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Primary Source Letters Home from The First World War January 1918A letter from Arthur's sister, living in Rome. Much talk of WW1 and the Italian situation, fuel shortage in Rome, Italian deserters looting, refugees dying, a regiment bound for the front being "escorted" to the station ...A letter from Arthur’s sister, Evie, who married an Italian and lived in Rome before and during WW1.
Dec 30th, 1917 My Dearest A. Very many thanks for your letter & also for the present which you sent to Ita [Arthur’s niece] through Mother. The “Little Folks” [popular children’s book] alas! Has never arrived & I have almost given up hoping that that we shall ever see it. I do not know of course whether it has been stolen in the post, (quite possible) or been sub??????ed or what but it has never reached Piazza Pia. About the time you sent it off there was trouble with the post apparently for several people said they were not getting their letters from England but no one knew why. The cold has been intense, snow three days running & no means of heating & very little of cooking as Rome has been without charcoal for 3 weeks. We shall be very glad to see the spring this year but I fear the winter will be long & bitter. Today it is pouring & I suppose there will be floods next. I am so glad to hear that Ernest is safe back in London where I hope he may remain for some time. Has the fall upset his nerves at all or is he still as keen as ever? You will see in the English papers what is going on here. They are keeping the Germans back still but who knows if it will last. They have bombarded Padua again & killed a good many people. Poor old Miss Babington’s nice villa at Conegliano which she had lent to the Italian Gov. as a hospital has been taken & the del Pozzo’s house in same village has been looted but by Italian deserters, before the Germans had time to do it. I wonder if they will ever get house back again. Every day one hears new & more harrowing stories of the sufferings of the unfortunate refugees, many of whom died from exhaustion & starvation. One man said he counted 17 dead children lying on the road & any number died in the trains. |
Among clerical circles of course the English have never been popular & amongst the lower classes they think that if it were not for England Italy could make peace. The soldiers say that the English may “cease to lend money to Italy so that then Italy cannot continue the war!” I am not surprised poor things that they hate it, especially now when they see the result of their two years fighting. How it is ever to end I cannot imagine. Is your brother in law still in Italy? He must have been very sick at what happened I shd. think. New Years Day [1918] It is still very cold but no more snow so far. The hills all round Rome are covered, & what it must be up north! Poor soldiers they must be frozen! I am glad to hear that all charcoal burners are being sent home & no one who is or has ever been & charcoal burner is to be allowed to do anything else until the war is over. Hence one hopes of having a kitchen fire again some day! Mother seems very well & is no doubt enjoying her Christmas at Coughton. I always remember the Christmas we spent there when I was 7, before the Andrews took it. I hear the war is to go on for another five years at least so I do not suppose I shall see your “sposa” for many a long day to come. We have just been having a new year’s tea with some friends who say they received a parcel yest. after 3 months so there are still hopes for “Little Folks”. I will let you know if it comes. I am so glad you are having peace & comfort with your two Irish maids. I met Sir Henry H. today at Miss Babington’s sitting by himself having cocoa and sandwiches! He asked about you & talked much about the days of his youth passed at Coughton & Buckland. The girls were busy getting back into the Palace Hotel which has been reopened under other management! This morng. very early a regiment passed here going to the front with behind them about 30 Carabinieri with loaded revolvers to see them safe to the station! The Grenadiers are being sent 10 at a time every 10 days! A lady told me yest. that her son had “un arresto di sangue ogni 10 giorni” because he never knows if he will be among the ten. The French & English seem to be doing great things these days in the north. I hope they will not get spoilt in England. Do you find difficulty in housekeeping & getting all the things you want? With love & every good wish to you both for the new year. Yr. loving sister Evie |
A missing parcel and a missing cheque, food imports to be cut back ...
2 Curzon Street
Mayfair
London
17th January, 1918
My Dear Mother
…
What can have become of the cheque for £1. I t may yet turn up: the £ seems to fetch 36 or 37 Lire still, Norman says after the retreat it rose to 43 Lire to £ …
He starts back for Italy tomorrow week. From what he says, things seem to have not been so bad as one was inclined to believe from reports of the retreat. I fear Evie must be finding Rome very cold, I suppose they cook with gas. It must be beastly there …
Story is that they are not going to import any more food for a bit, or at least very little, & going to use all available ships for bringing over American troops, said to be 500,000 already in France …
Best of love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Annoying about “Little Folks” it may yet arrive, parcels took up to 5 wks. to us.
Mayfair
London
17th January, 1918
My Dear Mother
…
What can have become of the cheque for £1. I t may yet turn up: the £ seems to fetch 36 or 37 Lire still, Norman says after the retreat it rose to 43 Lire to £ …
He starts back for Italy tomorrow week. From what he says, things seem to have not been so bad as one was inclined to believe from reports of the retreat. I fear Evie must be finding Rome very cold, I suppose they cook with gas. It must be beastly there …
Story is that they are not going to import any more food for a bit, or at least very little, & going to use all available ships for bringing over American troops, said to be 500,000 already in France …
Best of love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Annoying about “Little Folks” it may yet arrive, parcels took up to 5 wks. to us.
A Gotha German Bomber.
At the begining of the First World War aviation was a new addition to armed conflict, initially on the battlefield but then the home front.
Arthur's letter of March 25th, 1915 describes a bombing raid by a German Taube, an early and very basic aeroplane first built in 1910.
At first, the threat to Britain came from Germany’s airships, but that threat largely disappeared with the introduction of explosive and incendiary bullets in 1916.
The development of bomber aeroplanes meant that the Gotha was able to fly from Germany to London and back.
Arthur's letter of March 25th, 1915 describes a bombing raid by a German Taube, an early and very basic aeroplane first built in 1910.
At first, the threat to Britain came from Germany’s airships, but that threat largely disappeared with the introduction of explosive and incendiary bullets in 1916.
The development of bomber aeroplanes meant that the Gotha was able to fly from Germany to London and back.
Arthur is caught up in a London "Pea Souper", warns his mother about air raids in London ...
2 Curzon Street
Mayfair
London
W1
Thursday January 31st, 1918
My Dear Mother
…
Foggy yest. & today, this aft. noon it was so bad I had to give up trying to get to see Catherine C?????. Just beyond Park Gates it was so thick all traffic stopped & you could not see any vehicle from the foot path, but heard shouts & yells. Had to feel one's way, so I gave it up & came back here to tea …
Yes 1st March will suit us perfectly to have you, but is it wise to come then, there will still be a goodeal of moon & if fine probably air raids. They are not very pleasant if not used to them. Last quarter is on 6th March, sounds a better time for you to come up …
Bombs fell on John Bull’s office & destroyed it & a good many people killed & injured there, it was a shelter; machinery all fell through floors & made it worse. Bombs on Kew Bridge & Star & Garter, now being used as Hospital – sort of home for officers badly injured. Some dropped in Hampstead, Belsize Park, I hear ...
Thursday night they fired the signal, but only one, if one, got through over London proper, one heard guns in distance, & about midnight close here, but may have been an imaginary machine. I see they bombed Paris last night …
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
Mayfair
London
W1
Thursday January 31st, 1918
My Dear Mother
…
Foggy yest. & today, this aft. noon it was so bad I had to give up trying to get to see Catherine C?????. Just beyond Park Gates it was so thick all traffic stopped & you could not see any vehicle from the foot path, but heard shouts & yells. Had to feel one's way, so I gave it up & came back here to tea …
Yes 1st March will suit us perfectly to have you, but is it wise to come then, there will still be a goodeal of moon & if fine probably air raids. They are not very pleasant if not used to them. Last quarter is on 6th March, sounds a better time for you to come up …
Bombs fell on John Bull’s office & destroyed it & a good many people killed & injured there, it was a shelter; machinery all fell through floors & made it worse. Bombs on Kew Bridge & Star & Garter, now being used as Hospital – sort of home for officers badly injured. Some dropped in Hampstead, Belsize Park, I hear ...
Thursday night they fired the signal, but only one, if one, got through over London proper, one heard guns in distance, & about midnight close here, but may have been an imaginary machine. I see they bombed Paris last night …
Best love
Yr affect. son
Arthur
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