1915.

1^st December 1915. Headquarters and “A” “C” Companies arrived at Kamptee and relieved the 1/5^th Buffs proceeding to Mesopotamia, 2 officers and 92 other ranks forming the Infantry Detachment at Fort Sitabuldi, Nagpur.

2^nd December 1915. “B” and “D” Companies, under Major G.H. Heelis, arrived at Allahabad and relieved the 1/5^th Hampshire Regiment, 2 officers and 104 other ranks forming the Infantry Detachment at Fort Allahabad.

At Poona, in spite of a number of men unavailable for parade owing to guard duties, very substantial progress had been made in the training of the Battalion.  Officers and N.C.O.’s had attended schools on instruction.  Platoon, company, and battalion drill had been well learned.  Preliminary musketry had been finished.  Table A had been fired, and a considerable part of the Battalion had completed Table B.  Scouts and signallers were trained.  Simple company schemes had been carried out, and the Battalion had learned how to look after itself in India.

14^th December 1915. Lieut. E.C. Kinghorn proceeded to Mesopotamia and was attached to 1^st Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.

22^nd December 1915.  Inspection of half Battalion by Brigadier-General C.G. Prendergast, C.B., G.O.C. Jubbulpore Infantry Brigade.

25^th December 1915. Major F.W. Halton, T.D., appointed D.A.Q.M.G. 6^th (Poona) Divisional Area.

On YMCA headed notepaper.

Pte J. Cato 22885

2^nd Sherwood Foresters

6 Infantry Base Depot

France

Sir,

            No doubt you will think it strange of me writing to you but as Christmas is now approaching and I may be going further up Country would you kindly think of my little daughter which is at Whitwick.  I have nothing that I could send her for a Christmas Box in fact if I had shall never know where we shall be by then.  Splendid country out here hoping all are well at Whitwick.

Remember to Mother tell her am alright I have met several boys from Whitwick one from Golden Row Dumps name of Bice.

Wishing all a Merry Christmas at Whitwick.

From Cato J.

In YMCA envelope addressed to Rev Walters, Vicarage, Whitwick, Nr Leicester, Leicestershire.  England.

Letter postmarked ARMY POST OFFICE S.15  15 DE 15

PASSED BY CENSOR *** triangular cachet in red.

No 4564 A Coy 3 Plat

3/5 Leicesters

Wesleyan Chapel

Main St

Bulwell.

Notts.

Dec 30^th 015.

Dear Rev Walters,

            You will see by my address that I have arrived at Fresh Billets.  Here it is a great deal better than where we were last stationed.  Bulwell is a small town, about 4 miles from Nottingham & we can travel there on the Tram for a 1^d, so I think you will have an idea of the pleasant change from a camp 3 miles from “anywhere” to Billets in a Town, where, as you know, there is always plenty of life & enjoyment.

I would like to tell you also of how we spent Xmas here.

First of all, we Parade for Breakfast, & a right royal feast we had of Bread, Tea & Sausages (“not German”) & after Breakfast we had another Parade  & we went to church & chapel.

After coming back from Divine Service we again Paraded for Dinner, & such a Dinner that was set before us would have been the envy of many a cook.

We had Pork & Rabbits with a plentiful supply of Potatoes & Cabbage after which we had another course, Xmas Pudding, but during the few moments we had to wait while dinner was being served, we had a supply of apples & oranges, & a good time at pulling Xmas Crackers, which caused endless amusement.

After such a Dinner, we rested, & I can assure you that we needed a rest, but eventually tea-time arrived with Bread & Butter, Tea, & Pineapple Chunks & another display of “Cracker” pulling.

The Tables were then cleared, & we had a concert, at which I sang.

During the concert, we were regaled with, nuts, apples & oranges, Pldin, milk, & loose chocolate, Figs & Dates, Cigarettes & Tobacco, so you will see what a time we had.

It almost seemed like being at home.

Well Sir, In regard to myself I am still alright & it may be my pleasure in a week or more to come to see you again, when I shall be able to tell you something of our future movements.

Now I would like to say just few things about our soldiers.  First of all, there are no better class of men in the world than soldiers, & the soldier of today is a man of honour.  Mark you, I am speaking of him as a soldier, other elements of his life I leave out.  One outstanding fact of our men today is an eager desire to avenge themselves of their adversity.

Our men have fought & they will still fight.  The battle is not yet won, but it will not be long, especially when our men who are in training have entered the conflict not that those who have gone before us have not done their duty, but we are fired with an intense spirit of patriotism which shall never be ***** until the aggression of the German has been destroyed, & the world is liberated from the tyranny of might.  You tell our men of Serbia & Belgium, & you touch their heart cords, you arouse their ire, & receive such a vow of sacredness for the cause of freedom from them, that it makes one dread as to what will happen should they come to close quarters with the enemy.

Sir, We as soldiers will never rest until we have conquered & a ruthless foe subdued.  We are not out for personal gain; we fight not because we hate, but because we love.  Hamdrift is dead when it ceases to love ‘Freedom’, when it is unwillingly to battle for the right.

I say we fight because we love.  We love freedom; we cherish the sacredness of child life; We hold in reverence the name of matter, & honour the virtue of young girls & women.

Ah; We detest lust & vice, or if we can help it we will see that our womanhood is never ravished by the fiends of Hell, but that it shall be tended & cared for by the love of Heaven.  Sir, that is why we sacrifice.  Is not that fighty because we love.  We not only wait to save those who fought against us; to save them I say, from misrule & injustice.

I think I have said enough.  I do wish you may joy in life & I trust that the year that is just dawning may be a memorable in the annals of Whitwick Church.

I know you need much grace & wisdom, & I do pray God to be with you that He, directing you, may lead you on to great things in His Service.

Accept my humble wishes for ”A Happy New Year”

I remain

Yours very sincerely

J.W. Brotherhood.

In envelope addressed to Rev T.W. Walters, Vicar of Whitwick, Whitwick Vicarage, Leicestershire.

Letter postmarked Bulwell 30 De 15.

No 4564 “A” Coy 3/5 Leicester  Belton Park Grantham.  Dec 4^th.

Dear Rev Walters,

            I have just secured a fine Post card photo of Grantham church which I thought might interest you.  So I ask you kindly to accept it.  It has the greatest steeple that ever I have seen.  It is a magnificent church.  I am pleased to say I am well.

Please don’t  write back as we are coming back to Leicestershire about  Wed or Friday next.

Yours sincerely

            J.W. Brotherhood

In envelope addressed to Rev T.W. Walters, Vicar of Whitwick, Whitwick Vicarage, Leicestershire.

Letter postmarked Grantham 10 pm 4 Dec 15

Also in envelope a post card of The Church Grantham.

Gerald Benham’s notes from diaries 1915

1915
1 Decr. On leave from Tendring spent one night at Pinner with Dorothy & Tom
To 15 Ruston but rest of leave at Colchester.

Letter to Rev. R.M. Laporte Payne 29 Dec 1915

On embossed crested notepaper of 75^th Overseas Canadian Battalion

Dec 29^th 1915

Bugler R.H. Elliott

1^st Platoon #138567

A Company

75^th Battalion C.E.F.

Exhibition Camp

Toronto Ont

Canada

Mr. Laporte Payne,

Dear Sir,

I received your letter of the 9^th and also your letter and testament of the 15^th and thank you for them.

I was just going to answer your letter of the 9^th when I got the other one, I had it already wrote and was going to post it tonight, so am writing this to express my thanks for finding my Aunt and also for sending the testament.  I am sorry you could not find my mother at 8 Finchley Park, if she has moved into Kentish Town again, you may be able to get some information about her at 71 Warden Road, Kentish Town, because she used to live there before she went to Finchley Park, but I daresay my Aunt knows where she is although you didn’t mention it in your letter.

Now that you have found one of my Aunts for me, I am anxious to get a letter from her and will be watching the mails every day until I get one.

I am very much pleased with the testament you sent me, and will carry it in my pocket all the time, I also promise that I will try and read a portion of it every day. I have filled in the front page of it now and hope some day that I will be able to fill in the last page.

I am sorry to say that I can’t with a clear conscience fill in the last page, but I was up to a Mission a few Sundays ago and after the meeting was over, the speaker came up to me and asked me if I was saved and I said no, well he talked to me for over an hour and yet after all that I couldn’t say yes.

I think it is this way I might have promised that speaker I would believe in the Lord, and yet my own conscience told me that as soon as I got away and came into barracks I would forget all about it and be just as bad as ever, if you were around sometimes and heard me swear and do things I know I shouldn’t do, you would say I was bad.

Before I wrote to you I never had any interested in anybody, I just worked and spent the time as well as I could. My intentions were to learn to run automobiles and motorboats and then go into the United States and run a launch for some wealthy man down there and just travel around, remaining single and making no friends.

I have been in this country nearly eight years and haven’t made a friend until I joined the Army six months ago, before then I worked all the time on farms and didn’t have time to think about Mother or any of my relatives.

But since I joined I have nothing to do at nights and nowhere to go it has made me think of them.

Well Mr Payne I don’t know why I have told you all this, but your letters seem to be so nice and yet they are not dry like ministers generally do write, that they seem to convince me, that I ought to join Christ’s Army too.

You can imagine how I feel though in this big country without friends or anybody to confide my troubles, nowhere to go when I am not working, it seems to make me sober and morose, I have never had the chance to play, like other boys have, always having to work. I feel if I had my mother or some of my relatives to confide in I would lead a better life.

I think I will have to close now as I have not any more room but I would liked to have said more. Thanking you for your kindness in looking up my relatives.  I remain

Gratefully yours

Robert Elliott

War Diary of AA Laporte Payne

Extracted from

Brigade Diary, Personal Diary, Operation Orders, Note Books, Memoranda & Correspondence

—————–

1915

Sunday December 5, 1915.

R.P.

Tilshead House.

“We arrived here on Thursday last in the wet & mud by road. There is no station within thirteen miles.  I had three wagons full of forage, rations and what not.

My days are as follows:

7.30 a.m. Rise.

8          Breakfast.

Order dinner and see to the general management of the Headquarters staff and our household. We have eight horses, thirteen men to run the place for three officers.  The house has two sitting rooms, four large bedrooms, and at the top accommodation for the orderlies, servants and clerks.

8.45, a.m. The General and Captain Waller and I go to the ranges for firing. My job is to check the laying of each gun to see that it does not fire in the wrong direction and so do any damage to persons or property.  This goes on all day with no time for lunch until 4 p.m., when we return and change our soaking things and have hot baths.

It has rained every day so far, and on Saturday it did not stop. My Burberry is no good it lets the rain through badly.

At night there is all the correspondence to see to, and the accounts to do. Rations and forage are always wrong.  They do not come out to Sutton Veny as regularly and correctly as they should.

We dine at eight. I shall in future sympathise in future with housekeepers.  It is an awful job.  I shall be glad to give it up at any time.  We have had the Colonel of each Brigade staying with us every night in turn.  Sunday is no exception.  This goes on for twelve days.  I am absolutely fed up with it.  I do not want this job at all.

The ammunition arrived and there was no place to put it. So I was ordered to find a place.  I managed after a hunt to store it in a room the size of a very small bedroom, which was completely filled to the roof.  I hope it does not blow up.  This out-house now contains 1200 rounds of shrapnel and 400 rounds of 4.5 Howitzer ammunition.  I superintended the unloading of this at ten o’clock at night in the pitch dark and pouring rain.  What a life!  It is not as if I should have the pleasure of firing it off.  Others will have that job while I look on and see that the round does not blow up an inoffensive citizen of the Plain.

December 11 1915.

R.P.

Saturday

Tilshead House

“The weather has improved a little, but last Thursday it rained hard all day. I shall be glad when firing practice is over.  It is very monotonous.  We leave on Wednesday I think.

There is a new Staff Captain here now. Rew has been given the push.  Captain Beal posted in his place was Adjutant to General Kirby in France, and has been over there five months.  It will my turn next and I shall not be sorry.

December 27 1915.

R.P.

Monday

Officer’s Mess

175^th Brigade R.F.A.

Corton Camp

Codford St. Mary

Wilts.

“I arrived here on Sunday night and managed to get my kit housed out of the pouring rain. Today the weather has been very bad, with a high wind.

Orders for a move to Egypt have been cancelled for the time being.

THE 175^th BRIGADE R.F.A.

This Brigade was raised locally in Staffordshire by Lieut. Colonel E.C. Meysey Thomson, M.P. Recruiting commenced on June 20^th 1915, and closed approximately on the 12^th August 1915, when the Brigade joined the 34^th Division and moved to Kirby Malzeard.

On the 30^th August it proceeded to Tidworth, and on the 2^nd September Lieut. Colonel E.H. Stevenson, D.S.O., R.F.A. assumed command of the Brigade.

On the 2^nd October the Brigade moved to Corton to complete training, and in December was warned for service in Egypt, but this was cancelled a week later.

Finally on the 3^rd January it was warned for active service in France.

THE THIRTY FOURTH DIVISION.

175^th BRIGADE

ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY.

Lieut. Col.                               E.H. Stevenson D.S.O.

Adjutant.                                 Lieut. T. Payne.

Orderly Officer                       2/Lieut. G.M.A. Fletcher.

1. Battery

O.C.                                        Captain A.C. Crookshank.

2/Lieut. S.W. Woodrow.

2/Lieut. D. Lowden.

1. Battery

O.C.                                        Captain E.C. Howard.

2/Lieut. A. Roberts.

2/Lieut. J. Amour.

1. Battery

O.C.                                        Captain G.T. Spain.

2/Lieut. A.B. MacDonald.

2/Lieut. R.W.R. Fleming.

1. Battery

O.C.                                        Captain A.P.Y. Langhorne D.S.O.

Lieut. C.F.T. Hopkins.

2/Lieut. A.A. Laporte Payne

2/Lieut. C. Freeman-Cowan.

Brigade Ammunition Column.

Lieut. G.B. Morgan

2/Lieut. W.C. Hickman.

Alfred George Richardson’s Diary Dec 1915

1915 diary shows Bombardier Gunner (Signalling Dept) A. G. Richardson 4^th Section, West Riding Divisional Ammunition Column R.F.A., Norfolk Barracks Sheffield.

Home Address:- Station House, Ben Rhydding near Leeds. Yorks.

Poperinghe.

Wednesday 1^st December 1915:  Shelled.  Rain.  Dec opens wet.  Rations 10.30 – 3.30.  Promoted to Paid a/c Bdr. (4 ½ d extra per day) Harry Eagle & Barber pro a/c Bdrs (unpaid.)

Thursday 2^nd December 1915: Rose at 8 pm [8 am].  Rations 11 – 3.20.  Wet day.  Oilskin fine.  Early to bed.

Friday 3^rd December 1915:     Rose at 8 am.  Went for rations from 10.30 – 3.30.  Wagon stuck.  Building new winter bivouac.  Bed at 9 pm.

Saturday 4^th December 1915: Rose at 8.  Rations at 11 – 4 pm.  Wagon stuck in mud.  On H.Q. guard.  Rum issue.  Nice guard.

Dec 1^st.  Whilst proceeding through Poperinghe at 1.30 pm, the Germans bombarded the town.  First two shells 100 yds behind the wagon, just off the road.  20 or more shells burst.  Population terror-stricken.  Terrible sight.

Sunday 5^th December 1915:    Fine in morning.  No rations.  Building new bivouac. “Tres bon”.  Raining later.  Letter from home.

Monday 6^th December 1915:  Rose at 5 am.  Joined Div Train 6.45 am.  Drew rations at 8 – 11 am on Elverdinghe Road at new Railhead.  Rather slow, but will prove a success.

Tuesday 7^th December 1915:  Rose at 5 am.  Joined A.S.C. 6.45 am.  Rations 8 – 930.  “Home” at 11.  Saw one of our aeroplanes brought down by enemy.  Landed on tip of wings.  Pcl from Scarbro’.

Wednesday 8^th December 1915: Rose at 6 am.  Joined A.S.C. at 6.45.  Away with rations at 8.30.  Remarkably quick.  Spent afternoon building new bivouac & writing letters.  On Guard.

Thursday 9^th December 1915: Went for rations 5 am – 11 am.  Coal 12-30 – 4 pm. Capt Walker goes on his 2^nd leave.  Rotten Day – Raining all day.

Friday 10^th December 1915:  Rose at 6.30 am.  Late for train.  Walked to A.S.C.  Back at 10.30.  Transferred all ammunition to H.Q.    Heavy work.

Saturday 11^th December 1915: Rose at 6 am.  Joined Div Train 6.45 am.  Drew rations & back at 10.30. Reading & writing rest of day.

N.B.  I have been acting Q.M.S. for the whole D.A.C., Q.M.S. Shearman being too idle to get up at 5 am!

Sunday 12^th December 1915:  Rose at 5.30 am.  Joined Div Train 6.45.  Back at 11 am.  Received two pcls from home.  On Guard at H.Q.  Beastly Cold.  (Redge Dean comes over to see us again.  Jolly good tea).

Monday 13^th December 1915: Rose at 5.30 am.  Drew rations and returned at 11.  Cold weather & a change to first!

Tuesday 14^th December 1915: Rose at 6 am.  Joined Div Train 6.45 am.  Cold & dark morning.  Back at 10.30 am.  Had a jolly good tea. Invited Clough & Forsythe.  Ham, Sausage, Cake etc.

Wednesday 15^th December 1915: Rose at 6 am.  Joined Div Train 6.45 am. Drew Rations & arrived back at 10.30 am.  Rest of day writing & reading in farm.  Beastly cold & frosty.

Thursday 16^th December 1915: Went for rations at 6.30 am.  Back at 11 am.  Spent afternoon reading & writing.  On Guard at night.

Friday 17^th December 1915:   Went for rations at 6.30.  Back at 11.  Great aeroplane duel over us.  Thrilling at night in farm house.

Saturday 18^th December 1915: Went for rations at 6.30 & back at 11.30.  Very quiet.

Poperinghe – Ben Rhydding.

Sunday 19^th December 1915:  3.30 am.  Germans launch big gas attack & come over 3 times.  Big artillery duel.

Monday 20^th December 1915:                        Rations.

Tuesday 21^st December 1915:             Rations.

Wednesday 22^nd December 1915:      Rations.

Thursday 23^rd December 1915:           Rations.

Friday 24^th December 1915:   Went for rations at 6.30 am.  Back 10.30.  Spent aft preparing for Xmas Dinner at Farm.  Excellent dinner at 6 pm – steak & kidney pie – plum pudding etc.  At 9.30 Capt Walker gave me pass for leave.  Exciting.

Saturday 25^th December 1915: Left Camp 3.30 am with Sergt Becket.  Left Poperinghe 4.50 am.  Arr Boulogne 2 pm.  Left Boulogne 3.3 0 & arr Folkestone 5.15 pm.  Arrived Victoria 10.30 pm.  Left St Pancras at 12 midnight &             arrived Leeds 4.50 am.  Went to Y.M.C.A. until 7.45.  Left Leeds 8 am & arrived Ben R. 9.10 am.  Great excitement.  Dad & mother Cries with joy.  Grand in “Blighty”.

Ben R.

Sunday 26^th December 1915:              Arrived Ben R 9.10.  Slept 18 hours.

Monday 27^th December 1915:                        Visiting.

Tuesday 28^th December 1915:            Visiting.

Wednesday 29^th December 1915:       Went to Scarbro’ for the day.

Thursday 30^th December 1915:           Visiting.

Friday 31^st December 1915:                Left Ben R. at 10 pm. for Belgium.  Good bye dear old Ben R.

Diary of 2/Lt. A. B. STREET

48 SIEGE BATTERY RGA

Opened 26 December 1915

26^th Dec. 1915 Sunday.  Paraded at 7.0am.  Sgt. Murphy and 25 men to escort guns and caterpillars to Avonmouth by road.  Raining hard.  Left the gun park at 7.40, weather cleared up shortly after starting.  Hutchings who was in charge of the caterpillars and I went to breakfast with Meade King’s whose house we passed.  Caterpillars going very well, passed through Bridgewater at noon and on the outskirts stopped for about ½ hr whilst a photo was taken, just after this had heavy shower of rain.  Weather otherwise bright and sunny.

Some miles further on Hutchings and I went ahead in lorry to arrange where to stop the night.  Decided on Cross a small village 28m from Taunton.  Caterpillars arrived just after 6.0.  Left a guard of 6 men and 2 NCOs and took remainder into Axbridge about a mile away, billeted the men for the night, it started to rain soon after 7.0 pm.  Hutchings and I had some dinner at the Lamb Inn Axbridge then went back to Cross to see that everything was all right.  Slept at Axbridge.

27^th Dec. Monday.  Up at 5.0 am and took all the men back to Cross: Caterpillars got under way about 7.20, raining hard.  H & I returned to Axbridge for breakfast.  Soon after this it stopped raining and cleared up, paid the billets and followed Caterpillars up in lorry.  They were doing fairly well.  Very up and down country and pretty; Wind got up and was soon blowing a gale.  Trouble with one of the Caterpillars delayed us about noon when the convoy of lorries with Capt. Langford, Meade King and Hill came up with us.

Had some lunch at a Pub Meade King stayed with Hutchings and me.  The other two went on with the convoy.  Caterpillars were giving some trouble and delayed us; passed through Bristol about 4.0 and at Clifton Hutchings and I went on to Avonmouth to see Langford re arrangements for “packing” etc.  A very strong gale blowing.  Found I had to send my men back by 11.5 train; arranged for them to have hot meal at 8.45.  last gun arrived in about 7.45.  Marched the men down to their meal and went and had one myself with the others at The Miles Arms.

Soon after 10.0 went and paid for the mens’ meal and put them in charge of Hill to return to Taunton.  Langford, Hutchings Meade King and I motored to the Queen’s Hotel Clifton for the night.

28^th Dec. Tuesday.  All motored over to Avonmouth shortly after 10.  Reported arrival of guns to Embarkation Officer who told us we were to sail in the Hunsgate a 600 ton German vessel captured off the E. coast of Africa.

We received instructions to load next morning at 8.0 and during the afternoon we were told to get the Caterpillars and guns ready on the wharf, this was done easily but on trying to get some of the lorries to the wharf they stuck in the road which was very bad  and 2 had to be hauled out by a Caterpillar.  The rest were then kept outside on the road.  We returned to The Queens for the night.

29^th Dec. Wednesday. Up early and over to the Docks by 8.0.  It was decided to load the Caterpillars and guns where they were and then to shift the ship to another berth to which the lorries could drive up easily.  This was done about midday.  Langford with Hutchings and all the men except the 15 who were going with us on the ship returned to Taunton by the 1.53 train.  All but about 20 lorries were loaded at the end of the day.  Meade King and I returned to Queens Hotel, the men being in the Rest Camp.

30^th Dec. Thursday.  From a phone message we heard that the whole of the remainder of the battery left Taunton at 2.0 am for embarkation at Gosport.

Over at the Docks again soon after 8.0.  They finished loading the lorries during the day.  Meade King and I, as all the cars were now loaded, had to use the bus or train for going to and fro.  I went to the Hippodrome but it didn’t please me much.

31^st Dec. Friday.  Went over to the docks.  Still loading Tentage but were soon stopped owing to the rain.  Nothing to do, cannot get leave to go away as they will not say when the ship will sail, very fed up.

Written on an opened out brown envelope.

30.12.15

Dear F & M

I am in the pink.  We can only hear the wind howling at night now.  We had a very good Xmas.  I went down to our HQ and spent the night there we had a good feed and plenty of everything to drink including cigars so I didn’t do so bad.  I hope you enjoyed yourself as well as I did.  We are now looking forward to the New Year and of course all being well the Scotch always keep it up.  I shan’t be home in time to let it in this year but I hope this time next year we shall all be together to let it in.  I went for a bath tonight and spent a couple of hours at solo whist afterwards in an estaminet so we don’t spend a bad time when in rest.  How did Geo & Will look?  I hope Mar & Dad are keeping well and that Gladys is going strong.

I got some tobacco & cigs from Willie the other day.  A 1lb tin so I have put it on the table and the lads all come along with their pipes.  I had the misfortune to lose my washing a few weeks ago a shell dropped in the garden and blew it to na’ pue otherwise Il na yen a plus.  There is a cinema a few yds away but I have not had time to visit it yet too busy at Xmas.  I wish you all prosperity in the New Year hoping that all are well.  I will now fini

Yours Burgy

How’s alias Turk