her time occupied for some time to come.  One or two lines of my last letter about the commission had to be obliterated.  Mother knows all about it though & can tell you.  I have applied to our Captain, but that does not bind one.  A lieutenant stopped Dickson and I this morning and said it was most unfair if we were unable to receive commissions.  He consoled us by saying that “we boys” would not find it all honey & so forth.

I had a fearful bilious attack this morning early.  I am all serene now.  I am consuming large quantities of tinned fruit this hot weather and doing without meat except at breakfast.  I am never a big eater of the army meat, although sometimes it is splendid.  I must now close & remain,

            Yours as ever,

                        Alan.

On Active Service envelope addressed to Harry R King, Esq., Munmore, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin.  C/O Surveyor of Taxes, The Avenue, The Cross, Worcester.  Ans^d 13/8/16

Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE T 41 5 AU 16.  A second postmark DUBLIN Aug 9 1916 is also on the envelope.  Hexagonal Passed Field Censor 3274 cachet.

Signed H. Simpson.

Pte J.W. Bonser 29695

13^th Yorks attchd 121 MG Coy

121 Brigade

B.E.F.

France.

2/8/16

Dear Sir,

            Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well, I hope this letter will find you the same.  The weather out here is glorious, and it makes me wish very much that I was back home in the sweet little village, I expect the district around is looking beautiful, and if the weather is at all, like it is here, I should imagine the harvest will be a good one.

            War is a terrible thing, but the lads seem to have turned the tables a bit, and my first & last prayer is that it may soon end.  Oh how I miss the sweet peaceful chime of the Church Bells.  I would give all I had to get back to Whitwick, to attend the Dear Little Church, very often Sunday passes out here, without us even knowing it is Sunday.  It is awful when you come to think of it.  It is a thing that no one at home can really understand, without having been out here.  I trust all the boys who are at the front are quite safe, I am very thankful I am, and I trust in God to bring me back safe.  Dear Sir, I think this is all this time, hoping Mrs Walters & the children are quite well, kind regards, I remain yours sincerely

John W. Bonser.     

In envelope addressed to Rev Thomas Walters, The Vicarage, Leicester Rd, Whitwick, Leicestershire.  England.

Letter postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 100  AU 4 16

Oval Passed Field Censor 34** black cachet.