Reuniting a lost photo album in Australia with Arthur's letters in England ...
I have recently also discovered an album of photographs taken by Arthur languishing in an archive, and hope to be able to publish some of these quite soon. The photo album covers the period from approximately 1900 to 1906 when Arthur travelled around the world. I also happen to own 100 or so letters he wrote home during this time, and I have begun the task of adding some of these Edwardian letters to this site.
I sincerely hope that these WW1 letters home will reignite interest in these brave people and also shine a light on this largely overlooked aspect of the First World War.
I sincerely hope that these WW1 letters home will reignite interest in these brave people and also shine a light on this largely overlooked aspect of the First World War.
The Story of my Discovery of Arthur's Letters
The Victorian box and Arthur's Letters.
I have a routine each week whereby I check the local auction houses online and take a cursory glance of the catalogue for the forthcoming sale. But this week was different, I can't explain it but as soon as I saw " Lot 2 - A collection of approximately five hundred letters ..." I knew I had to make a visit to the viewing. The shabby large old Victorian dispatch case was on a table top and was literally overflowing with letters and documents, my eyes almost popped out of my head!
At a glance, I could see the age of the contents, many envelopes bearing stamps with the head of queen Victoria, others with stamps of the Edwardian era from different parts of the world. I could also see a large number of letters tied in bundles with ribbon bearing French stamps with a variety of military postal markings.
I was glad that I had always had an interest in stamps and postal history, a fleeting look was enough to evaluate the contents of that box from a purely philatelic point of view, I knew I had to buy it!
I didn't realise how that one visit to the auction was going to change my life for the foreseeable future.
At a glance, I could see the age of the contents, many envelopes bearing stamps with the head of queen Victoria, others with stamps of the Edwardian era from different parts of the world. I could also see a large number of letters tied in bundles with ribbon bearing French stamps with a variety of military postal markings.
I was glad that I had always had an interest in stamps and postal history, a fleeting look was enough to evaluate the contents of that box from a purely philatelic point of view, I knew I had to buy it!
I didn't realise how that one visit to the auction was going to change my life for the foreseeable future.
It sometimes pays to visit your local auction house...
Letter from Arthur, July 8th 1915
I bought a lot of about 500 letters, all relating to the same family and spanning the period from about 1830 through to 1920. But the 140 or so letters home from a son to his mother during the First World War undoubtedly opened my eyes to what, to me at least, has been a largely neglected part of the conflict, that of the great many people behind the lines serving as unpaid volunteers.
I successfully outbid several other interested parties in the auction room, although to be honest they didn't stand much of a chance, I had already decided that I was going to own these letters! At a cost of many hundreds of pounds (and a bacon roll and cup of coffee), I found myself the proud owner of a box of letters. To be honest, it was exceedingly difficult to view the contents of the box before bidding as most of the letters were tied with ribbon in neat bundles according to date and or subject. For example, "France 1915", "Rome 1914" "Australia 1920", the list goes on and on.
Sadly in my desire to examine the contents of these bundles (even before I got home), I didn't take a photo, but the picture above gives an idea of the scale of the contents of the box. There were probably at least 500 letters in total, and it's my belief that this box had not been opened since the 1920's when Arthur's mother carefully compiled the contents, a real time capsule!
There are letters from all corners of the globe, Arthur travelled extensively from 1892 at least through to the 1930's as I can trace him on various passenger lists etc. There are also letters from about 1830 through to 1903 from many prominent Victorian people, including Lords and Ladies, and mentions of British and European royalty.
As I waded through the contents of the box and started to read some letters I realised what a fantastic find this was, he was a prolific letter writer and wrote home regularly from wherever he was. He would tell his mother and father of the sights, sounds and people he had met, he would describe the scenery and climate. Thankfully his mother also retained most of the letters in their original envelopes, which in themselves also give a wealth of information from the various postmarks and steamship names.
I successfully outbid several other interested parties in the auction room, although to be honest they didn't stand much of a chance, I had already decided that I was going to own these letters! At a cost of many hundreds of pounds (and a bacon roll and cup of coffee), I found myself the proud owner of a box of letters. To be honest, it was exceedingly difficult to view the contents of the box before bidding as most of the letters were tied with ribbon in neat bundles according to date and or subject. For example, "France 1915", "Rome 1914" "Australia 1920", the list goes on and on.
Sadly in my desire to examine the contents of these bundles (even before I got home), I didn't take a photo, but the picture above gives an idea of the scale of the contents of the box. There were probably at least 500 letters in total, and it's my belief that this box had not been opened since the 1920's when Arthur's mother carefully compiled the contents, a real time capsule!
There are letters from all corners of the globe, Arthur travelled extensively from 1892 at least through to the 1930's as I can trace him on various passenger lists etc. There are also letters from about 1830 through to 1903 from many prominent Victorian people, including Lords and Ladies, and mentions of British and European royalty.
As I waded through the contents of the box and started to read some letters I realised what a fantastic find this was, he was a prolific letter writer and wrote home regularly from wherever he was. He would tell his mother and father of the sights, sounds and people he had met, he would describe the scenery and climate. Thankfully his mother also retained most of the letters in their original envelopes, which in themselves also give a wealth of information from the various postmarks and steamship names.
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Arthur's letters were soon to become a big part of my life...
Letters not yet transcribed...
My days were soon taken up with the all consuming task of transcribing the letters, but I have still barely scratched the surface. Those that grab my attention most are his letters home from World War One. I can honestly say that I didn't realise that people like Arthur existed or took part in World War One. I feel strongly that our learning about the Great War is totally dominated by the undoubted bravery and sacrifice of the wonderful British Tommy, but has this has also excluded people like Arthur whose contribution to the war effort has become lost in the sands of time.
Of course the British forces were largely concentrated in Flanders, Belgium and Northern France, however we should remember that the Western Front extended for over 400 miles down through France to the border with Switzerland and of course we should not forget the huge losses suffered by the French army during this conflict. Arthur was mostly based in North Eastern France, in the mountainous area of The Vosges and later north west of that area. I am still researching the exact whereabouts of Arthur's section, his location is not always apparent from his letters due to censorship and security of course.
Of course the British forces were largely concentrated in Flanders, Belgium and Northern France, however we should remember that the Western Front extended for over 400 miles down through France to the border with Switzerland and of course we should not forget the huge losses suffered by the French army during this conflict. Arthur was mostly based in North Eastern France, in the mountainous area of The Vosges and later north west of that area. I am still researching the exact whereabouts of Arthur's section, his location is not always apparent from his letters due to censorship and security of course.
A family history in a box...
There is also something terribly sad about these letters ending up as an auction lot. I have a family history in a box it would seem to be the only remnant of a once proud and influential family. How the letters came to be there, I will probably never know. When I hold these letters, I sometimes try to imagine Arthur writing them, often under incredibly difficult circumstances I am sure, and the thrill of actually handling his letters never diminishes. I continually remind myself of the sacrifice he and many others made.
Maybe the way we teach today’s generation about the First World War should be examined. With the centenary approaching, is there too much emphasis on those who made the ultimate sacrifice and not enough remembering all those who participated and were lucky enough to emerge with their lives in November 1918. Are we saying that because they survived they don’t deserve to be remembered in the same way? I am convinced that most of the people who took part in the war carried the effects of their experiences through the rest of their lives, whether those effects were mental or physical. I remember particularly clearly my Grandmother telling me how my Grandad’s health was affected by the war.
Maybe the way we teach today’s generation about the First World War should be examined. With the centenary approaching, is there too much emphasis on those who made the ultimate sacrifice and not enough remembering all those who participated and were lucky enough to emerge with their lives in November 1918. Are we saying that because they survived they don’t deserve to be remembered in the same way? I am convinced that most of the people who took part in the war carried the effects of their experiences through the rest of their lives, whether those effects were mental or physical. I remember particularly clearly my Grandmother telling me how my Grandad’s health was affected by the war.
