Dick-Cunyngham letter to wife dated 21 Mar 1915

My darling one,

Rather busy – one last walk round our trenches tonight – we go further north soon – to place you will see marked Mont K & we live in a Chateau very comfortable but within shell area, although it has not been touched – yet – Home circumstances changing especially after we have just got our trenches so good – Doubt if we shall find better ones up K way. If I don’t write tomorrow or next day you will know we are changing quarters.  Have written to Godfrey now lot and hope it will find him – Am taking round a Gen & Colonel tonight.  We shall be out from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. I expect.  Moon is up now, so we shall see something.

All my love my darling one,

Your devoted Hubby

Jimmie

With envelope addressed to Mrs J. Dick Cunyngham, Heslington, Croft Road. Crowborough, England.  Signed Dick Cunyngham.  Passed by Censor No 1354 cachet.  Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 14 21 MR 15.

George Ryan’s letter home dated 18 Mar 1915

9^th Middlesex

Barrackpore

Bengal.

India.

18 Mar 1915

Dear M & F,

I’ve received your letters of Feb 12 & 19. I received quite a batch of letters with your first one last Saturday.  One from Charlie Soper at Malta, one from the office, one from the landlady at Sittingbourne & one from Cousin William at Holt.  I’ve also received a few papers from Holt.  I don’t remember seeing “Cousin William” unless it was that he came over from Uncle Tom’s some time ago.  I suppose nobody else is likely to write from there; perhaps you had better let me know who’s who in case.

We’ve practically finished our firing now. We expect to go to Darjeeling some time next week, so I am going to Calcutta this afternoon if I can get a pass, as we might not have the chance again for a little time.

Well I suppose we are out here till October now, as there’s no signs of moving, in spite of the rumours.

The 2^nd partner at the office has got a commission in the Navy & the Governor’s son has joined the Army so there’s only the Gov, & Mr Walker left.

I’m surprised at the cost of the W.D. League’s uniforms, they must be very swanky things. They only ought to cost half that amount, 20/- at the most, from any army contractor, in large quantities.

Hoping you are all well,

Love to all,

George

Dear Ma,

Thanks very much for the tales about my naughty sisters. Lets have some more.  I’m surprised at May, I thought she knew better.  She hasn’t got me to look after her.

G

Dick-Cunyngham letter to wife dated 15 March 1915 on black edged notepaper.

March 15^th.

My own darling one,

You do write such darling letters. I love the story that Freddie has got, bar settling down to work that night at St. Quentin and doing a bit of Staff work for F.W.  I didn’t know I had done anything more than anyone else – I shall be amused to hear your description of Seely, I wonder if you will remember that I got him to take Pancake Allan away in his motor-car from Bavai.  There has been some heavy fighting North of us – went on all last night, incessant firing & rifle fire heavier at 3 a.m. when I got up & telephoned down to the trenches.  But I’ve really had 2 good night’s rest lately – and rather less to do by day – we are going off on our tour in 40 minutes time.  Hope it will be quieter than last time when we had to take to ‘dug-outs’.

They are building us a Hutment Bde Hd Qrs later on, so we shan’t have these daily moves – today just as we had finished lunch a shell went over the house and landed beside the road about 100 yrds down – the vet officer who hates shells was just leaving the house at the time & came running back for the cellar – they put 9 in altogether & 3 failed to explode. One hit the church & knocked the S chancel to pieces, Geoff and I had a look at it just now.  The priest and some nuns were trying to save some coloured figures – it is sad to see churches knocked about & this one has some rather nice oak panelling & pictures.  I wonder they don’t remove everything.

How killing about Neil – what is he doing at Camberley – such a place to settle in for the poor boy unless he is with Godfrey’s relations. Must write to Godfrey some time – really disgraceful I’ve never written him a line.

I enclose a bill which please pay if you have enough & when I tell you cap has arrived and is satisfactory.

Never heard anything about Dickie & Eva going to Warminster – and a house – how exciting – shall I come home & help train the new Army! Daniell in Seaforth’s has gone.

My chilblains are now small blue & black bruises the size of a shilling and are very tender in the mornings – or whenever I put on or take off my boots. Find my old field boots the most comfortable by day but must try and wear the Norwegians for the mud tonight – my feet are warmer now so I may get into them easier.

Woke up deaf in left ear this morning so uncomfy, still deaf now – perhaps ride will shake it up.

There isn’t any news much – more activity all round coming with the spring, new moon tonight, one looks forward to moonlight nights as then we can walk round in comfort, it’s no fun on a pitch black night- shall be home for dinner about 10 p.m. tonight I expect, anyhow there ought not to be any more work & I have written my usual letter.

I am so glad you enjoyed your little jaunt in Town, you richly deserved it – will you now think about joining a Lady’s Club in Town, I feel you would have somewhere go to when you go up where you could be comfy – I never did like you rushing about, lunching at Stewart’s etc & having no rest. Think of it, darling will you – must go and change for trenches – old coat etc.

All my love my precious one & god keep you both safe & give you the strength to bear all your anxieties.

Ever your own loving Hubby

Jimmie

With black edged envelope addressed to Mrs Dick Cunyngham, Heslington, Croft Rd. Crowborough, England.  Passed by Censor No 1354.  Signed Dick Cunyngham.  Postmarked FIELD POST OFFICE 14 dated 16 MR 15

George Ryan’s letter home dated 11 Mar 1915

1945 “D” Co

9^th Middx

Barrackpore

Bengal.

11 Mar 1915

Dear M & F,

Our letters have not arrived here yet this week. I expect we shall get them to-morrow.

We have not finished our firing yet; we even went last Sunday; we’ve got a day off to day though. We have been getting up at 5.0 & leaving here at 7.0 a.m. but now we are not going to start until the afternoon, 2.30.  I’ve been getting on pretty fair but none of us “recruits” will get proficiency pay until we’ve done 2 years service.

Myself & a dozen or so others of this company are going up to the hills shortly. The major doctor came round & inspected us last Saturday & picked out a few of us, the younger ones chiefly & one or two that didn’t look up to the mark.  We expect to go to Lebon, Darjeeling, that’s the summer station for “troops” in this part of India.  By all accounts it’s a very nice place.  They say we are going on the first of next month; I can’t say how long we shall be there.  C.A.S. is going too.  You had better continue to write here for the present.  It’s a nuisance getting our letters a day later than everybody else, it’s bad enough when the mail’s late.

According to the papers we shall get another mail in here next Monday as well as the one expected to-morrow, as a mail boat is due in at Bombay to-morrow morning.

How’s my “old iron”. I suppose it’s alright.  It’s not worth while trying to sell it I suppose.  I shouldn’t get anywhere near what its worth.  You might set the back wheel in motion now & again, by giving the pedals a turn or two; say once a month. Don’t touch the front wheel because of the cyclometer.  The front wheel, too, only tell me what the cyclometer stands at before you touch it.

Hope you are all well,

Love to all,

Y^r loving son

George

P.T.O.

About the front wheel on the bike, dad. I was forgetting you was so handy with the screw-driver.  If you unscrew the “cyclometer – striker”, it’s a little thing on one or the spokes that catches the cyclometer, the cyclometer will not work.  It might not come right off, but you’ll be able to turn it so that it doen’t strike.  No need to take the bike down to do it.

George Ryan’s letter home dated 3 Mar 1915

9^th Middx

Barrackpore

Bengal.

India.

3 Mar 1915

Dear M & F,

Thanks very much for your letters of Feb 4. Sorry to hear about C. Closh.  I saw a letter he had written home in the W. Chronicle a few weeks ago.  I expect you saw it.  I should think he’ll be home for a few days when he comes out of hospital.

Well we didn’t go into camp at Jaffapore after all. We marched there & back each day.  Yesterday we went in our shirt sleeves, but we wore our equipment just the same.  We have not gone to-day; we’ve got to stay in barracks as the Viceroy is in or near Calcutta & we might be wanted as guard during the next few days.

I’ve only done 20 rounds of my firing, out of 200, so it will be a fortnight or 3 weeks before we are finished. This is not the test though.  I’m only firing the course I ought to have fired at Hythe before we left England.  None of us will get any extra pay however well we do.

I had a very bad cold on Mon & Tues & my eyes ached a bit through being out on the range all day, so I went down & saw the Doctor. He gave me a dose of something for my cold which brought it out very quickly.  I was blowing my nose every 5 min y’day but to-day I felt nothing of it at all.  He gave me some lotion for my eyes & advised me to get a pair of tinted glasses to wear while we are on the range.

Hope dad has still got something to do. By the papers it seems there’s a great demand for labour but I suppose it’s for skilled labour of a different nature to dads.

Trusting this will find you all well,

Y^r affectionate son,

George

War Diary of AA Laporte Payne

Extracted from

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

—————–

1915

March 8, 1915

R.P.

“Training has been considerably stiffened up. There are parades on Sunday mornings and on other days before breakfast and after tea in addition to the normal work.  There are night marches and trench digging.  I have been inoculated with two doses, and as a result I am rather stiff and sore.   The 48 hours off duty which we are supposed to have, needless to say I never got.

Tomorrow I am motoring over to Ipswich where the 84^th Brigade is stationed.  We are expecting to go into huts on the 20^th of this month.  Leave has been cancelled from certain places such as Colchester, Braintree, Woolwich, Ipswich on account of the outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis which is bad.

We have had several officers convalescent after wounds posted us. Major Caruthers, Major Cornes and others.

On Sunday morning I took Church Parade of about 400 men. Then I groomed my own horse.  Each officer has to be able to do this.

The Dardanelles show seems to be going well.  How foolish the Turks are to join this war. Turkey will be the first empire to fall, and it should mean the end of the Ottoman Empire in Europe.

War Diary of AA Laporte Payne

Extracted from

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

—————–

1915

March 8, 1915

R.P.

“Training has been considerably stiffened up. There are parades on Sunday mornings and on other days before breakfast and after tea in addition to the normal work.  There are night marches and trench digging.  I have been inoculated with two doses, and as a result I am rather stiff and sore.   The 48 hours off duty which we are supposed to have, needless to say I never got.

Tomorrow I am motoring over to Ipswich where the 84^th Brigade is stationed.  We are expecting to go into huts on the 20^th of this month.  Leave has been cancelled from certain places such as Colchester, Braintree, Woolwich, Ipswich on account of the outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis which is bad.

We have had several officers convalescent after wounds posted us. Major Caruthers, Major Cornes and others.

On Sunday morning I took Church Parade of about 400 men. Then I groomed my own horse.  Each officer has to be able to do this.

The Dardanelles show seems to be going well.  How foolish the Turks are to join this war. Turkey will be the first empire to fall, and it should mean the end of the Ottoman Empire in Europe.

Alfred George Richardson’s Diary Mar 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.

Doncaster.

Monday 1^st March 1915:         Reveille 6 am.  Packed Kits & left for Doncaster 9-45.  Arrived 10.30.  Gun Drill in afternoon under Sergt Maj. Cotton.  Went to “Palace” at night.

Tuesday 2^nd March 1915:        Stables 6.30.  Breakfast 8 am.  Exercising horses in morning & Gun Drill in afternoon.  Grand Theatre at night “Tommy Atkins”.

Wednesday 3^rd March 1915:   Stables 6.30.  Gun Drill in Gun Park in morning. Stables 11.30.  Afternoon holiday.  Had a rest in billets. Out with Arnold at night.

Thursday 4^th March 1915:       Gun Drill both morning & afternoon.  Stables 6.30, 11.30 4.30.

Friday 5^th March 1915:           Gun Drill both morning & afternoon.  Went down to Rly Docks & practiced entraining horses & guns.  Hard work.  11^th Batt beat 10^th by 7 mins.

Saturday 6^th March 1915:       Gun Drill in morning.  Had my photo (together with Arnold) taken in town.  Stables 3.15.  Picture House Café at night with AGR, Arthur. King, Watkinson, Stockdale, Roberts & Ralph.

Sunday 7^th March 1915:          Stables 7 am.  Church Parade 9.30 am.  Afternoon spent reading & writing.  Out in town at night with Arnold.

Monday 8^th March 1915:        Gun Drill morning & afternoon.  Out with Arnold at night.  Picture House Café.

Tuesday 9^th March 1915:        Gun Drill morning & afternoon. Arnold goes home on 4 days leave.  Lucky Beggar!!  Out on night    manoeuvres from 6-12 pm.  Trenching.

Wednesday 10^th March 1915: Gun Drill morning & afternoon.  Out with Tommy Butler at night.

Thursday 11^th March 1915:     Stables 7 am.  Gun Drill morning & afternoon.  Stayed in at night because was “stony broke”.

Friday 12^th March 1915:         Stables 6.30.  Rifle Drill in morning & afternoon under Sergt Barker.  Went to “Grand” Theatre.

Saturday 13^th March 1915:     Stables 6.30 pm.  Rifle Drill in morning.  Out in afternoon with Corp Wilf Dawson & at Picture House at night.       Arnold returned Sat midnight after ripping 4 days at home.

Sheffield.

Sunday 14^th March 1915:        Church Parade 9.30 am at Wheatly Church.              Resting during rest of day.  Out with Arnold.

Monday 15^th March 1915:      Rifle Drill all morning and afternoon.  Out at night with Tommy Butler.

Tuesday 16^th March 1915:      Rifle Drill under Sergt Spence.  Out on night manoeuvres from 7 – 12 pm, digging trenches round guns.

Wednesday 17^th March 1915: Left Doncaster at 9.56 am for Sheffield where we arrived 11 am.  On Gate Guard 2pm – 6 pm.  Stables Picket at 6 pm.

Thursday 18^th March 1915:     Stable Picket at Glossop Rd.  Monotonous job.  Rose at 4.20 am & had stables thoroughly cleaned by 6.15.  Nothing special happened.

Friday 19^th March 1915:         Gate Guard.  Rose at 5.20 am.  Reveille 6.  Baths in morning 9.10.  Received large parcel from home.

Saturday 20^th March 1915:     Stable Picket.  Rose at 4.55 am.  Received pcl from Miss Whitaker.  Gate Picket at night.

Sunday 21^st March 1915:        Gate Picket.  Boy Scouts meeting in Barracks.  1^st night off since leaving Doncaster.

Monday 22^nd March 1915:      G.O.C. R.A. inspects Column, Billets & Stables.  Exercising horses in afternoon.  Stable Picket at 6.

Tuesday 23^rd March 1915:      Stable Picket.  Whitewashed stables.  Took all day.  Dead tired.  Gate Picket at 6 pm.

Wednesday 24^th March 1915: Gate Picket.  Nothing happened out of ordinary.  Night off at last!!!!  Cinema House Café with T.O.B. & Groth.

Thursday 25^th March 1915:     Exercising horses.  Rifle shooting at Mid. Rly. Sheff. Club.  Stable Picket at night.

Friday 26^th March 1915:         Exercising horses in morning. X Under arrest & brought before Lieut Fairburn.  Let off.  Lecture on Map reading 5 – 7.30.

Saturday 27^th March 1915:     Exercising horses in morning.  Lecture 12 – 1.  Stables 3.45 – 5.  Gate Picket 6 pm.

X N.B.  Sergt Maj. Cavanagh & Sergt Hird reported me for supposed “neglect of duty” viz: – Not giving reveille till 6.10 am on Thurs morning.  Absolute lie.  Hence verdict & 4days leave.

Ben Rhydding – Scarboro.

Sunday 28^th March 1915:        Gate Picket with Forster, Butler & Lupton.  Reading all day with Billy Groth, who has returned from Hospital.

Monday 29^th March 1915:      Stable Picket relieving Br. Smith in morning.  Rifle Range in afternoon.  Passed 1^st & 2^nd tests.  Came home on 4 days leave.  Left Sheff 7.5 Ben R 10.26 pm.

Tuesday 30^th March 1915:      Went to I.G.S. & saw G****.  Sang School Holiday Hymn & was given 3 cheers by scholars.  Pleasant morning.  Played golf with Dad & Miss Whitaker.

Wednesday 31^st March 1915:             Went to Scarboro’ for the day.  Left Ben R 7.38 arrived Scarboro’ 11.14.  Saw Grandma  & Auntie.  Saw effects of German Bombardment of Dec 16 1914. Rough Sea.  Ripping day.  Left 5.55. Home 9 PM.

The 10^th March 1915 saw the commencement of the Battle of Neuve Chappelle by British forces of the First Army under the command of General Douglas Haig. The task of the First Army Corps was to take Neuve Chappelle and finally Aubers Ridge less than one mile to the East. The First Army Corps consisted of British and Indian forces. The whole British Army was very inexperienced in trench warfare from Senior Leadership down to the soldiers in the line.

The battle commenced at 8.05am with a 35-minute artillery barrage along the German Trenches at Neuve Chappelle. The attack by the British and Indian Infantry on a frontage of 4000-yards began immediately on cessation of the artillery bombardment. The centre successfully captured the village of Neuve Chappelle by 9.00am. The left flank had lost approximately 1000 advancing troops owing to undamaged German trenches. The right flank was in danger of being isolated and were ordered to halt and await further orders.

Communications were poor between Allied Command and the front line troops. The slowness and accuracy of intelligence was mainly because the front line telephone cables had been cut or destroyed by enemy shellfire. The Corps Commander Lt-General Sir Henry Rawlinson was aware only of the initial capture of the village but unaware of the gap on the left hand flank. Rawlinson ordered a general advance even though his support troops were unprepared. With the confusion, some of the British Artillery opened fire on friendly infantry. With the light fading in the late afternoon, the forward units were attacking without sufficient artillery support against a hardening German defence.

The Battle of Neuve Chappelle lasted 3 days, and on the 13th March 1915, the British troops repelled a German attack and immediately the BEF counter attacked. Many of their units had suffered high casualties so the British called a halt less than two hours later.                The attack was called off after the British had captured a salient 2000 yards wide and 1200 yards deep.

Following the naval bombardment of the Turkish forts during the attack in February 1915 and after some initial success, the Turkish forces proved to be of stronger opposition than was expected. The waters of the Dardanelles were thought to be heavily mined. Turkish forces had been redeployed to defend against infantry attack in the Dardanelles. The British attack ground to a halt after British minesweeping trawlers had failed to clear the mined area. Admiral Carden, the Commander in Chief of the Allied fleet in the Dardanelles, collapsed through ill health and his replacement was Rear-Admiral Robeck.’ On the12^th March 1915 the Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener appointed Sir Ian Hamilton to take command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF). Lieutenant-General Birdwood, who commanded the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) forces based at Cairo in Egypt, suggested the army had an input to support the naval attack. The MEF consisted of the ANZAC forces of the Australian and New Zealand armies together with British and French troops.

Hamilton left for the Dardanelles on the 12^th March 1915 with the MEF and arrived on the 18^th March 1915. He did not have sufficient information available, due to inadequate intelligence, regarding Turkish strength or the fighting capabilities of the Turkish forces. This lack of information led him to believe the qualities and tactics of the Turkish forces were not of any consequence. This belief was to prove disastrous.

In the Dardanelles three British battleships were sunk, a further three battleships crippled but not sunk. The British had lost 2/3 of their battle fleet in the Dardanelles because the mine clearing trawlers had failed to locate and clear the mined areas. On 22^nd March 1915, Hamilton and Robeck decided that the remaining fleet would sail to Alexandria to enable repairs to be carried out. In the meantime, Hamilton arranged for his force to prepare for an infantry invasion of Gallipoli. Winston Churchill was adamant that the decision was taken without Government approval or knowledge. At the time these events were happening the British War Council did not meet, nor were they to meet again for another two months.

The 21^st March 1915 saw the first German Zeppelin airships appear over the skies of Paris. The Germans sent aircraft to attack Paris between August-November 1914. The 30^th August 1914 saw Germany dropping four 5lb bombs on Paris, the last “bomb” being a bag of sand. Attached to the bomb was a message saying, “The Germans Army is at your gates. You can do nothing but surrender.” This message had little effect because the citizens of Paris had become used to the daily aircraft flying over the city. With the arrival of the Zeppelin airships in March 1915, bombing raids against Paris had been established.

On the 24^th March 1915 the Prussian born German General Otto Liman von Sanders was appointed to command the Otterman Fifth Army. Arriving at Gallipoli on the 26^th March 1915 Liman von Sanders reorganised his defences to make the most of the advantage of the high ground. The Turkish army had the experience of fighting during the Balkan Wars the previous year. They had learnt from their campaign whereas their British and French enemies lacked experience in this type of warfare. This was to be the precursor to the Gallipoli campaign.

.