Letters From the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War (28 page)
Read Letters From the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War Online
Authors: Bill Lamin
Tags: #World War I, #Autobiography, #Personal Memoirs
Oct 2/10/1940843
1st Garr Batt., Royal Munster Fusiliers,
A.P.O Box R L9, I.E.F. Italy
Dear Jack
I have received your letter alright and I am very pleased to hear that you are going on alright. I think it is a good job that you got the furniture before the railway
strike
[in Britain, September to October 1919]
came off as you might have lost it altogether. I don’t think it is hardly worth while writing now, but you see it is a long while
without leave thirteen months, and the war finished as they have been going at six months from Fuime out of the Y & L. I have seen some of them on the train at a place called Alexandra
[Alessandria, a city and province in Piedmont, north-west Italy; the city lies about forty miles (64km) south-south-west of Milan].
I went down for a day’s outing there and they were
just going back off leave, they tell me what a fine place it is. There is a big do on at Rome next week and some of the R Cs
[Roman Catholics]
have got a chance to go for 7 days. I wish
I belonged to the R.C. I might have had a chance I should have liked to have seen Rome before I left Italy. I hope to be out of this country before November is out and I might stand a chance of
getting demobilised before Christmas. I would be satisfied then. anyway we shall have to wait and see as leave as been stopped here to let the men get home that jioned
[
sic
]
up
before 1st July 1916. I think they have plenty of work at Trumans now but I don’t know whether I shall go back or not. It will not be very nice at first being shut up after being out in
the fresh air for about 3 years. Well theres one good thing to be thankful for The place I visit is the chief place in the province of Alexandra and about as big as Nottingham. Write as often
as you can.
With Best Love to you both
Harry
Harry is a little unhappy about leaving the rest of the 9
th
York and Lancasters. In his own way, he is complaining that while he hasn’t had a leave for
thirteen months, some of his battalion have had a leave after only six months’ service.
One of Harry’s envelopes to Kate, showing the censor’s stamp.
Oct 9/19
40843/1st Garr Batt., Royal Munster Fusiliers,
A.P.O Box R L9, I.E.F. Italy
Dear Kate
Just a line to let you know that I am getting on alright, but have heard nothing yet about leave. There are some men with two or three months in more than I have got
[i.e. have served for two or three months longer than Harry]
but I hope to be home before Christmas. I was very pleased to hear that Connie was getting on alright and to hear that she was
very happy. I should like to hear of her walking. I mean paying her a visit the first chance I get. If I hear anything about coming home I will write and let you know. I have just wrote to
Annie its the first time I have wrote since she was married. I hope it finds her alright. It is now nearly fourteen months since I was home so I think it is about time I got home if it was only
for a leave. Ethel tells me they are doing better a
[t]
Trumans so thats a good sign of more work. Write and let me know how you are getting on. All the men who came up before 1st July
have gone home except one or two and they are going home next week so it looks a lot better. Will write again soon.
With Best Love
Harry
Oct 24/1919
40843/1st Garr Batt., Royal Munster Fusiliers,
A.P.O Box R L9 I.E.F., Italy
Dear Jack
I have just received your letter and was very pleased with it. I am glad to hear that you and Agnes are keeping in the best of health, as I am in the pink only this last
day or two I have had the tooth ache but I think it is a cold. I have had a letter from Ethel and they are all keeping well at Ilkeston. You ask me if I was cooking. No I have finished cooking
and am doing guards and escorting Austrian prisoners but I can do it. I could have had a job yesterday cooking for two officers but I am not having it. never finished till 10 o clock at night
and up about 7. you have no time for anything cant get out at all and they think no more about you when you have done it. of course the foods all good but in the camp were we are we live well.
you can buy eggs and get all sorts of tin stuff from the canteen so we don’t do amiss. I hope to get home before Christmas if not on demob I hope to get a leave it will be three years
come Christmas. Dec 28th since I joined up. I don’t know when we are moving out of this country but I hope it will be soon. i will let you know if I hear any thing. They keep getting
rumours about that we are moving but they never come off. Write and let me know all the news send a newspaper next time you write.
With Best love to you both
Harry
Oct 30/10/19
40843/1st Garr Batt., Royal Munster Fusiliers,
A.P.O Box R L9, I.E.F. Italy
Dear Kate
I was very pleased to receive a letter from you and to hear that you are keeping in good health. I am sorry that Connie does not get on with her walking but we shall have
to make the best of it. I have wrote to Annie so I expect I shall get a letter before long. There is no signs of me getting demobilised yet as there is some men here yet that come up here in
April 1916. If I could get a leave, I could easily get demobed when I got to England but the thing is getting there as there is no leave going from here, only odd ones they are only men for
demobilisation, but any way I hope to be home for Christmas. Write as often as you can and let me know all the news. I had a letter from Ethel and she said that Willie as had a cold but he is a
lot better now. I hope he keeps in good health. The weather hear is very cold at night but the sun gets out well during the day. I will write and let you know if I hear anything about getting
home.
With best Love
Harry
Nov 18
40843/ Royal Munster Fusiliers,
A.P.O Box L1 D Coy., I.E.F. Italy
Dear Jack,
Just a line to let you know that I am in good health, but am wanting to get home, and there seems no sign of it yet. the last train from here went 5 or 6 weeks ago.
goodness knows when the next is going. It is over fourteen months since my last leave and I belong to the 1916 men, but in December. Young lads are getting home, 1918 men, on compassionate
grounds. I would be glad if you would try and get me a leave by writing to the war office. dont write hear as it would be of no use, as only special leaves are going, if you write do it at once
as we might be moving any time. I think I have earned a leave as it was 17 months before I got my first leave. I have been moved from the village Rivalto and I am now at a place called
Auquato
[Arquata Scrivia].
Let me know if you write to the war office. I am pleased to hear that they are all keeping well at Ilkeston and to hear that Annie is keeping well, but they
all want to know when I am going to come home as all the other chaps as got out of the army who joined up when I did. Write back as soon as possible as it is a long time since I had a letter.
Hoping that this letter finds you all in the best of health.
With Best Love to all
Harry
address now 1st Garrison
40843/ Royal Munster Fusiliers
A. P.O. L1
IEF Italy
December 11/1919
Dear Jack
Just a line to let you know that I am alright and in good health. I don’t think it is any good writing about getting home as their is no chance of getting home for
Christmas it looks like being more like the middle of April before I get home. I might manage it a bit before. all the prisoners are going home this month so it will make it a bit better after
Christmas for us all. I am very pleased to here that all are going on alright at home & keeping in good health. I hope you and Agnes have a Happy Christmas & New Year. I am sorry that I
shall not be at home for it but I am in good health so that is something. Write as often as you can and let me know all the news and send me a newspaper or two. I will write again soon.
With Best Love to you both
Harry
40843/1st Garr Batt, Royal Munster Fusiliers,
D. Coy. 17 Hut, A.P.O. L9 IEF, Italy
It is now exactly a year and a month since the armistice with Germany came into effect. The year 1919 is drawing to an end, and yet still there is no real sign of any progress
towards Harry going home. When the fighting on the Italian Front ceased over a year ago, he would surely have expected to be back with his family before long.
He has also been very unfortunate with leave. I had assumed that he had been granted leave in the summer of 1917, but from his letters it’s clear that he went from his leave at the end of
basic training, in the spring of 1917, right through to September 1918, without any other time away. Now he has completed another fifteen months without a break. So much for the entitlement of two
weeks’ leave a year. If he had stayed with the 9th York and Lancasters, it seems that he would, at the least, have been granted leave by now.
CHAPTER 12
HOMEWARD BOUND
C
HRISTMAS
1919
HAS JUST PASSED
. As far as I have been able to work out, Harry is at a base a few miles to the south of Tortona,
in the province of Alessandria, where he has been for some time.
On 27 December he writes this postcard to Jack, postmarked the 28th:
Dec 27/1919
Dear Jack
Just a line to let you know that I have received the tin of tobacco. I was very pleased with it. Do not write again till you here from me as I am moving from this place
on the 29 Dec. will send post card as soon as possible.
Harry
While it isn’t clear from the card, leaving Tortona will be the first step in his journey home. At last . . .
Three days later, on the first day of the new year, he writes to Kate and to Jack from Marseilles, this time with definite news of his demobilization.
Jan 1st 1920
Dear Kate
Just a line to let you know that I have left Italy and have arrived in France at Marseilles. I dont think we shall be here more than a day or two. we got in today at 4 o
clock. and we are not allowed out of camp so I expect we shall have to stay in. I hope to be in England this time next week that is with good luck. I have got my papers for demobilisation so I
expect to get demobilised within this next fortnight so I hope to be seeing you before long. I hope you had a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year and I hope Connie enjoyed her holiday. I will write
and let you know as soon as possible how I get on.
With Best Love
Harry
Jan 1st 1920
Dear Jack
Just a line to let you know that I have left Italy. I am at present at Marseilles how long I am here for I do not know but I don’t think it will be more than a day
or two. We have just got here by train and we are not allowed in the place so I expect we shall have to stay in camp. We was on the train about twenty eight hours so we went well for a troop
train. I received your tobacco alright it was very good. I hope you have both had a Merry Xmas. I expect you have been very busy. It is very cold here and wet I don’t know what it is like
in England I expect to be there within another weeks time with a bit of luck. I will write and let you know if I am so you need not bother writing till you hear from me.
With Best Love to you both
Harry
The journey by rail from Italy to Marseilles would have been rather less than 250 miles (400km), so the speed was about normal for a troop train, averaging a little less than
10 miles an hour.
