On YMCA headed notepaper.

August 1^st 1915

Address Reply to 4 Batt B Coy c/o Y.M.C.A.

Name Alfred John Wilson  Official No. 950.

Rating Section 12

ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION

CRYSTAL PALACE

LONDON S.E.

Dear Sir,

            I now write a few lines to you hoping this letter finds you all well at home, as it leaves John Heighton and myself at present, we are having quite a nice time down at the Crystal Palace as we have all sorts of sports and Concerts of all kinds, and we have been down to London and has been through Westminster Abbey and it is a very nice place to go to as it being my first time in London we are aloud from 1 oc till 12 so you see that we have time to go quite a long way in the time that they give us, and we are having news from all our old pals at home and all the best of Friends.  Dear Sir we went on a march to Shirley Hills and it was a very nice day to, as it lasted about 2 hours to go and 2 hours back so we went about 20 miles thir was about a 1000 of the boys in blue it where a sight to see, we have got a fine band and it plays us to our seats at Church every Sunday morning and we have just come from thir.  Dear Sir we have made quite a lot of Friends and they all come from Tyneside they are all Church of England boys, and thir is some of them from swansea and they are a jolly lot to.  We are getting on fine with the drills and every thing that they put us to, they had an inspection in the ranks yesterday and there was but three that did that they where told and it was John, and another man and myself, so we where told that we could ashore for the day, Dear Sir I asked Mr. J.W. Weston if he would see you about that book that you was going to get for me and I told him that if you had got it, to let him take it to my home at 32 Silver St, and they would see that it was alright please remember me to all and give my Address to any one who likes to write as we are all pleased to hear from home and loved ones, we have now been just 12 months at war and do not know how long it will last as we all hope it will not be long befor it is finished so that we may all come back to home and loved ones as we have lost enough men but God knows best, and when it is time for the tables to turn for the best, and I myself think that it will not be long I shall have to close my letter as it is near post time.

I Remain Yours

Alfred John Wilson.

There is no envelope with this letter.

On Salvation Army Soldiers’ Tent headed notepaper

Cpl S.S. Yearby

Z Battery R.H.A. 1914

Hursley Park

Winchester

Dear Vicar,

            In answer to yours received yesterday I was pleased to hear from you & to know that I am so well thought of at Whitwick.  It was stated that we were off to France last week but we haven’t made a shift yet, I wish we were going this very moment, because if it is one’s luck to get through all right by God’s Help he will do so, I am in the best of spirits looking forward when my good old Battery may come in action & if there is any chance of distinguishing myself I shall do so.  I see one young fellow what belongs to Leicester has won the V.C. his name is Driver Osbourne he was with L Battery at Mons when they got cut up.  Dear Sir I can’t get my Photo taken because we are right away from town 5 miles, but if you ask my Young Lady Miss Waldrom she has several of mine God Bless her.  I shall be pleased to hear from you at any time & as soon as I know we are for the Front & that can’t be long because they have took all our things only what we stand straight up in.  We are having some bad luck with our horses a great many laid up with colds.  I am in charge of 32 Sick Horses & out of that number I have 9 strangle cases very bad so I have my hands pretty busy taking temperatures three times a day & giving them different medicines & mixing up balls for them.  I haven’t much time to myself I was called up in the night last night.  I was called up twice to attend the sick horses I didn’t mind one rap.  I believe in looking after those that have to carry you & poor things can’t look after themselves.  Oh Sir I refused Farrier Sergt last week I didn’t like shifting elsewhere which I should have had to have done & gone to another Battery amongst strange fellows so I told the Major I was contented here & he said good I didn’t want to lose you from here altho it was my duty to give you the first chance must draw to a close hoping to hear from you any time

I remain yours truly

Cpl S.S. Yearby

Z Battery R.H.A.

Hursley Park

Winchester

There is no envelope with this letter.