Letter to Jack October 27th

Dear Jack,

I was very pleased to have another letter from you I have not had many lately. I have not heard from Kate yet will you send me her address at once I think some of her letters must have got lost. We have had a busy time in the trenches since seventeenth of September till just now. We are out for a rest we have earned it we were in the trenches five Sundays out of six so you can tell, we want another draft now there is not many left now. I think there is more military medals in our company than any other in france. No 1 &2 in our gun team has got one so you see we are proud. The General said we can’t all get them if we earn them but I’m alright and I don’t bother about one. There is above twenty in our company now with them, as long as I am alright I don’t care. I was going up to the trenches last month and on the road got talking to an artillery man. It come to his home was in Oxford. he said there was some East Oxford lads with him. I told him my name but he did not know me as he went to school at Henley. He gave me a packet of chocolate a package of cigs of box of matches and two candles not a bad sort what you think. The pillbox we took over was one the Australians had taken a day or two before. The Germans would not come out so they burnt them out it was in a state. We have been on the range today firing. I did not do at all bad only I am not much good at rapid firing but at 300 yards application, fires you like, plenty of time I got 19 points out of 20 4 bulls and one inner. I was very pleased to hear that you are thinking of getting married. I should not wait a day. I should not like to be single again and I think that you will say the same let me know as soon as possible. They tell me Willie likes his mug and is very pleased with it. I got your packet alright. I should be glad when the war is over so that I can come and see you. Don’t forget Kate’s address when you write and write soon yourself
with best love from
Harry

This letter was undated. However, reference to the Battalion's War Diary makes it possible to date it with some confidence to 27th October - the day on the rifle range.

7 comments:

David Darg said...

Cool!

SAd___ said...

Oui, c'est pas mal

Anonymous said...

Incredible. This is more worthy of posterity than probably most of the stuff on the Internet (mine included). Our history is important and this blog really brings it alive. Thanks.

Gypsy at heart said...

Your cool site gets too many comments for my slow computer. Somehow I managed to sign up and have all the commments forwarded to me. Could you please advise me how to stop these from coming?
Thank you and keep up the good work.
Gypsy at heart

Dennis said...

uh ok

Anonymous said...

oh dear, what he doesn't come right out & say is so heartbreaking!

"another draft", company down to 20 men.... from what you said about the size of a company earlier, that implies that 980 men are wounded or dead.

Awful

(comment by Lynn from Camborne, Cornwall who remembers hearing about this blog on the tv but couldn't find it - but who was putting old newspaper down on the floor & came across the Packet with the webaddress)

Anonymous said...

henry seems to be at peace with his situation even though i'm sure it most be awful