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Primary Source WW1 Letters Home March, 1915Car washing, snow, dangerous driving in snow with no lights, a car crash, helping the wounded, exhaustion, trenches barbed wire and soldiers graves ...
WW1 Letter Home March 1st, 1915. Page 1 March 1st 1915 Click to enlarge
France
March 1st, 1915 My Dear Mother, Yrs.of Feb 21st & enclosure from Kate came today. So far your letters have not been opened. As my car is having an overhaul today by mechanic, I’ve a little spare time, but mostly after dinner which is at 6-30p.m. We only got in at 3-15 a.m. this morning after a long day yesterday having had a call just as I was finishing petit dejeuner at 10 to 8 having been up all night on guard duty, tho we both slept a bit in our overcoats on couple of couches. My car was first on list to go out, so I had to go & get chauffeurs for cars that had to go & other man to warn gentlemen drivers round about their billets. Just come back from dinner & found p.c. from yours of Feb 20th waiting for me in ante room. I hear they have had a big fight today & all available cars have been called out for wounded & left the place ½ an hour ago. I should have also had to go had not my car been under repair & will not be ready till noon tomorrow when I’m certain to be off, as you see it is no pic nic. Had my car been ready I should have been out all night, left 8 p.m. & got back perhaps noon tomorrow, that on top of being up all sat. night on duty, out from 8 a.m. yesterday (Sunday) to 3-30 a.m. this morning (Monday), & so a bed seems of little use. Been busy cleaning out my car this aft. noon after carrying 5 wounded from close to the trenches to a hospital at a town 15 miles from here where we arrived 11 p.m. last night, got out our wounded & then went into kitchen had coffee & bread & butter, as sister was cook & very nice, we were 15 cars or so, 30 men. We left there midnight, came up over a high pass, quite deep snow on top & a heavy snowstorm, tho’ below it had been thawing all day. Snow blowing hard in ones face at 1 a.m. crossing a high pass is not pleasure, cold! Certainly a beautiful road each way a so well graded. We carried [?] on road this side, went wrong direction & got here 3 a.m.this morning. If I had to go out again tonight I should probably have fallen asleep on car. We were kept nearly 4 hours in a village yesterday, & had lunch there, then taken on 2 or 4 at a time & had to keep 200 metres apart. One of course heard the fighting going on just over the hill all the time. Then we climbed & got into another small village & made to wait, this was a bit after 5 p.m. There was an old tower on hill just above the village where the French had a man on look out & watching the fight. As it began to get dark we were again told to come on I followed French officer in his car. Climbed up still more & road came round just under the old tower on the other side where front car suddenly stopped. The French officer came back to us & said Germans were firing across the road just in front of his car, so we must wait & that we must keep well under the trees. After a bit we went on, turned along top of ridge, Germans on our right & were retiring, luckily most of road was safe, high bank on one side. It was all thick Pine Forest. We went along 2 miles or so & stopped & found ourselves right alongside some of the French guns hidden just on side of the road. I talked to the men & while we were there they fired 5 more rounds at the Germans who were a mile or so away on opposite ridge; it was most interesting, nearly dark then & these were last shots fired there, tho’ one heard the guns going further to the north. We went on ½ a mile & came to a X roads & small opening in the forest, here we were told to turn round & wait. Of course no lights allowed. Then a few wounded began to arrive from the trenches a short way off, some lightly wounded limping & walking & bad cases on stretchers & laid down by the cars & an officer took down names & particulars of bad cases; an Abbr’ was there & a few soldiers, others kept passing & mules with food for men in trenches. It was all so weird them in the small opening in the forest & high up. I was not at all sure how it would affect me at first, some people of course can’t stand this work & seeing the wounded & dead, & all under such very weird conditions. Somehow it has no effect on me & I was, I confess, surprised! Some quite unconscious & moaning away, fearfully wounded, slightly wounded so patient & grateful for any little help; we took 2 stretcher cases & 3 sitting down in our car & started off to village 3 miles off & 2 others who had gone ahead were waiting for us. I went into little Cabaret full of soldiers feeding & managed to get 2 cups of coffee to give my 3 sitting wounded, they were SO grateful & the other soldiers who were sitting round said nice things. One felt so awfully sorry for them. We then went on, 3 cars with a French officer on first car down a long winding road. At bottom front car tried to pass a mule cart, went to far to one side & wheels sunk, in slush & mud & car tilted to a most dangerous angle. It was full of wounded, 2 bad stretcher cases on side it had tilted, of course all our pushing would not move it & it was within an ace of turning over. Luckily I had 2 boards & a shovel fixed on to my car for such emergencies, so I got them off while others took wounded out, dug away & got boards under wheels & got car out. It was all rather ghastly, those poor wounded fellows & 2 on stretchers laid on the road, one singing out with pain, & all this was about 10 o’c last night. I found on going back to my car that we had slipped off road too & had to dig away & put down boards, but luckily got out without having to move out the wounded. Just as we were ready to start other cars joined us we all went on together to the hospital. One man in my car seemed almost dead when they took him out. They are of course out in open until they can be got in evening when battle is over & this weather it is very hard on a man. One of our cars was out for 48 hours moving wounded, & yesterday aft. noon at a village they were in, or small town, the German shells were going over their heads for some time; going out yesterday we passed villages where there had been a lot of fighting in Sep. & houses & churches wrecked, trenches & barbed wire entanglements & many graves about, most with the Red Kepi of the soldier hanging on the wooden cross over grave. Last night coming back we passed troops & transport going up. Soldiers everywhere. One is stopped very often by sentries & cars counted. Roads wonderful considering bar shell holes & with wounded one has to be careful driving, every jolt the badly wounded sing out & it makes you feel such a brute, tho’ of course one cannot help it at times. Luckily just now it is moonlight, but when really dark I don’t know how we shall get along, the latter part of the way home we were allowed lights. I hope car will run well after its overhaul. My chauffeur has been very seedy in bed since we arrived here, nuisance, poor man, I went to see him this evg. He says he is much better, but it will be 3 or 4 days before he will be able to come out with car. I’ve got another man, very decent fellow, for time being. Got up in time for 11-30 dejeuner this morning. Cleaned inside of my Ambulance this aft.noon after my load last night & knowing car was in dock & I could not be called I thought it a favourable chance to have a bath, so I found very nice baths about 50 yds, from here & had my first since Beauvais, goodness knows when I may get another. I could not go to Mass yesterday tho’ church is 20 yds, from my billet door. I went in for part of Rosary & Benediction this evg. 5-30, children sang so nicely. My kind landlady put a hot water bottle in my bed last night, so when I turned in at nearly 4 o’c this morning it was still hot & such a treat, as ones feet get like blocks of ice at this job. I see one can never reckon on a minute to oneself, may have to rush off any time of day or night & just grab a meal when you can. This seems a long letter, but will give you an idea of the work one has to do. Best love Yr affect. Son Arthur Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915 |
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Describing a bombing raid by a Taube, and a long very long day and night ...
Vosges
March 5th, 1915
Today we had an interesting time. About 12 cars left here about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, Thursday, & went up towards the front, en route got orders to return to a town of some size 25k away & take wounded from that town to another fair sized town at 18-20k distance. It was a glorious sunny & mild day, a pretty run & we got into the first town about 4 p.m. or a bit earlier. All the population & many soldiers turned out to see us as no English convoy had ever been there, the female population in great voice & sweet smiles. We pulled up in main street & just about same time a German Taube flew up & over the town.
They fired two shrapnel shells at it, but they went very wide & burst a long way off. It then flew up over us & the soldiers advised us to disperse as the convoy made such a good mark & they were sure to drop a bomb on it, population fled into the houses & some of our people took shelter on pavement. I advised my shover to stay by the car with me, as I did not feel at all brave & felt it was quite the safest place, as they rarely hit what they aim at & generally kill innocent people & destroy a house or something a long way from the object they aim at.
It was most interesting experience; I suppose he was 5,000 ft. He dropped, I believe, 2 bombs, we heard them explode not very far away in direction of powder magazine which was object of his attack. I don’t suppose he meant one for us, goodness knows, but if he could see we were English, he probably might have had a go, but must give him benefit of the doubt as they can’t all be so bad. Just after he dropped his bombs, they fired two more shells at him, he was very nearly right overhead, one very wide, but second a very good shot & burst just under him & off he went. I do so wish he had been brought down. Everybody came out again to watch the firing & from where he was we knew our convoy was safe.
This town is divided by a small river, one side of it is totally destroyed & church tower riddled & part of roof, but it has been patched up & is in use. Fearful fighting in this town last Aug. & Sep. side Germans were, main part, was very slightly damaged, but other side held by French absolutely heap of ruins. It is awful to see these places. The Germans are by way of having behaved specially badly at this place.
Well we took a lot of soldiers suffering from frozen feet from this town to another 18k off, I had 8 sitting up in my car, some could limp, others carried on mens backs: they come along with their rifles & kit & are no light weight. Quite dark when we arrived at other town & left them at military hospital there. Then we started off again, no meal, just what we had with us, biscuits, bread, chocolate & coffee in thermos. We went I suppose 25 miles & up to the trenches where we arrived after midnight passing troops & waggons moving up & down, no lights allowed & it is pretty trying work looking out with all this traffic one may meet anywhere. On a narrow part of road trying to pass a military mule cart our officers car got over one side into mud deep down. I was next behind him & came to rescue with my two boards & shovel I carry on my car, most useful they have already proved. Got boards under the two bogged wheels & with the old car towed him out. We had just started off again when sharp whistle called us back & another, an ambulance car had slipped in & 2 wheels bogged, more boards & shovel & then we towed her out, so I felt we had been useful.
After that we went on up into forest & took wounded, I had 4 on stretchers. We got them down to a hospital where we arrived at 1 a.m. this morng. no room there, so we had to take them to another hospital at another town where we arrived 3 a.m. There we left them poor fellows, a long run. We got back here 5-30 this morng. to bed at 6 & I got up at 10:15 time for dejeuner at 11. Am feeling pretty tired & will go to bed early. With wounded especially it is trying travelling along these roads in dark, no lights, least jolt agony to them & one feels it so & must be so careful.
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March 5th, 1915
Today we had an interesting time. About 12 cars left here about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, Thursday, & went up towards the front, en route got orders to return to a town of some size 25k away & take wounded from that town to another fair sized town at 18-20k distance. It was a glorious sunny & mild day, a pretty run & we got into the first town about 4 p.m. or a bit earlier. All the population & many soldiers turned out to see us as no English convoy had ever been there, the female population in great voice & sweet smiles. We pulled up in main street & just about same time a German Taube flew up & over the town.
They fired two shrapnel shells at it, but they went very wide & burst a long way off. It then flew up over us & the soldiers advised us to disperse as the convoy made such a good mark & they were sure to drop a bomb on it, population fled into the houses & some of our people took shelter on pavement. I advised my shover to stay by the car with me, as I did not feel at all brave & felt it was quite the safest place, as they rarely hit what they aim at & generally kill innocent people & destroy a house or something a long way from the object they aim at.
It was most interesting experience; I suppose he was 5,000 ft. He dropped, I believe, 2 bombs, we heard them explode not very far away in direction of powder magazine which was object of his attack. I don’t suppose he meant one for us, goodness knows, but if he could see we were English, he probably might have had a go, but must give him benefit of the doubt as they can’t all be so bad. Just after he dropped his bombs, they fired two more shells at him, he was very nearly right overhead, one very wide, but second a very good shot & burst just under him & off he went. I do so wish he had been brought down. Everybody came out again to watch the firing & from where he was we knew our convoy was safe.
This town is divided by a small river, one side of it is totally destroyed & church tower riddled & part of roof, but it has been patched up & is in use. Fearful fighting in this town last Aug. & Sep. side Germans were, main part, was very slightly damaged, but other side held by French absolutely heap of ruins. It is awful to see these places. The Germans are by way of having behaved specially badly at this place.
Well we took a lot of soldiers suffering from frozen feet from this town to another 18k off, I had 8 sitting up in my car, some could limp, others carried on mens backs: they come along with their rifles & kit & are no light weight. Quite dark when we arrived at other town & left them at military hospital there. Then we started off again, no meal, just what we had with us, biscuits, bread, chocolate & coffee in thermos. We went I suppose 25 miles & up to the trenches where we arrived after midnight passing troops & waggons moving up & down, no lights allowed & it is pretty trying work looking out with all this traffic one may meet anywhere. On a narrow part of road trying to pass a military mule cart our officers car got over one side into mud deep down. I was next behind him & came to rescue with my two boards & shovel I carry on my car, most useful they have already proved. Got boards under the two bogged wheels & with the old car towed him out. We had just started off again when sharp whistle called us back & another, an ambulance car had slipped in & 2 wheels bogged, more boards & shovel & then we towed her out, so I felt we had been useful.
After that we went on up into forest & took wounded, I had 4 on stretchers. We got them down to a hospital where we arrived at 1 a.m. this morng. no room there, so we had to take them to another hospital at another town where we arrived 3 a.m. There we left them poor fellows, a long run. We got back here 5-30 this morng. to bed at 6 & I got up at 10:15 time for dejeuner at 11. Am feeling pretty tired & will go to bed early. With wounded especially it is trying travelling along these roads in dark, no lights, least jolt agony to them & one feels it so & must be so careful.
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Arthur worries about being shot, carries soldiers who have frozen feet, talks about the ruination of the French villages ...
Convois Automobiles
S.S.A. No.3 Par Parc Dijon France Sunday Night March 7th, 1915 My Dear Mother … Many thanks for seeing about Gum boots, I had to buy a pair of Galoshes, most of us use them, result was dry feet for 2 days & my sore throat went at last. In this constant wet it is so hard to get rid of colds. Several have colds & throats & the men too. I doubt if my man will be fit enough for the work, he helps in kitchen now, looks thin & miserable still it is a great nuisance not having him, so hard to keep having different men & so much harder to keep car all clean & right. I’ve spent four hours at it this aft. noon washing & cleaning & cleaning stretchers, pillows with rubber pillow cases & blankets, everything gets so dirty & often stretchers & pillows covered in blood. We don’t pretend to wash cars, no conveniences for one reason & no time for another. But inside one has to try & keep clean & use Jays now & again to disinfect. The wounded who probably have been in trenches for days are of course covered in mud. When clearing my car out this afternoon I found 6 packets of cartridges, rather alarming. Often the wounded from trenches have their rifles with them on stretches with muzzle pointing at me, one wonders if the thing is loaded, as likely as not it may be. It is nearly dinner time, we dine 7 p.m. Dejeuner 11-30. I only got in here from garage at ¼ to 6, I had meant to write several letters, it is so hard, tired at night & on all day & night too at times. Yesterday 6 cars including mine left 8 a.m. & got back here 7 p.m. last night, we must have done quite 100 miles fetching wounded from a hospital or rather from 3 different hospitals in one town to a large military hospital in another 12 miles away, the furthest town we had to go to is 22 miles from here & we had to run between the two, I carried 24 men including 6 officers & 2 of them I helped to carry into hospital. Only 2 of the lot on stretchers, rest sitting, tho’ several with frozen feet & had to be carried on a man’s back & put sitting in Ambulance. It is a most painful thing I believe. They are all so patient & take it all without any complaint. Between the two towns where we were running yesterday there was tremendous fighting last Sep. or early Oct. lasting 17 days. Villages destroyed, huge shell holes all about, graves & trenches & wire entanglements. One heard of course all about Belgian towns being destroyed, but little about French ones, you can’t imagine the state of some of these villages & parts of the towns, absolute ruins. On a pass near here we have been over a few times there was very heavy fighting, thousands killed & marks limit of German invasion, they were pushed back from there to where they are now, they never got here but were within a short distance. No call today, first day off since we came. Heard guns about noon today, but last 3 days very little fighting if any, so we have not been called to the trenches. Fact is, we happened to arrive just at beginning of big fight which lasted 4 or 5 days, now, for moment, they are comparatively quiet. We passed a tremendous lot of cavalry yesterday at a town we were at. This morning my kind landlady gave me coffee & some little cakes ¼ to 8 & I went to Mass at 8 opposite. As there was no call this morng. I went again at 10, sort of High Mass, lot of people & good practical sermon, very easy to understand; my landlady was there. How awful these catastrophes in Italy seem to have been. Fancy mountains splitting & moving about & such floods. I see or saw nothing about this in French papers. Started to snow again at noon, but seems finer tonight. Been a thaw last few days & snow had disappeared. I brought peppermints with me, 2 small tins, yes, they are very nice to have & on a cold night they are good to suck. I hope you have got Evg. Standard with account of our trip to Beauvais & will keep it, the man who wrote it left us there I think & returned home. I hear another chauffeur is very ill this evg. We shall be short of men if they go on getting laid up. One who objected going up to the trenches & said he was too near firing, has been made sort of bedroom cleaner & kitchen help to the men, he is quite sound, so it reduces our chauffeurs a lot. Best love A Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915 |
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The young women of the town not behaving as they should, German prisoner says that they have already taken Paris & Warsaw ...
Convois Automobiles
S.S.A. No.3
Par Parc Dijon
France
Sunday Night March 14th, 1915
My Dear Mother
…
Did you get the picture p.cards I sent from various places, as I’m told they do not send p.post cards now in France, but others say they do, if they do I would send you one of here …
I’ve just come in & write this before going to bed. As I came in my nice landlady brought me a hot drink, she often does or has lately as a cure for my cold or throat which now is gone. She makes it from, or it is made from Orange leaves; we generally have a chat then. She is such a kind soul. She has a very nice looking daughter of 23 who is doing Red Cross nursing at Belfort.
Went to 10 o’c Mass today and the Abbé spoke very strongly to the young women of the town, or some of them, who have not been behaving as well as they might since the war started & rubbed it in well.
No sign of boots yet, I am told parcels take a long time. While writing in my lady’s dining room last evg. at 6 an officer rushed in & dug me out & said I had to go off with my car to a village in the hills just behind the French lines, 50 nearly kilometres from here. I got some hot chocolate in the thermos & chocolate, bread & biscuits, left at 6-30 p.m. & got back at 11 p.m. last night, just the one car. So many sentries to be passed, they wave a lamp & a rifle & cry “ halte la”. One has to give the pass word which I did not know going up, but had a “laissez passer”, but got it up there from Commandant, so got back much quicker with my wounded. Am always very careful to make my man slow slow up at once, some of these jumpy fellows would shoot one in a minute; they are so particular now there has been so much spying.
They use a sort of large barn place at this village for a hospital & men lying all around on straw. While there one could see the German flare lights going up, they are very bright & they keep throwing them up all night in order to see if they are being or going to be attacked. In some places there the trenches are only 80 metres apart. A Corsican soldier, sick, came down on car with us last night & sat in front; he hates this climate after his own & will, I fancy, be very glad to get back to his country.
One of our fellows who is working with part of our convoy at a place some 15 or 20 miles from here, & was over for lunch today, told me that amongst the wounded he had brought down was a young German boy of 16, latter he said was most sure of Germany winning the war, as he said they had already taken Paris & Warsaw!! So I suppose they are all told these things, but it is curious they can’t find out the truth sometimes. Another wounded German they carried there was waiter at the Ritz.
My little shover is to go home tomorrow or next day. Today I’ve been given another man, don’t care for him from what I know of him, so I don’t fancy I shall keep him long; he did not get along with the other man he was with. Four cars were called out at 11 last night & got back at 7 this morng. It is raining & foggy & beastly, always so damp. My lady tells me a great many people here have throats, so I suppose it is common to the place; various men in our lot are laid up, one with chicken pox today I’m told. I see 2 Fielding girls are married. I’m off to bed-
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
I see Lord Cadogan is dead & soon after Ld. Londonderry. Glad Will got so many men, suppose they will enlist. I see Mexico is more hopeless than ever.
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S.S.A. No.3
Par Parc Dijon
France
Sunday Night March 14th, 1915
My Dear Mother
…
Did you get the picture p.cards I sent from various places, as I’m told they do not send p.post cards now in France, but others say they do, if they do I would send you one of here …
I’ve just come in & write this before going to bed. As I came in my nice landlady brought me a hot drink, she often does or has lately as a cure for my cold or throat which now is gone. She makes it from, or it is made from Orange leaves; we generally have a chat then. She is such a kind soul. She has a very nice looking daughter of 23 who is doing Red Cross nursing at Belfort.
Went to 10 o’c Mass today and the Abbé spoke very strongly to the young women of the town, or some of them, who have not been behaving as well as they might since the war started & rubbed it in well.
No sign of boots yet, I am told parcels take a long time. While writing in my lady’s dining room last evg. at 6 an officer rushed in & dug me out & said I had to go off with my car to a village in the hills just behind the French lines, 50 nearly kilometres from here. I got some hot chocolate in the thermos & chocolate, bread & biscuits, left at 6-30 p.m. & got back at 11 p.m. last night, just the one car. So many sentries to be passed, they wave a lamp & a rifle & cry “ halte la”. One has to give the pass word which I did not know going up, but had a “laissez passer”, but got it up there from Commandant, so got back much quicker with my wounded. Am always very careful to make my man slow slow up at once, some of these jumpy fellows would shoot one in a minute; they are so particular now there has been so much spying.
They use a sort of large barn place at this village for a hospital & men lying all around on straw. While there one could see the German flare lights going up, they are very bright & they keep throwing them up all night in order to see if they are being or going to be attacked. In some places there the trenches are only 80 metres apart. A Corsican soldier, sick, came down on car with us last night & sat in front; he hates this climate after his own & will, I fancy, be very glad to get back to his country.
One of our fellows who is working with part of our convoy at a place some 15 or 20 miles from here, & was over for lunch today, told me that amongst the wounded he had brought down was a young German boy of 16, latter he said was most sure of Germany winning the war, as he said they had already taken Paris & Warsaw!! So I suppose they are all told these things, but it is curious they can’t find out the truth sometimes. Another wounded German they carried there was waiter at the Ritz.
My little shover is to go home tomorrow or next day. Today I’ve been given another man, don’t care for him from what I know of him, so I don’t fancy I shall keep him long; he did not get along with the other man he was with. Four cars were called out at 11 last night & got back at 7 this morng. It is raining & foggy & beastly, always so damp. My lady tells me a great many people here have throats, so I suppose it is common to the place; various men in our lot are laid up, one with chicken pox today I’m told. I see 2 Fielding girls are married. I’m off to bed-
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
I see Lord Cadogan is dead & soon after Ld. Londonderry. Glad Will got so many men, suppose they will enlist. I see Mexico is more hopeless than ever.
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Arthur tells of a German air raid, chats to a nice American girl ...
Wednesday night March 17th, 1915
My Dear Mother
…
A lovely day, sunny & nice at last, yesterday nice too. Such a treat after all wet & snow & continual damp, yet I fear they get snow here up to middle April & we shall have more cold weather. We aired our ambulances, stretchers & blankets in the sun this morng. it was wanted. How sad about Roger Bellingham, did they know he had a heart! Poor Sir Henry, I wonder what he will do now. I see Gerald’s friend, Col.du Maurier*, has been killed, he was in G’s regt.
No boots yet! I hear parcels take a very long time. Nothing else I want. If I stay through summer I don’t know how long my uniform will last!! It may hang out. It’s a bit thick for summer, but can take out lining. My “shover” left on his return to London yesterday…..
Splendid Will being able to take over all these men, labour will be quite scarce about Celbridge now. Yesterday evg. I went to Benediction & Rosary at 5-30 & when coming out an Artillery soldier came up to me & talked & asked me if I were an R.C. & told me he was a & was serving in the Artillery. Today while waiting to start from a barracks here, a lot of Artillery marched out or rode out & I saw a man stare at me & salute & this I recognised as my friend of last evg.
Three cars including mine went off at 1 today to a town some 15 miles off. I picked up my lot at first hospital 2 stretcher cases & 4 sitters, then we all went round to another hospital just off Main St., a fair sized town & being a lovely day, a lot of people about. While we were drawn up in front of the second hospital putting in wounded the town bell rang violently which is a warning that an aeroplane is coming, everybody stares up & we saw him come straight up over us; everybody ran into houses, we had just filled our cars with wounded & we were told to get off as quick as we could, as they would attract a bomb.
We jumped up & off we started down the street & round a corner along some way in another road & while going along heard a loud report behind us, a bomb, but not on street we were in, further away. We pulled up & watched him. A man told me they fired at him, but I did not hear that. Anyway after dropping, I believe, 3 bombs, off he went. One fell just beside a bridge in centre of town which we had crossed coming in & recrossed going out, & saw a crowd round hole it had made in the ground, I don’t know where the other 2 fell, we had not time to go & see.
We were told the Taube was after a column of Artillery they knew was on the move there, wonderful the spying that goes on & how they know every move of the French. I suppose he tried to destroy the bridge, as it is on a main road. With clear weather I fancy there will be a goodeal of this Taube bomb dropping business going on.
I don’t know that I shall care for W O’Brien as a shover, rather a nuisance, much easier to get on with the real paid article, the gentleman shover business is a nuisance as both are boss, or want to be & it does not work. I’ve got a new man & so far have got on all right, but whether it will last remains to be seen.
It will be 6 wks. on Monday since we left London, half the time we signed on to come for, some go back 9th May, but I think I’ll stay on till August, it must be for another 3 months from 9th May. If I could get a few days leave, I might perhaps get over to Blois, but of course it depends very much on the work doing then. An American girl who is helping as a nurse here talked to me in the street this morng. I had not seen her before, seems a nice sort & we had a chat.
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Where is the West Meath ambulance going to work??
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My Dear Mother
…
A lovely day, sunny & nice at last, yesterday nice too. Such a treat after all wet & snow & continual damp, yet I fear they get snow here up to middle April & we shall have more cold weather. We aired our ambulances, stretchers & blankets in the sun this morng. it was wanted. How sad about Roger Bellingham, did they know he had a heart! Poor Sir Henry, I wonder what he will do now. I see Gerald’s friend, Col.du Maurier*, has been killed, he was in G’s regt.
No boots yet! I hear parcels take a very long time. Nothing else I want. If I stay through summer I don’t know how long my uniform will last!! It may hang out. It’s a bit thick for summer, but can take out lining. My “shover” left on his return to London yesterday…..
Splendid Will being able to take over all these men, labour will be quite scarce about Celbridge now. Yesterday evg. I went to Benediction & Rosary at 5-30 & when coming out an Artillery soldier came up to me & talked & asked me if I were an R.C. & told me he was a & was serving in the Artillery. Today while waiting to start from a barracks here, a lot of Artillery marched out or rode out & I saw a man stare at me & salute & this I recognised as my friend of last evg.
Three cars including mine went off at 1 today to a town some 15 miles off. I picked up my lot at first hospital 2 stretcher cases & 4 sitters, then we all went round to another hospital just off Main St., a fair sized town & being a lovely day, a lot of people about. While we were drawn up in front of the second hospital putting in wounded the town bell rang violently which is a warning that an aeroplane is coming, everybody stares up & we saw him come straight up over us; everybody ran into houses, we had just filled our cars with wounded & we were told to get off as quick as we could, as they would attract a bomb.
We jumped up & off we started down the street & round a corner along some way in another road & while going along heard a loud report behind us, a bomb, but not on street we were in, further away. We pulled up & watched him. A man told me they fired at him, but I did not hear that. Anyway after dropping, I believe, 3 bombs, off he went. One fell just beside a bridge in centre of town which we had crossed coming in & recrossed going out, & saw a crowd round hole it had made in the ground, I don’t know where the other 2 fell, we had not time to go & see.
We were told the Taube was after a column of Artillery they knew was on the move there, wonderful the spying that goes on & how they know every move of the French. I suppose he tried to destroy the bridge, as it is on a main road. With clear weather I fancy there will be a goodeal of this Taube bomb dropping business going on.
I don’t know that I shall care for W O’Brien as a shover, rather a nuisance, much easier to get on with the real paid article, the gentleman shover business is a nuisance as both are boss, or want to be & it does not work. I’ve got a new man & so far have got on all right, but whether it will last remains to be seen.
It will be 6 wks. on Monday since we left London, half the time we signed on to come for, some go back 9th May, but I think I’ll stay on till August, it must be for another 3 months from 9th May. If I could get a few days leave, I might perhaps get over to Blois, but of course it depends very much on the work doing then. An American girl who is helping as a nurse here talked to me in the street this morng. I had not seen her before, seems a nice sort & we had a chat.
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Where is the West Meath ambulance going to work??
Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915
*Guy Louis Busson du Maurier, D.S.O.
Lieutanant Colonel, killed in action Kemmel near Ypres 9th March, 1915, 3rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).
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Arthur gets some new boots, doesn't like bombing, has to collect 4 officer casualties ...
Convois Automobiles
S.S.A. No.3
Par Paris
France
Monday Night March 22nd, 1915
My Dear Mother
Note above, address once more changed, put Paris instead of Dijon & not Parc. Why the change I don’t know, of course all letters come along all right that have other address. The boots arrived 2 days ago, I’m sure they are very good & waterproof, a size smaller might have been better, but with 2 socks on each foot they go nicely & of course are not meant for walking much. One of our fellows, Roderick Wigan, has a similar pair, I believe they are very good & I greased them this morng. & will try them first rain …
Awfully sorry to hear about Will, what very bad luck, I hope his eye is getting right & his nose mending properly, such a nasty thing a kick in the face, like Geoffrey got. You can never trust a mule, I suppose he looked on them as he would a horse; I’ve seen a lot of them in Mexico & never go near one unless his behind is up against a fence, the Mexicans always train them to line up like that when they run them into the yards before catching them. They have telescopic hind legs & you have to pass yards behind them to be safe. Also they “go off” at either end, up & strike you with fore legs or bite & reach out about ten yards with their hind legs & you can never trust them. In Mexico we drove them always …
No, I don’t want snow boots thanks. Snow has all gone, for the moment at any rate & to’ we shall get more, I don’t fancy it will lie long …
Made out quite a nice American woman here helping nurse & give coffee etc to soldiers passing through in trains; she & 2 or 3 french women live in a railway carriage on a siding at station close to our garage. An aeroplane came over this morng. at 10-30 & dropped 3 bombs about 2 or 300 yards from our headquarters on the “Place”. Most of us were down at our cars at barracks, but 2 or 3 were in ante-room & heard the explosions & went out to see what had happened & get bits of bomb, part of one had not exploded. We saw the Taube over barracks & quite expected he would or might drop a bomb amongst our cars.
On Saturday morng. he came about same time & dropped a bomb by the barracks just as our fellows were coming up for “dejeuner”, much excitement a hole & glass broken, but nobody hurt. I was here in my room writing, I’d left garage ¾ of an hour before. These clear days they see everything so well & fly about. A French flying man suddenly appeared this morng. & the Taube flew back to German lines. Beastly game this bomb dropping, rotten sort of warfare.
I see Jack de Robeck* is taking command of Dardanelles fleet, he has got on well. Where is Charley de R?
Just looked at casualties in Paris Daily Mail & see Tom Brockholes has been wounded. Awful long list of killed & wounded.
On Saturday aft. noon at 3 while helping my shover to clean car I was ordered off at once, just my own car, to go & report to Commandant at a spot a mile from a large village into which Germans had been dropping shells during the day. We got to the spot in very little over the hour & left our car & walked up to small neat chalet farm house on edge of a wood where we found Commandant. It was within easy view of village, but he would not let us go up till dark, as last mile of road was in full view of German trenches on hills just beyond the village & liable to be shelled. We were told what we were sent for.
At 1 o’c that day while four officers were having dejeuner at a small house at entrance to village used, I understand, as an officers mess, a girl waiting on them also in the room, a German shell fell on house came right through top story, fell almost on the table where they were lunching, burst, killed girl dead on spot, head blown off I understand & wounded the four officers 2 very badly; these 4 men we were to fetch down to another hospital at a town between there & here. We sped up the last mile at dark & up to hospital at far end of town. One of the poor chaps was nearly done, awful wound in stomach, ghastly, he was dying & useless to try & bring him; other 3 we put on our stretchers, one man very bad & little hope for him they told me, suffering agony. We were not allowed lights of course, but there was a young moon, so we got down to hospital pretty quickly, of course usual stopping by sentries for password. The mother of the wretched girl died from shock when she heard of her girl’s death. This is one of the little tragedies of war, going on, no doubt in many parts of the long line daily.
One of the officers was wonderful, I sat him on operating table, as he was on my stretcher I had to wait for, big hole in his foot & bad thigh wound, he chatted & talked to surgeons all the time, they seemed much astonished, he was wonderfully plucky & hardy. We got to hospital about 8 & they gave us a meal in Kitchen, a nice nun presides as cook & lay helpers. We got back here 10-30 that night, very cold driving back. Knowing French one gets sent on these single jobs which I prefer to going in a convoy of 3 or 4 or more, as, especially now, dust is so bad, but of course nothing to what it will be later; by oneself one is all right …
Days seem to fly, 6 wks. today since we left London …
Best love
A
Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915
S.S.A. No.3
Par Paris
France
Monday Night March 22nd, 1915
My Dear Mother
Note above, address once more changed, put Paris instead of Dijon & not Parc. Why the change I don’t know, of course all letters come along all right that have other address. The boots arrived 2 days ago, I’m sure they are very good & waterproof, a size smaller might have been better, but with 2 socks on each foot they go nicely & of course are not meant for walking much. One of our fellows, Roderick Wigan, has a similar pair, I believe they are very good & I greased them this morng. & will try them first rain …
Awfully sorry to hear about Will, what very bad luck, I hope his eye is getting right & his nose mending properly, such a nasty thing a kick in the face, like Geoffrey got. You can never trust a mule, I suppose he looked on them as he would a horse; I’ve seen a lot of them in Mexico & never go near one unless his behind is up against a fence, the Mexicans always train them to line up like that when they run them into the yards before catching them. They have telescopic hind legs & you have to pass yards behind them to be safe. Also they “go off” at either end, up & strike you with fore legs or bite & reach out about ten yards with their hind legs & you can never trust them. In Mexico we drove them always …
No, I don’t want snow boots thanks. Snow has all gone, for the moment at any rate & to’ we shall get more, I don’t fancy it will lie long …
Made out quite a nice American woman here helping nurse & give coffee etc to soldiers passing through in trains; she & 2 or 3 french women live in a railway carriage on a siding at station close to our garage. An aeroplane came over this morng. at 10-30 & dropped 3 bombs about 2 or 300 yards from our headquarters on the “Place”. Most of us were down at our cars at barracks, but 2 or 3 were in ante-room & heard the explosions & went out to see what had happened & get bits of bomb, part of one had not exploded. We saw the Taube over barracks & quite expected he would or might drop a bomb amongst our cars.
On Saturday morng. he came about same time & dropped a bomb by the barracks just as our fellows were coming up for “dejeuner”, much excitement a hole & glass broken, but nobody hurt. I was here in my room writing, I’d left garage ¾ of an hour before. These clear days they see everything so well & fly about. A French flying man suddenly appeared this morng. & the Taube flew back to German lines. Beastly game this bomb dropping, rotten sort of warfare.
I see Jack de Robeck* is taking command of Dardanelles fleet, he has got on well. Where is Charley de R?
Just looked at casualties in Paris Daily Mail & see Tom Brockholes has been wounded. Awful long list of killed & wounded.
On Saturday aft. noon at 3 while helping my shover to clean car I was ordered off at once, just my own car, to go & report to Commandant at a spot a mile from a large village into which Germans had been dropping shells during the day. We got to the spot in very little over the hour & left our car & walked up to small neat chalet farm house on edge of a wood where we found Commandant. It was within easy view of village, but he would not let us go up till dark, as last mile of road was in full view of German trenches on hills just beyond the village & liable to be shelled. We were told what we were sent for.
At 1 o’c that day while four officers were having dejeuner at a small house at entrance to village used, I understand, as an officers mess, a girl waiting on them also in the room, a German shell fell on house came right through top story, fell almost on the table where they were lunching, burst, killed girl dead on spot, head blown off I understand & wounded the four officers 2 very badly; these 4 men we were to fetch down to another hospital at a town between there & here. We sped up the last mile at dark & up to hospital at far end of town. One of the poor chaps was nearly done, awful wound in stomach, ghastly, he was dying & useless to try & bring him; other 3 we put on our stretchers, one man very bad & little hope for him they told me, suffering agony. We were not allowed lights of course, but there was a young moon, so we got down to hospital pretty quickly, of course usual stopping by sentries for password. The mother of the wretched girl died from shock when she heard of her girl’s death. This is one of the little tragedies of war, going on, no doubt in many parts of the long line daily.
One of the officers was wonderful, I sat him on operating table, as he was on my stretcher I had to wait for, big hole in his foot & bad thigh wound, he chatted & talked to surgeons all the time, they seemed much astonished, he was wonderfully plucky & hardy. We got to hospital about 8 & they gave us a meal in Kitchen, a nice nun presides as cook & lay helpers. We got back here 10-30 that night, very cold driving back. Knowing French one gets sent on these single jobs which I prefer to going in a convoy of 3 or 4 or more, as, especially now, dust is so bad, but of course nothing to what it will be later; by oneself one is all right …
Days seem to fly, 6 wks. today since we left London …
Best love
A
Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915
World War One News
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From left: Sir Roger Keyes, Vice-Admiral John de Robeck, Sir Ian Hamilton, General Braithwaite. Photo from Project Gutenberg
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Arthur finds a German bomb and attempts to post it home ...
Convois Automobiles
S.S.A. No.3
Par Paris
France
Thursday Night March 25th, 1915
My Dear Mother
…
I see in Times Bath is becoming fashionable again & full of people who usually go abroad to water at this time. Certainly no English will go to German watering places for many years, or ought not to & can be cured, no doubt, just as well at Bath or Lucan.
I see that a prominent German has written that in future it will be impossible for Germans & English to live under same roof or to mix, as they are a superior race & might be contaminated; I so hope they live up to it & keep out of hotels we go to abroad or keep out of England. I’m surprised at behaviour of Bavarians if what one hears is true, but one cannot believe all one hears. Good news from Russian side, I see tonight that they got 120,000 prisoners with the place.
I’m not pretty I know, but surly I’m not quite as awful as enclosed makes out. I got done a few days ago, 4f a doz. post card size. Perhaps I am getting to look as old, goodness knows, but I did not think so, it may be my vanity.
I was up at the hospital today, at a town some miles from here, where I took the 3 poor wounded officers Saturday evg. that I brought down from a village Germans were shelling & were wounded while at lunch. I heard the badly wounded one died next day, they had little hopes & the one that was dying when I got up to the village & was of course too bad to move, died soon after we left. I see Tom Brockholes has been wounded, family should be quite happy now. I feel sorry for G. & Mary, both Campden & Charles out & Robert too in foreign parts, I do hope they come through all right. Awful list of casualties & it is only just beginning.
They have taken to bomb dropping here. The very fine weather we had three or four days ago, Monday I think, a Taube flew over & dropped 3 bombs within about 200 yds of our headquarters about 10.30 a.m. On Tuesday, a lovely warm day, another came up just as we had finished dejeuner & the cars assembling in “Place” that we were going out that day. He hovered over us at a considerable height & we were sure he’d drop one, cars were promptly ordered to disperse & off they went down various side streets. He threw a bomb, but we did not know till after, rotten shot.
3 of us went for a walk & by a farmhouse on road just outside town farmer told us they had just dropped a bomb in wood close by, he saw it drop, long streak of flame & smoke. We got the bomb, it made a good hole, but was in a wonderfully perfect state for an exploded one so I thought I’d send it home, when we got back here I took it to P.O. & asked them if I might send a bomb by post, they seemed amused & I showed it them & all the P.O. crowded round to hear all about it. It was too heavy, they are a big weight, so we gave it to our Commandant to send to Wimborne House [British Ambulance Committee HQ] as a souvenir of bombs! They are sending it next week with a man going home & will exhibit it there. It is interesting to see what they are like. We continued our walk with our bomb under our arm & came to a large pond on which we found 3 or 4 boats & people rowing, so we took a boat & went for a row…
I went to pay my friend the American nurse a visit 3 days ago at her railway carriage at station, but she was not it, however her French companion was, a very nice woman & we had a chat & she showed me over their carriage, so nicely fitted up & they seem most snug. It is on a side line at station. I must go again tomorrow if I have time.
I hope Ernest’s rash has gone, poor boy, nasty thing. Tinned stuff is often uncertain, tho’ personally I have never had any ill effects from it, but of course always a chance & if stuff tastes of tin it is bad…
I see they will take boys for Woolwich at 16 ½ & now all free of charge bar some trifling expenses, so it is a good time to get in & we must hope war will be over before he gets out.
Best love
Arthur
Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915
S.S.A. No.3
Par Paris
France
Thursday Night March 25th, 1915
My Dear Mother
…
I see in Times Bath is becoming fashionable again & full of people who usually go abroad to water at this time. Certainly no English will go to German watering places for many years, or ought not to & can be cured, no doubt, just as well at Bath or Lucan.
I see that a prominent German has written that in future it will be impossible for Germans & English to live under same roof or to mix, as they are a superior race & might be contaminated; I so hope they live up to it & keep out of hotels we go to abroad or keep out of England. I’m surprised at behaviour of Bavarians if what one hears is true, but one cannot believe all one hears. Good news from Russian side, I see tonight that they got 120,000 prisoners with the place.
I’m not pretty I know, but surly I’m not quite as awful as enclosed makes out. I got done a few days ago, 4f a doz. post card size. Perhaps I am getting to look as old, goodness knows, but I did not think so, it may be my vanity.
I was up at the hospital today, at a town some miles from here, where I took the 3 poor wounded officers Saturday evg. that I brought down from a village Germans were shelling & were wounded while at lunch. I heard the badly wounded one died next day, they had little hopes & the one that was dying when I got up to the village & was of course too bad to move, died soon after we left. I see Tom Brockholes has been wounded, family should be quite happy now. I feel sorry for G. & Mary, both Campden & Charles out & Robert too in foreign parts, I do hope they come through all right. Awful list of casualties & it is only just beginning.
They have taken to bomb dropping here. The very fine weather we had three or four days ago, Monday I think, a Taube flew over & dropped 3 bombs within about 200 yds of our headquarters about 10.30 a.m. On Tuesday, a lovely warm day, another came up just as we had finished dejeuner & the cars assembling in “Place” that we were going out that day. He hovered over us at a considerable height & we were sure he’d drop one, cars were promptly ordered to disperse & off they went down various side streets. He threw a bomb, but we did not know till after, rotten shot.
3 of us went for a walk & by a farmhouse on road just outside town farmer told us they had just dropped a bomb in wood close by, he saw it drop, long streak of flame & smoke. We got the bomb, it made a good hole, but was in a wonderfully perfect state for an exploded one so I thought I’d send it home, when we got back here I took it to P.O. & asked them if I might send a bomb by post, they seemed amused & I showed it them & all the P.O. crowded round to hear all about it. It was too heavy, they are a big weight, so we gave it to our Commandant to send to Wimborne House [British Ambulance Committee HQ] as a souvenir of bombs! They are sending it next week with a man going home & will exhibit it there. It is interesting to see what they are like. We continued our walk with our bomb under our arm & came to a large pond on which we found 3 or 4 boats & people rowing, so we took a boat & went for a row…
I went to pay my friend the American nurse a visit 3 days ago at her railway carriage at station, but she was not it, however her French companion was, a very nice woman & we had a chat & she showed me over their carriage, so nicely fitted up & they seem most snug. It is on a side line at station. I must go again tomorrow if I have time.
I hope Ernest’s rash has gone, poor boy, nasty thing. Tinned stuff is often uncertain, tho’ personally I have never had any ill effects from it, but of course always a chance & if stuff tastes of tin it is bad…
I see they will take boys for Woolwich at 16 ½ & now all free of charge bar some trifling expenses, so it is a good time to get in & we must hope war will be over before he gets out.
Best love
Arthur
Next Page - World War One Letters Home April 1915
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A German Taube aeroplane c1915
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