Category Archives: 1918

G. Allen letter 9 February 1918

9/2/18

 

My dear old dad,

 

I owe you all letters I think.  I can’t remember writing you a personal letter since your letter dated 2nd inst anyhow.

 

I am glad you have got the Scotch shoot all fixed up now.  You were inclined to be doubtful at one time of drawing one cover, & I am glad it has come off without a hitch.

 

So the trip is coming off at last.  The weather is certainly better for it.  I hope he comes round this way.  Tell him I think we can find him as good a dinner as he will get in most places in London now – & a bottle of ginger ale too!  I wish you could come with him dad.  You would love it & it would be splendid if you could come & see how I am fixed here.

 

I am much amused at your story of the half-pig.  Things will soon come to such a pass at home that one will have to go about with a solicitor always at one’s elbow.

 

I am glad to hear you are feeling first rate.  I hope you keep so.  I have been top-hole but am a bit off it today, so wasn’t sorry when a rugger match in which I was playing was scratched.  A couple of pills will put me right by tomorrow.

 

Nothing much has happened here. The Colonel has gone to the South of France for a fortnight – seedy.  3 others have gone to Paris for 6 days & the remainder of us are doing a bit of work here.  Not too strenuous, but something to keep us occupied.  I wish to goodness I could get down to some work which would be of use to me in my normal life.  When occasionally I air the grouse that I have lost 4 valuable years of my life, I am told that to show for them I have got a broader outlook on life – a wider knowledge of human nature & of dealing with men.  Perhaps I have, but that is not going to earn me a living wage by the time I am 26 or 27.  It worries me at times to know what the devil I am going to do.  However – enough of grousing.

 

With my best love

 

Your loving son

Geoff.

 

With cover addressed to A.W. Allen Esq., Duffield, Nr Derby. Stamped Field Post Office H.7 dated 10 Fe 18 also Passed by Censor No 3477. G. W Allen.

Table to Titcomb report 8 February 1918

 

TABLE showing DANGEROUS and FATAL AREAS of GERMAN IRON WORKS.

 

 

 

Red Refer: Number

  

 

Name of Company

  

 

Location

  

 

No of Furnaces

 DANGEROUS AREA OR closely FATAL AREA Percent. Of FATAL AREA to DANGEROUS AREA
 

 

Square Metres

  

 

Metres Square

  

 

Yards Square

  

 

 

Acres

  

 

Square Metres

  

 

Metres Square

  

 

Yards Square

  

 

 

Acres
9 Lothringer Huttenvereins Kneuttingen 6 60000     15 7500     1 7/8 12.5%
10 Do Fentsch 3 40000     10 4600     1 1/8 11.5%
15 Gelsenkirchener Esch 8 96600     24 11800     2 7/8 12.2%
16 Burback-Eich-Dudelingen Esch 6 66000     16 8200     2 12.4%
37 Do Burbach 8 72000     18 7000     1 ¾ 9.7%
44 Fried. Krupp Rheinhausen 9 132000     32 12000     3 9.1%
51 Gutehoffnungshutte (West Plant only) Oberhausen 4 101000     25 12000     3 11.8%
AVERAGE for 7 WORKS 6.3 81085 285 311 20 9014 95 104 2 1/4 11.1%

 

Addendum to Titcomb report 8 February 1918

Addendum to Report on

GERMAN IRON INDUSTRY AND THE WAR.

By Harold Abbot Titcomb.

 

The question has arisen as to the actual size of the objective should German Blast-Furnace Works be attacked by aircraft with very heavy bombs. The following figures are reliable and conservative for an average of all the Iron Works in western Germany (excluding the small and scattered works in Siegerland.)

 

 

(1)   DANGEROUS AREA near the furnaces,—- 260 yards square = 14 acres. (closely)

(2)   FATAL AREA fatal to whole works,———-260 feet square = 1 ½ acres.

 

Thus one-ninth of the dangerous area is covered with vital machinery.

 

In the Table, two areas have been calculated, viz.,

(1), DANGEROUS AREA, which includes the blast-furnaces, hot-blast stoves, and the plant closely connected with them and surrounding them.

(2), FATAL AREA, within the Dangerous Area, being the actual ground-space occupied by the Blowing Engines, Power-plant, Pumps and Gas-washers.

 

Thus the “Fatal Area” as calculated and shown in the Table, does not include a large amount of damageable machinery necessary to the operation of portions of the Iron Works, such as Blast-furnaces, Hot-blast stoves, Cold-blast air piping, the huge and complex Hot-gas pipe system, Charging devices, Cranes, Rolling-stock & tracking, Electric wire cables for power and light, Water cooling pipe system, Machine and repair shops, Laboratories, Casting-houses Etc.,  most or all of which lie within the “Dangerous Area” .

Any iron metallurgist or owner of an Iron Works will acknowledge, therefore, that the Fatal Area as shown in the Table is indeed very fatal.

 

———————————-

 

In the Table following, the average of 7 German Iron works show actual areas of

(1) Dangerous Area, —285M. Sq. = 311 yards sq., =20 acres

(2) Fatal Area ————95     do   =104         do     =2¼   do

These 7 Works, however, are somewhat larger than the average iron works in western Germany; hence, after some consideration, I have given the above figures of 14 acres and 1½ acres, and regard these as conservative.

H.A.T.

Salisbury House, London E.C.

Feb. 8. 1918.

To go with Copy No 5 Main Report.

Location of original Titcomb reports 8 February 1918.

Location of original Titcomb reports 8 February 1918.

 

TITCOMB’S REPORT.

 

THERE ARE EIGHT COPIES OF THIS REPORT, disposed as follows:-

Date                         Date

sent                           Ack.

 

No 1. to H.A.T. London

“  2.   “  H.C. Hoover, Washington; & to Sec. of State

& U.S. Gov’t.                                                          28/12/17               24/1/18

“  3.   “  Major Harold Fowler, Signal Corps,

Aviation Section, U.S. Army, Paris                        18/1/18            verbally

same day.

“  4.   “  American Committee’s Copy London

“ Sir Wm. Weir 4 PM May 22/18                             25/5/18           at interview H.A.T. & F.W.L present

“ 5.    “ Lord Desborough. (returned)  To Col.                     17/1/18    Ack & returned.

Joseph C. Morrow,   U.S.A. 35, Eaton

Place London, Mch. 19/18, and handed by             19/3/18

him to Gen. Livingston,

Sec. Air Ministry, London.

“ 6.   “ The Iron & Steel Institute,

28 Victoria St, London.  G.C. Lloyd

Secretary.  About May 15, borrowed

by War Office Intelligence Dept.                            18/1/18

“ 7 .  “ Captain Warre & Major —–, of the

War Office Intelligence Department,

(M.I. 6.B.), Strand House, Kingsway London          12/2/18         (at their request)

“ 8.   “ Sent Mch 15/18 to Colonel Gordon                          15/3/18

(VC?), Bridge of Earn, Scotland.

(returned soon afterwards). Care

Ralph Peacock Esq. Returned; now

with H.A.T. at Warehead (?)

 

LANCHESTER’S MEMORANDA.

 

One Copy to F.W. Lanchester, 41, Bedford Square, W.C. London.

“         “  H.A. Titcomb, 27, Pembroke Gardens, Kensington London.

“         “  H.C. Hoover, Washington. Following Report No 2.             21/2/18

“         “  Major Harold Fowler, U.S. Army,                                         21/2/18

(American Aviation Headquarters)                                      Sent (to) the

(45. Ave. Montaign, Paris)                                                   Embassy

Following Report No. 3.                                                      London.

 

“         “  Colonel Joseph C. Morrow, U.S.A.                                       19/3/18

Aviation Officer, 35 Eaton Place

London (Mch 19, 1918) Personally

handed with Report No 5 same date by

Col Morrow, soon after to Gen. Livingston,

Sec British Air Ministry.

 

“         “  Sir William Weir, Chief of Air Ministry,                                22/3/18

Hotel Cecil, (together with copy No 4 of my main             at interview

Report)                                                                                 H.A.T. and

With Report No 4 same date.                                               F.W.L.

F.W. Lanchester Present.                                                     present.

 

“         “  A.E. Berriman, Mch 21/18                                                     21/3/18 (Registered signed)

 

Memo.

 

  1. full copy No. 4. American Engineer copy.

Loaned to Sir Wm. Weir, May 22nd with Lanchester.

 

signed Harold A. Titcomb.

 

Copy No. 5 went to Gen. Livingston (Sec Air Ministry)

 

 

“Representation of the People Act 1918” (Votes of Women) 6 February 1918

 

 

 

“Representation of the People Act 1918” (Votes of Women)

 

 

 

Parliament signed the “Representation of the People Act 1918” on the 6th February 1918, giving women partial voting rights. The act gave women of property over the age of 30 the right to vote. The whole of society had changed, and the war had provided the first real opportunity for women to take on traditional male jobs. Partly the years of suffrage before the war, and the sterling work the women had achieved during the war, saw the reformation of the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It was a major start in women being granted the right to vote, but not all women were eligible. When the “Parliament (Qualification for Women) Act 1918” became law, women were allowed to become MP’s for the first time. However, in 1928 the vote was extended to all women over the age 21.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alf Smith letter 5 February 1918

 

Y.M.C.A

H.M. FORCES ON ACTIVE SERVICE

 

Feb 5th 18

 

My Dear Father

 

Here we are again back with the M.G.C. arrived yesterday afternoon you can bet it is a bit rough starting again but I expect I shall soon settle down.

Well how are you keeping merry & bright I hope.  I was thinking of you on Sunday & I expect you were wondering how far I had got on my journey.  It was very good of Peter & Charlie to come to the station with me I think it was the best way I caught the train easily, & had a good trip across the Channel.

I had a real good holiday could not have enjoyed myself better & I must thank you very much for all that you did for me especially for the trip to the Oxford it was grand & also for the money you gave me I have enough to carry on for a month or two now.  I have not spent anything since I have been back, Ciss packed me up with plenty of cakes & you can bet I just enjoyed the pie.  When did you go home from there?  They do everything that is possible to give you a good time it was impossible to do any more for me than they did I am sure they thought of everything.

You will be glad to hear I found the boys out for a rest, been out about a week we are not far from where I left them but we are going much further back in a day or two for about six weeks; it sounds too good to be true but I am looking forward to a good time.  They are sending some of the attached men back to their Battalions the Essex have not gone & I hope we shall not have to.

We are sleeping in huts on wire beds the feathers are very hard am not quite used to them yet.

Cannot think of any more news to tell you I shall be looking forward to hearing from you soon.

I hope you are still in the best of health; take care of yourself.  Glad to say I am A1.

Cheerio.  With much love from

From your devoted

Son

 

P.S. The razor goes fine much quicker than the old sort.  I think I shall have a run down the village to-night there are two cinema shows here not so bad eh!  What sort of weather are you having it is grand here almost like summer.

 

Postcard from A Smith 4 February 1918

Y.M.C.A Postcard Postmarked ARMY POST OFFICE 4. 4 Feb 18.  Censor cachet Passed by Censor 4394.

To Mr. T. Smith, 24, Palmerstone Rd., Bowes Park London N22 England

H.M. FORCES ON ACTIVE SERVICE

 

Sunday night

 

My dear Father

Arrived here this afternoon had a good trip expect to leave early tomorrow morning.  I had a grand time will write more later.  Cheerio  Alf

 

F. Springett Field Post Card 3 February 1918

FIELD SERVICE POST CARD

 

Mr S. K. Springett,

29 Bath Road,

Dartford

Kent England

 

Postmark

 

NOTHING is to be written on this side except the date and signature of the sender. Sentences not required may be erased. If anything else is added the post card will be destroyed.

 

I am quite well.

I have been admitted into hospital sick wounded and am going on well and hope to be discharged soon.

I am being sent down to the base.

I have received your letter dated telegram parcel

Letter follows at first opportunity

I have received no letter from you. Lately for a long time.

 

Signature only F.W. Springett

Date February 3rd 1918

 

 

 

War Diary of AA Laporte Payne 2 Feb 1918

War Diary of AA Laporte Payne 2 Feb 1918

 

EXTRACTED FROM.

 

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

Correspondence

—————–

 

February 2, 1918. Rome.  Today we visited the Coliseum and other places in the vicinity.

 

Rome   Feb 2, 1918.

The Catacombe di Santa Domitilla                                                                 (CP)