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World War One Letters Home October 1915
Arthur's friend marries £5,000 a year, Balkans in a mess, income tax too high ...Vosges
October 7th 1915 My Dear Mother … No parcels yet, they take an awful time. Letters going home been very slow too … I’m delighted to hear about Campden, just the very person he wanted, R.C. & money, £5000 a yr. to start is alright & presumably more some day, he will be able to live at Exton. They ought to be pleased. I never heard of the Eyres, Argentine people I suppose & made money out there. I daresay very nice. Suppose they will soon marry. They no doubt please to marry their daughter to a future Earl … Hope C. gets his job at War Office & is safe, as Flanders now is a very uncertain spot, there must of course be a lot more of what there just has been. I see poor ?????? C Stuart has been killed, also a de Trafford, don’t know which … |
Ernest should pass his medical exam all right; don’t know about the other, but he has 2 more years to try. If he passes does he go soon to Woolwich… These nights are pitch dark & it is awfully hard getting along with no lights, cars get in ditch or collide etc. so far I’ve been very lucky. They tell one that no other ambulances go along the sort of roads we do without lights, but of course one can’t have them … Balkans seem in a mess, can’t make out what side they are all going on, Bulgaria of course, but others still seem uncertain. Greece seems to be too at present. Yes income tax of 3/6 awful. One wonders what will be end of it all … Best love Yr affect son Arthur |
Moved to another village, sadness at loss of friends, not looking forward to winter ...
Vosges
Sunday evg.October 10th 1915
My Dear Mother
Yrs. of 4th & enclosures came yesterday. Yes it sad about ????? Stuart & Lord Petre & so many others.
Yesterday I & another car went off to a place 12 miles from here to do a weeks duty there. We are lodged in a fine Chateau in village & very nice housekeeper, owners of course away; evidently wealthy people & vey much R.C. from pictures etc.
We feed at Drs. Mess, but hope to start one of our own if possible & be independent, not easy tho’ to get anyone to do it. Shovers have very nice billets& feed at hospital …
A convoy left us yesterday for the South, 4 men that had been with us & rest new men just out last few days. Hargreaves is just back & is our Commandant. We shall have only 20 cars here now, quite enough for Winter. If I can stand cold I’ll stay on till March I suppose, but I have option of going in Dec. if I like. I wish it would finish.
I hope Ernest passed his exam. Will seems content at Boulogne, all preparations being made everywhere would make one think war was going on for years.
If I give this up in Dec. it would be hard to get a job at home. Today perfectly lovely. I saw Campdens engagement announced in Paris Daily Mail.
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Sunday evg.October 10th 1915
My Dear Mother
Yrs. of 4th & enclosures came yesterday. Yes it sad about ????? Stuart & Lord Petre & so many others.
Yesterday I & another car went off to a place 12 miles from here to do a weeks duty there. We are lodged in a fine Chateau in village & very nice housekeeper, owners of course away; evidently wealthy people & vey much R.C. from pictures etc.
We feed at Drs. Mess, but hope to start one of our own if possible & be independent, not easy tho’ to get anyone to do it. Shovers have very nice billets& feed at hospital …
A convoy left us yesterday for the South, 4 men that had been with us & rest new men just out last few days. Hargreaves is just back & is our Commandant. We shall have only 20 cars here now, quite enough for Winter. If I can stand cold I’ll stay on till March I suppose, but I have option of going in Dec. if I like. I wish it would finish.
I hope Ernest passed his exam. Will seems content at Boulogne, all preparations being made everywhere would make one think war was going on for years.
If I give this up in Dec. it would be hard to get a job at home. Today perfectly lovely. I saw Campdens engagement announced in Paris Daily Mail.
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Back at base, Balkan's and Dardanelles a mess, Hamilton praises Australian and New Zealand troops, Zeppelins over London ...
The Vosges
Sunday Evg. Oct 17th 1915
My Dear Mother
…
I got back yesterday from a week at a village some miles from here where we now have two cars stationed and take ??? about at it. Ran up some steep roads & pretty rough. Made a change & nice being away on ones own with a pleasant companion. No night work which is a great advantage, we were billeted in a fine Chateau in village & ‘shovers’ in very good rooms close by. I like being away only two, one sees more of the people & gets more chance of talking & meeting them. We asked to be left another week, but they would not let us. My coat arrived while I was there but sofar not the photos. I shall not forget to go to mass tomorrow morning, 18th. Was at High Mass here today, Curé preached rather a fine sermon on warlike matters, & Bismarck & the church, he has been giving a series of them.
How sad poor Dermot Browne, so far I had not seen it in Daily Mail, but while away we only got one or two copies. Of course I saw ?????? C Stuarts death. It is all awfully sad & I fear it is little more than the beginning of it.
What a hopeless mess the Balkan & Dardanelles affair is, I wonder who is to blame, surely a lot of blundering somewhere…
Some biscuits I ordered from stores (A & N) day before I left have not come yet, I wrote to them & got reply to say they had been duly sent. I suppose photos will arrive in a day or two. Can’t make out why they take such ages. I got the primus stove ???? sent me, a very nice one. I use a spirit lamp to warm shaving water every morng. Still had my bath on verandah this morng. but do not take very long over it!! This place is colder than where I was last week, & the lake makes it damp …
Will you get yourself The Field of October 9th. in it there are some notes about this convoy & some photos of some of us & our cars etc. it may interest you to read it. I’ve just written for 3 copies to be sent me from Eason. I wonder if Ernest has passed his exam, if so, does he go to Woolwich, seems very young for that.
I hear Sir Ian Hamilton is full of praise of the Australian & N.Zealand troops, I fancy from all one hears that if our lot had been in some ways as good as they, that we should have the Gallipoli Peninsula by now …
Aeroplanes have been very busy this clear weather & quantities of shells get fired at them, but I never see one hit, of course it is awfully hard. I wish they could get one or two of those Zeppelins that fly over London, from the papers the last raid did a lot of damage & killed several people …
Our convoy is reduced to 20 cars now. Bed time.
Yr affect son
Arthur
Sunday Evg. Oct 17th 1915
My Dear Mother
…
I got back yesterday from a week at a village some miles from here where we now have two cars stationed and take ??? about at it. Ran up some steep roads & pretty rough. Made a change & nice being away on ones own with a pleasant companion. No night work which is a great advantage, we were billeted in a fine Chateau in village & ‘shovers’ in very good rooms close by. I like being away only two, one sees more of the people & gets more chance of talking & meeting them. We asked to be left another week, but they would not let us. My coat arrived while I was there but sofar not the photos. I shall not forget to go to mass tomorrow morning, 18th. Was at High Mass here today, Curé preached rather a fine sermon on warlike matters, & Bismarck & the church, he has been giving a series of them.
How sad poor Dermot Browne, so far I had not seen it in Daily Mail, but while away we only got one or two copies. Of course I saw ?????? C Stuarts death. It is all awfully sad & I fear it is little more than the beginning of it.
What a hopeless mess the Balkan & Dardanelles affair is, I wonder who is to blame, surely a lot of blundering somewhere…
Some biscuits I ordered from stores (A & N) day before I left have not come yet, I wrote to them & got reply to say they had been duly sent. I suppose photos will arrive in a day or two. Can’t make out why they take such ages. I got the primus stove ???? sent me, a very nice one. I use a spirit lamp to warm shaving water every morng. Still had my bath on verandah this morng. but do not take very long over it!! This place is colder than where I was last week, & the lake makes it damp …
Will you get yourself The Field of October 9th. in it there are some notes about this convoy & some photos of some of us & our cars etc. it may interest you to read it. I’ve just written for 3 copies to be sent me from Eason. I wonder if Ernest has passed his exam, if so, does he go to Woolwich, seems very young for that.
I hear Sir Ian Hamilton is full of praise of the Australian & N.Zealand troops, I fancy from all one hears that if our lot had been in some ways as good as they, that we should have the Gallipoli Peninsula by now …
Aeroplanes have been very busy this clear weather & quantities of shells get fired at them, but I never see one hit, of course it is awfully hard. I wish they could get one or two of those Zeppelins that fly over London, from the papers the last raid did a lot of damage & killed several people …
Our convoy is reduced to 20 cars now. Bed time.
Yr affect son
Arthur
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