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Primary Source First World War Letters Home April 1915Arthur gets to use his French language skills, the Headmaster of Eton makes an unpopular speech ...April 1st, 1915 9-15 p.m.
My Dear Mother …………… Enclosed is general view of this place & I’ve marked where I live & where our headquarters are on the “Place” & it is from the front in middle of square where our cars all assemble before starting off. I was first for a call after other cars had started off at 1 p.m. so had to be about all aft. noon & four of us including Frank Hargreaves whom was staff officer on duty sat in sun in front of our headquarters & read papers. Our chief turned up while we were there, head of all the Automobiles in the Vosges & asked various questions & how long we would take to get all our cars on to the “Place”. Thought he was going to have us all out, but he didn’t. |
Awful luck I was there, as there was not a soul about of our men who spoke French & he does not know a word of English. Our Commandant had gone away for the day………….. I only wish we could be here through May, I’m sure it is lovely, but I fear very little chance, always rumours of our being moved, but nothing definite. Dr. Lyttleton* seems to have made a foolish speech & I see Paris Daily Mail is full of indifferent protests; something about our not being too hard on Germany when peace has to be made, a little premature any way to talk about it, then let him come and see what Germans have done to this country before he talks such rot………. So Will has gone back, a quick recovery. Hope I don’t get called up tonight, not at all likely I think, but when 1st on list of cars to go out you never know. Best love A * Head Master of Eton School |
News from East Africa, some summer clothes from home required ...
Convois Automobiles
S.S.A. no. 3
Par Paris
France
April 9th, 1915
My Dear Mother
Yrs of March 31st & enclosure from Trix arrived last night. Also a letter from ????? who is still uncertain when & where Geoffrey [?] goes or if at all. Expect he will be off somewhere soon, Egypt perhaps. She says none of K’s army have yet gone out …
I see in paper here that S.African troops & presumably Rudolph, have taken Warmbad without opposition, it is, I believe, chief town of German S.W. Africa. The East African part is the one that is not going very well, where Ernest is.
Will you ask Lotta to look up my Khaki suit, a coat & trousers I had made for Malay trip. They are in wardrobe or drawers I think. I want you to send them to Robinson & Steele*, 11 Dawson St., Dublin & tell them I am writing them to tell them what I want done. I shall have to have some thin khaki garments here for summer & I don’t want to get any more uniform, so think I can get Robinson & Steel to put couple of shoulder straps on the coat & put leather buttons & hooks to hold a belt & it will do all right. Coat has no lining, so it will be just the thing. The only khaki tunic I have here is thick & heavy, too hot for summer, but I daresay I can get lining taken out. But must have a spare coat if am staying 6 months. I fancy it gets pretty hot here in summer. I will write to R & S this evg.
I have a pair of tan shoes, brogued (little holes in leather) not either of the pair with nails in them for golf, they are old, but a medium thick pair that I wear in summer; I’m sure Lotta will know them, I bought them last May in London, will you post them out to me here, they will be useful in warm weather & quick to slip on. Robinson & Steele made me the khaki suit I speak of.
When sending me shoes or any parcel, will you address it Lieutenant A.D. ( not letters), but if for a military man they seem to come through quicker & with less fuss: this only applies to parcels.
Best love
Yr. Affect son
Arthur.
* Robinson & Steele were tailors to the military and aristocracy, located in Dawson Street, Dublin.
S.S.A. no. 3
Par Paris
France
April 9th, 1915
My Dear Mother
Yrs of March 31st & enclosure from Trix arrived last night. Also a letter from ????? who is still uncertain when & where Geoffrey [?] goes or if at all. Expect he will be off somewhere soon, Egypt perhaps. She says none of K’s army have yet gone out …
I see in paper here that S.African troops & presumably Rudolph, have taken Warmbad without opposition, it is, I believe, chief town of German S.W. Africa. The East African part is the one that is not going very well, where Ernest is.
Will you ask Lotta to look up my Khaki suit, a coat & trousers I had made for Malay trip. They are in wardrobe or drawers I think. I want you to send them to Robinson & Steele*, 11 Dawson St., Dublin & tell them I am writing them to tell them what I want done. I shall have to have some thin khaki garments here for summer & I don’t want to get any more uniform, so think I can get Robinson & Steel to put couple of shoulder straps on the coat & put leather buttons & hooks to hold a belt & it will do all right. Coat has no lining, so it will be just the thing. The only khaki tunic I have here is thick & heavy, too hot for summer, but I daresay I can get lining taken out. But must have a spare coat if am staying 6 months. I fancy it gets pretty hot here in summer. I will write to R & S this evg.
I have a pair of tan shoes, brogued (little holes in leather) not either of the pair with nails in them for golf, they are old, but a medium thick pair that I wear in summer; I’m sure Lotta will know them, I bought them last May in London, will you post them out to me here, they will be useful in warm weather & quick to slip on. Robinson & Steele made me the khaki suit I speak of.
When sending me shoes or any parcel, will you address it Lieutenant A.D. ( not letters), but if for a military man they seem to come through quicker & with less fuss: this only applies to parcels.
Best love
Yr. Affect son
Arthur.
* Robinson & Steele were tailors to the military and aristocracy, located in Dawson Street, Dublin.
Bad weather in the Vosges, good news from Russia perhaps ...
In The Voges
France
April 10th, 1915 Night
My Dear Mother,
Yrs of 5th & enclosure from Will to hand yesterday. Today I got 2 Australian letters & 2 post cards sent on by you. My weekly “Daily Graphic” has started to come, 6 copies bound together, so I get resume of news in it. I read it all in bed last night, most comfortable place, as rooms we have at the mess are not much use for quiet & reading, just chairs & a table or two. My electric light over my bed is so nice to read by & one can put it on & off without getting up.
It has rained & snowed for a week with hardly an interval & looks like continuing. Snowed hard last night & this morng. & has been at it all day, everything is an awful mess & slush beyond words to explain. Yesterday aft. noon just as we got back with our cars a tremendous thunderstorm came on & hail, I was out in it helping wash my car, but with my wonderful boots & oilskin one minds nothing. I wear the boots every day & they are wonderful, feet keep perfectly dry.
This aft. noon I’ve been working in slush & water with some of the others carrying bales of hay out of garage next to ours to another building near to make room for some cars; we carried it on stretchers. One may get this weather all April apparently, not very pleasant outlook. Of course it is not actually as cold as when we first came. I fancy the spring here is much later than with you even & very much later than S. of England. Probably a months difference nearly …
How kind of Kate to offer me the tunic, I will write her. Perhaps later on it might be very useful. I hope the suit I asked you to send up to Robinson & Steele will do me well in summer, I’ve asked them to make it like a tunic as much as possible, but perhaps if not a success, poor Maria’s tunic would fit me. This one is heavy & all right for another month or so, but in June & July it would be too hot.
I see the French have done well last day or two & Russians seem to be giving Austrians a bad time, surly Austria must soon come to an end or sue for peace …
Your weather seems far finer than ours. Here day after day it is a case of sea boots, oilskin, muffler etc. oh for some sun. They all tell one April is very wintry here. No my photo is not exactly flattering I suppose.
So Will goes abroad, to France or Turkey, I suppose former, Nantes or Rouen, it will be a nice jaunt for him & a change from Avonmouth, not a very attractive spot. He seems alright again.
Italy still very uncertain what to do. I think I told you Bank of Ireland had transferred £10 to your account, so please just keep an acct. of what you pay for me!
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
France
April 10th, 1915 Night
My Dear Mother,
Yrs of 5th & enclosure from Will to hand yesterday. Today I got 2 Australian letters & 2 post cards sent on by you. My weekly “Daily Graphic” has started to come, 6 copies bound together, so I get resume of news in it. I read it all in bed last night, most comfortable place, as rooms we have at the mess are not much use for quiet & reading, just chairs & a table or two. My electric light over my bed is so nice to read by & one can put it on & off without getting up.
It has rained & snowed for a week with hardly an interval & looks like continuing. Snowed hard last night & this morng. & has been at it all day, everything is an awful mess & slush beyond words to explain. Yesterday aft. noon just as we got back with our cars a tremendous thunderstorm came on & hail, I was out in it helping wash my car, but with my wonderful boots & oilskin one minds nothing. I wear the boots every day & they are wonderful, feet keep perfectly dry.
This aft. noon I’ve been working in slush & water with some of the others carrying bales of hay out of garage next to ours to another building near to make room for some cars; we carried it on stretchers. One may get this weather all April apparently, not very pleasant outlook. Of course it is not actually as cold as when we first came. I fancy the spring here is much later than with you even & very much later than S. of England. Probably a months difference nearly …
How kind of Kate to offer me the tunic, I will write her. Perhaps later on it might be very useful. I hope the suit I asked you to send up to Robinson & Steele will do me well in summer, I’ve asked them to make it like a tunic as much as possible, but perhaps if not a success, poor Maria’s tunic would fit me. This one is heavy & all right for another month or so, but in June & July it would be too hot.
I see the French have done well last day or two & Russians seem to be giving Austrians a bad time, surly Austria must soon come to an end or sue for peace …
Your weather seems far finer than ours. Here day after day it is a case of sea boots, oilskin, muffler etc. oh for some sun. They all tell one April is very wintry here. No my photo is not exactly flattering I suppose.
So Will goes abroad, to France or Turkey, I suppose former, Nantes or Rouen, it will be a nice jaunt for him & a change from Avonmouth, not a very attractive spot. He seems alright again.
Italy still very uncertain what to do. I think I told you Bank of Ireland had transferred £10 to your account, so please just keep an acct. of what you pay for me!
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
New commandant, troops landed at Dardanelles ...
25 April 1915, Allied troops landed around the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. © IWM
Convois Automobiles
S.S.A. no. 3
Par Paris
France
April 28th, 1915
My Dear Mother
Letter I wrote yesterday does not go till today, so I add a line this morning …
I’ve got a front room overlooking lake with another man, very nice, our Commandant & [?] Frank Hargreaves have the similar room on other side of landing, so I’m alright. In annexe at back in garden the younger lot are billeted. As a matter of fact I fancy I’m the oldest of all the lot here, one very nice fellow who lives in Ceylon, is, I should say about my age. Our Commandants name is Turbutt, lives in Hampshire & has travelled a lot: quite a nice & tactful fellow. Frank Hargreaves goes home 8th May, but says he is coming back. Several go home at end of 3 months which we signed on for & some new men coming, but most of latter will be where we were before & not here. Some few who are going, tho’ good fellows in their way, one will not miss.
I see in paper this morng. that they have landed troops at Dardanelles …
Birds singing away & very hard to think it is a war, but within a very short run up over pass one is in thick of it, guns, troops etc …
My car is next to go, so must be off. I brought it round here last night in case of a night call.
Yr affect. Son
Arthur
S.S.A. no. 3
Par Paris
France
April 28th, 1915
My Dear Mother
Letter I wrote yesterday does not go till today, so I add a line this morning …
I’ve got a front room overlooking lake with another man, very nice, our Commandant & [?] Frank Hargreaves have the similar room on other side of landing, so I’m alright. In annexe at back in garden the younger lot are billeted. As a matter of fact I fancy I’m the oldest of all the lot here, one very nice fellow who lives in Ceylon, is, I should say about my age. Our Commandants name is Turbutt, lives in Hampshire & has travelled a lot: quite a nice & tactful fellow. Frank Hargreaves goes home 8th May, but says he is coming back. Several go home at end of 3 months which we signed on for & some new men coming, but most of latter will be where we were before & not here. Some few who are going, tho’ good fellows in their way, one will not miss.
I see in paper this morng. that they have landed troops at Dardanelles …
Birds singing away & very hard to think it is a war, but within a very short run up over pass one is in thick of it, guns, troops etc …
My car is next to go, so must be off. I brought it round here last night in case of a night call.
Yr affect. Son
Arthur