January 7th 2008
January 6th 2008
Re the comment that Earl Haig never visited the
front [your tame teacher said ] My Father who was
in France in 1914 with the 15th London Regiment
[Civil Service Rifles]in Autumn 1916 wrote at the
families behest only two short stories of his WW1
experiences, I reduce this one to the minimum.....
"Then began our weeks march towards that glow in
the sky , but we were in great form, singing these
old bawdy songs that have been sung since the
Peninsular war......[they saw an ordinary train
being used by ordinary people .]It seemed odd :we
had forgotten there was another world other than
our own and those other people quickly looked away
from us : we were already phantoms to them.
Fortunately our resident comedian, Sgt Murray No 1
Platoon came up with one of his famous stories ,
" Yes ", he said , " I know of a little man
in Kensington who will make you a very decent pair
of shoes for as little as four guineas , not first
class of course , but quite good enough for Park or
Morning wear ." I can still hear the happy bellow of
laughter ...
Every night's halt showed us we were following a
track trodden by thousands before us ...very early
on a grey morning we were halted in company column.
We were all very quiet standing at ease . The copper
coloured sky was constantly quivering and vibrating
and the guns now had individual voices . The we heard
the company being called to attention, after a pause
another company and another and the sound of horses
walking and quickening in to a trot and the a slower
pace again as each company was passed . Then we were
called to attention and I found myself staring up at
two horsemen,so marvellously gleaming and bright they
could have come from another world . Everything about
them shone, from the gilt on the uniform caps to the
black on the horses shoes . Every buckle and strap on
the bright bay horses and on the immaculate uniforms
seemed almost to glow in the dull and heavy light.
The horses were checked to a halt , a gloved hand
raised to the cap and a surprisingly gentle voice said,
"Have Courage my men , be brave." and then the handsome
face with the bright enquiring eyes was gone . But on
the second horseman's face , the impassive sergeant
majors face ,beneath the Commander in Chiefs Pennant,
I could swear I saw a hint of the lips movement ,
" You poor bloody bastards- you poor bloody
bastards " But what of the Generals thoughts ?
Why did he subject himself to what must have been
torture to such a sensitive man ? Why did he have to
see with his own eyes every individual being he was
sending in to that never ending battle on the banks
of the River Somme ?
It was my last visit to Edinburgh with the Haig
equestrian statue on the esplanade that started
this hare ...as for the General he got it right
..in the end , Victory , an Earldom...and a revered
name. I had nothing to grumble about . I came out
of it fit and well and with, I think £24 demob
money . I don't think I got a demob suit of clothes
that time ; not until the second time round !"
I hope that this perhaps in some small way helps
to, correct some of the misconceptions regarding Haig .
You may also note that my father went through
WW2 as well , this time he came out not only
with a demob suit but a DSO with the 4th
Battalion, Queens Own Cameron Highlanders.
Evan
Inverness.
Evan, I thank you for sharing these stories. I have no doubt at all that Haig
was a most honourable and sensitive man. However, it seems to be generally
believed that he never went right up to see a front line trench. It may be just
propaganda from bitter soldiers, I can't tell.
I'm not sure that your father's account, lovely as it is, suggests that he was
terribly close to the front line trenches. "And the guns now had individual
voices" suggests that they were approaching the front but by no means there.
Who knows?
Do you not think that there may be some irony in "As for the General, he got
it right in the end - Victory, an Earldom and a revered name"? He got it right
for himself, maybe not for all his troops.
Thanks again for your contribution. BL
What a fantastic blog. I saw it on the local news
and have been reading with interest. My grandfather
fought in the area around the same time and
although we do have some maps we do not have
any of his letters. This gives a fantastic
insight to the lives of these brave men.
Please keep up the good work.
Yours
Dave
There is birth of an Arthur Lamin registered in
Basford in 1914. The mother's maiden name is
Watson which was Ethel's maiden name. So this
is most probably Harry and Ethel's son.
Posted by Anonymous
Thank you. I think that you'll find that I have
sorted this one out. I have obtained Arthur's
birth certificate and noted that on the blog -
somewhere!. BL
Just been recommended to read this wonderful site!!
Such a brilliant and poignant idea to post on
exact days of the original letters, keep
it up, and I will pass it on to my friends.
Such a horrid war, as are all wars!! I must
make time to read them all!! THANK YOU
Posted by Marrers
Many thanks for this fantastic contribution to
the understanding and comprehension of this
aspect of our relatively recent history.
Having recently been involved in a WW1
archaeological dig in Jordan the utter reality
of that war was profoundly brought home to me.
Indeed one of the things I found was a simple
pen nib inside the remains of a tent circle,
which evoked emotional and deep empathy with
a serviceman writing home from the battlefield.
Readers may be interested to find out more about
our investigations of the WW1 conflict in Jordan,
which may be found starting at
http://garp2007.blogspot.com/2007/10/pre-dig-info.htm
Posted by Roger Ward
Great idea! My grandfather was in the folgore
but I guess his letters may be unfortunately
lost! Good luck with your project.
Duccio from Italy.
Good morning. I read of this blog on a newspaper
of ours; like many I spent the whole morning reading
the letters of your ancestor. I’m so happy these
letters have survived and I think your grandfather
would be proud of you: the Jews say one isn’t
really dead as long as his name is remembered.
War exalts both the best and the worse qualities of
men, and I think such letters talk to us about
the noblest part of our soul.
---
I live near Udine, Italy, in a region that
was theatre of war. We have plenty of war
cemeteries, Italian, Austrian Hungarian,
English,American, from the first and the
second WW. It’s always moving for me
to discover Italian names in Austrian
war cemeteries, and then Austrian
names in the Italian ones: so devoid
of sense is the war.
Posted by Antonio
The story of Harry that we read yesterday on
Corriere della sera newspaper is beautiful
nd moving. We are an italian couple that in
last two years followed the tracks of
a soldier of 96th infantry regiment that died
in an attack near Gorizia (in the est area of
North of Italy) in 1916, 15 of August. We
followed the track in the same manner that you
follow Harry's movement, using the regiment
diary that gave us detailed information about
locations, dates, timing and movement of Concetto
Suma. The Bank Foundation 'Fondazione Monte di
Pietà' and Handcratf Association 'Confartigianato
Vicenza' recently have published the history of
the war of Concetto Suma. During our researches
following infantry man tracks we took a lot of
pics and here you can see some of these WW1
places pictures at this address and take further
information about Concetto Suma
Congratulations for Harry'story!
Francesca ed Enrico
Beautiful!
Luisa
A wonderful blog.
My grandfather, also Harry, was born about the
same time as your's and served in WWI. I know
little of his service history but imagine his
experiences were not dissimilar to your Harry's.
I think perhaps that you have provided a clue
to his fate?
One hundred and twenty years old and still not seen a movie?
Hope I am wrong.
I'm not asking, just commenting.
Regards,Robert Australia
Too Difficult to work with two time zones!
He's 120 today, but when he wrote the profile he was only
30. No clue there, just a small ambiguity in timescales. BL
Read about this on an Italian newspaper today.
Very, very fine. I've been wanting to know
more about WWI since I read a war diary some
months ago. I'll be around. Thanks a lot.
kind regards marco
I read about the blog in today's National Post
(Canada).
It is absolutely brilliant.
Thank you so much for sharing these letters,
and the history of your family. I have a lot
of catching up to do.
It is on par with Edwin Campion Vaughan's
"Some Desperate Glory" and the fictionalized
account of Frederic Manning's World War I
experiencein "Her Privates We."
Thanks again.
Posted by Peter Collins
Having seen several other letters from the same
time period, I can say that it was not entirely
unusual for people to sign their full names or
do as Jack did even to people they knew intimately,
e.g., a mother writing to a daughter.
Posted by Anonymous
I learned of your blog site today from an article
in the Melbourne Age and immediately logged on,
being a keen amateur student of WW 1, in which my
father fought (and never stopped talking about when
I was a child). By a strange coincidence, your
grandfather was in my home town, Cornuda, in the
vicinity of Montebelluna (where he was stationed)
around Christmas 1917. I was born there but
was brought to Australia with my family in 1936
(I was three at the time) and have resided here -
on and off - ever since, ending up as Professor of
Italian at the Flinders University in Adelaide,
South Australia. I grew up with my father's never
ending tales about his experiences as a soldier in
WW1. As a child I used to be bored senseless, but
later realised how traumatic that experience had
been - in fact, he never fully recovered, took to
drink and eventually had a stroke and lived out
his life in a childhood state. It was only on
attaining full maturity that I began to understand
how profoundly his experiences had affected him.
In my professional capacity I studied the cultural
products of the period, especially the popular songs
(mostly violently anti-war), which I used in
theatrical productions with a singing group that I
set up with my students. I think I have read most
of the narrative written about WW1, including, of
course, Birdsong and all the Pat Barker novels about
that horrifying war. I wanted to post this on your
blog site but couldn't find a way to do it, so forgive
me for intruding with a personal e-mail. I look
forward to your granddad's next letter and - with all
my heart - to learning that he survived the ordeal.
With best wishes, Antonio
Beautiful greeting with real embroidery.
Posted by Anonymous to WW1
Thanks for this blog,history seems to come alive.
Beautiful greeting card.
Posted by Anonymous
Thanks for starting this blog.History is coming
alive. The greeting card alive.
I am glad the greeting card is the only surviving
correspondence with Ethel.Now there is scope for
imagination.
Posted by Lakshmi
Thanks for doing this.
Posted by Chris
January 5th 2007
I read about your blog in the Calgary Herald
today and have immediately read all the letters
and information on the site.
I'm originally from Scotland and have been in
Canada for about a year now. What's interesting
is that Paul Gross, Canadian actor turned
director/producer (most famous for being the Mountie
in Due South) has just filmed a movie out here called
Passchendaele,based on the letters his grandfather
sent home to him. The movie focuses on the "Fighting
10th" a battalion raised here in Calgary.
You say that you can't accept URLs in the comments,
so I will simply say to google Passchendaele the
movie for access to the blog which was created
during the filming.
What's interesting is that you are both working
with similar material,and have given that to the
world, just in very different ways!
Keep up the good work on the blog - it's fascinating
to have such a personal take on such a huge
historical event. Thanks!
Posted by Cat
No problem with URLs in general, Cat. At one stage, I got a whole
load of comments that were just advertising!
I believe the one you refer to is;-
www.passchendaelethemovie.com
Thank you so much, finding this so interesting.
My grandfather served in the Durham Light
Infantry during WWI, he was wounded at the Somme.
I too have postcards he sent to my grandmother.
Your grandfathers letters are giving me more
insight into what he might have experienced, as he
never talked about it when he was alive.
Looking forward to reading more. Thanks again
for sharing Harry's letters, and learning about
your lovely family during this time.
Warm Wishes Eileen
Great Blog. I have two grand parents who fought WWI.
On the father side my grandpa was austrian, on the
mother side my grandpa was italian. So they fought
one against the other. That war was really a stupid
thing.
Posted by Paolo
Hello from Italy.
I read about this blog today, in one of our main
newspapers. Here my reading starts, right from
this post, here where the web becomes Poetry and
History. Thanks for this precious blog.
Anna
I read about this blog in today's Corriere della Sera
(5 Jan, 2008) and I'm enthusiastic for your bright idea.
Thank you very much for this treasure - online- room.
Ines Rome, Italy
Hi, I am just one of the many readers who spent
the entire afternoon reading Harry's letters
and I want to compliment with you... being from
Sanremo (italian riviera) I can picture the beauty
of the landscape mentioned by Harry during his
train journey from south France to
Italy...
Posted by Anonymous
God saw theirs sentiments while they were on
war, God bless them
Posted by Tino
I read about this blog on an Italian newspaper
and went through all the posts for the whole
afternoon.
This blog comes at the right time as I am working
to organise a trip to recollect and bring home
my grand-grandfather's remains that appear to
be buried in Poland, in the cemetery of Ratowice.
Congratulations for the great job you are doing!
Cheers Francesco
Hi heard about this blog via the Daily Telegraph
newspaper. May I congratulate you on a wonderful
job. The reading is most compelling,and the extra
information that you provide is exceptional. I never
cease to be amazed at the bravery of ordinary folk
such as Harry in times of hell such as these.
Keith - Croydon Surrey
Your idea of putting all the letters on-line, day
by day, 90 years on, is brilliant. I discovered
your labour of love today through an item on Sky
TV news and have spent the better part of this
afternoon reading to end 1917. Both my grandparents
took part in WW1, my both were injured, one through
being gassed, the other, my maternal grandfather,
with a bullet in his leg after going through the
Somme (I'm not sure which battle as I believe there
were three main ones) and also Passchendaele Wood.
In the letter of 30 May 1917, Newland in Hull is
mentioned and there is Newland Avenue, I was born
about 1.5miles away.
As you did in your comment, I too remember bread
and dripping with plenty of salt. I personally
liked (and still do like) pork dripping! Most
unhealthy these days.
With regard to the 'Nuisance certificate'
(a fascinating name for it!), I strongly suspect
that it was to do with the identification of human
ectoparasites such as fleas and lice, all of which
had a ready source ofhosts in too many areas of
the big cities in those days, plus very probably
infections such as impetigo.
'Liquid fire' (3 February 1917) is of course
petroleum jelly or a sort of napalm, very nasty
but widely used for clearing bunkers both in WW1
and alsoby American troops in the Pacific War
against the Japanese.
A very happy New Year to you, although I suspect
that it brought little joy on the Front, and I
much look forward to continuing reading as the mail
comes through.
With best wishes and respect for your labours,
Andrew Paterson
Torremolinos, Spain
I grew up on bread and dripping it is very tasty..
though considered unhealthy now, remember people
had very few labour saving devices and had to walk
most places..plus, food was not all that plentiful,
we were not overweight because we never had enough
food to make it so no matter what we ate. When a
joint beef was roasted in my childhood (60's) a
pound of lard was added to the pan and this gave a
warm brown pudding basin of dripping afterwards..
the bottom inch was dark brown gooey goodness..no
fridge, butt we ate it for weeks with no ill effects
and the brown bit was often exposed to air through
our diggings...
Great blog..thanks
Posted by Anonymous
Hi,
I am an Italian woman who is really impressed
and moved by the letters you are posting. My
maternal grandfather was amongst the 17 and 18
years' old boys who were sent by the Italian
army to fight the austro-german forces on the
same front as your grandfather, after the defeat
of Caporetto of 24 October 1917. The defeat, due
mostly to the awful inadequacies and appalling
inhumanity towards the troops of the Italian
army's top brass, had the consequence of pushing
the frontline very close indeed to Venice, deep
inside the Italian territory. The fear and despair
throughout the country were great and a great number
of new recruits, including "kids" such as my
grandfather (then barely seventeen) were sent to
fight. Luckily the shock also induced a radical
change at the top of the army and the disastrous
General Cadorna was replaced by a much more
effective General Armando Diaz, who also
introduced more efficient and more humane
methods and attitudes in the army. I suspect
that your grandfather's battalion was sent to
Italy in the immediate aftermath of Caporetto's
defeat to help sustain that crucial front. I like
to think that he and my grandfather may have lived
for some months and fought relatively close to one
another.
Unfortunately I have no letters of that period from
my grandfather (who survived, went on to become
a judge and lived to the age of 87) but I remember
his tales of the war period very vividly.
Thanks again and good luck
Antonella
I read about this blog in yesterday's Telegraph
(4 Jan, 2008) and I will enjoy catching up with
all of the correspondence. What a great idea to
do this and how informative - thank you for sharing
these letters.
Posted by Petula
I am just now reading your blog, and find it most
interesting. I agree with you that Constance Wilkinson
Lamin was likely Kate's daughter. She certainly wasn't
the daughter of anyone unrelated in town, as she is
listed in the BMD birth index as "Constance Wilkinson
Lamin". You might solve the question by obtaining a
copy of her birth certificate. Her birth was
registered in Basford in the quarter ending Jun 1910,
vol 7b, page 262 (could be 282, my copy of the page
is a bit blurred.)
Also, in the 1881 census, I find that Harry had
another sister that youdon't mention. Her name
was Mary Esther, she's age 9 in 1881. She died in
1889, relevant GRO info as follows:
Births Mar 1872
LAMIN Mary Esther Basford 7b 99
Deaths Jun 1889
Lamin Mary Esther 17 Basford 7b 107
many thanks for such an interesting blog!
best wishes, Diane
I found your blog site from an article in yesterday's
Daily Telegraph. I have not read it all yet but shall
back track and read it all. My Grandfather was in first
trained at Oakham with the horses and sent to Egypt -
when they were brought back to England he was then trained
as a machine gunner and sent out to France - I wish
I had spoken to him about it but it was something he
never brought up. I shall continue reading your entries.
Thank you and kind regards
Sue
What a brilliant concept and excellent site. I read
about this in the Daily Telegraph yesterday and
immediately went to the site.The personal aspects
of this will bring home 'in real time' the horrors of
WW1 and the courage of so many young men like your
Grandfather. The impacts are still felt today and
the sacrifices must never never be forgotten. My
paternal grandfather was about the same age as Harry
& enlisted day one of the war, badly wounded at Battle
of Loos in 1915 , patched up and a year later sent
back to the front line still with shrapnel in his back!
My maternal grandfather gassed and died young post war
when my mother was a baby. Great uncle died at
Arras aged 21. My maternal grandmother lost at least
4 other relatives during the war.It is so dfifficult
to comprehend the impact of the conflict not just
on the servicemen but also their families . This was
the generation that largely, when faced with tragedy
dealt with it , put it out of their minds and got on
with their lives. Your research and your site has a
historic importance which should not be underestimated
Posted by Anonymous
gent.mo amico,
i miei più vivi complimenti per il blog e, soprattutto,
per la sua volontà di riportare alla memoria e alla
conoscenza di un vasto numero di persone la figura
di un uomo che onora la sua famiglia e la sua
patria un fraterno saluto
m.iodice italy
Posted by mariano iodice
I have just sat and read this all of the way through
this morning after seeing a report on Sky News...I
want to thank you for sharing this with us, and for
the time you have taken in giving the extra information
alongside in order to put this all into context. Early
on in the blog you mention Sebastian Falks' Birdsong.
I read that book years ago, and more than any other
book it evoked the feeling of horror, dread, futility
-and fear in WW1 - I felt I could almost have been there.
This blog is giving me that same feeling, and as I read
it I share your feelings of horror and fear for Harry
in his situation.In getting to know Harry and the
characters in his life in just this small way, there's
also a feeling of the love he has for people, the need
to hold onto that feeling in a time of hell, and the
necessity of it as being key to getting through it all
(I don't know if I've described that very well, but I
hope you understand what I mean). All of these men
having to fight this filthy war, whether it was
necessary or not, is incredibly sad.
It is such a shame that the correspondence between
him and Ethel has disappeared, what an extra dimension
that would have brought to this.
The story of Connie has touched my heart. Of Harry
and Ethel raising her, Kate not having her, and of
the plight of Connie herself.
Anyway, I'll stop rambling now! I just really wanted
to let you know how much I appreciate this.
Kind regards, Deborah
Just heard about this Blog on Sky News in Israel.
What a wonderful way to record history and more
important to pass it on. How many of us finding
old letters from our dead relatives just
burn them. Do we ourselves pass on our personal
history to our children & grandchildren!! More's
the pity that this kind of thing usually gets lost.
Congratulations to Harry's grandson.
Posted by Naomi
What's happened to Harry after xmas?? I can't wait
to find out, I'm captivated by the letters, keep
up the good work!
Posted by Anonymous
Hello,Superb piece of work. More power to your elbow and
I'm from Holland. Today I saw an article about your
site at the paper (algemeen dagblad).
That's why I take a look at it. I have not much
time right now, but when I come home this afternoon I
will read more. I think it's really interesting, my
grandpa (he fights at the world war 2) will read
this too I think.
sorry for this English, it isn't that good
Posted by kristel
To Anonymous who wrote that
"as a boy I was taught that war was glorious."
In many ways, the US Civil War was a precursor
to the 1914-1918 war. William T Sherman was
one of its great figures, and is famous for
saying this:
"There is many a boy here to-day who looks on
war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell."
General Sherman 1820-91: speech at Columbus,
Ohio, 11 August 1880
Posted by Anonymous
What makes this hard to follow is NOT the reverse
order, but the extraneous material shuffled amongst
the actual letters, which are
phenomenal.
Posted by biTToe
Sorry that you don't like the background material. However, I think most
readers are pleased to be able to put the letters into context. Comments,
generally, support this. BL
Hi, I'm from south Malaysia. I heard about this
blog from the BBC World Service via BBC Singapore.
It's very interesting reading the stories.
Keep it up.
Posted by Taikor
great success in the project.
Posted by Ian Fraser
January 4th 2008
I read about this blog few hours ago, and started
reading, thinking about my grandmothers dads,
which both died in www1. I actually live
near Montebelluna, so it was really shocking to
me to think about your granddad in Italy and my
ancestors in Hungary..
Posted by Lila
Hi!!
This is an excellent site, that presents the First
World War from the perspective of an Infanteer
serving in hell. My family lost members in the so
called war to end all wars, and my father and uncle
fought in the second world war. I myself served with
the British Army for over 40 years, and nothing that
I have seen in that time can compare to the hell and
intensity of both wars - in todays climate, the
casualties and conditions borne by our forebears
would not be acceptable and the media would be anti-war
as the US Media was after Vietnam. I am now hooked
and will be following this particular blog to its
conclusion. A well designed, unique and thoughtful
site. By the way, I saw the link in
todays Daily Mirror.
Posted by minidvr
Another excellent book of letters from WWI is
'Letters from a Lost Generation' Its a book of
letters sent to and from Vera Brittan by her
brother and his friends during the war.
Its extremely moving (got through so many
tissues reading it!) and, as stupid as it
sounds, you forget that the authors don't know the
outcome. A very poignant book.
Posted by Lesley
Wristwatches rare in 1917?
The earlier order that all soldiers must wear
wristwatches was what made them an acceptable
masculine accessory.
Posted by Anonymous
I understood that wristwatches were better than
pocket watches in the trenches but were expensive
and were worn by mainly well-to-do Officers who
could afford them.
Their value in those circumstances made them a popular
accessory. This squad is of enlisted men and so, I
would have thought the wrist watch was quite unusual.
Any more comments please? BL
Just a quick comment, in this entry you write
"Harry mentioned it in his letter to Kate on 13th
May." I wanted to look back at it, and read the
letter about 10 times and couldn't find any remarks
about it. It's actually mentioned in the letter to
Jack that is below the one to Kate.
Thank you for sharing this!
Posted by Sandra
Well spotted! O.K., I made a mistake! I'll correct it
"Dreckly" BL
I'm an Englishman in New York and heard about Harry's
blog on the BBC world service. You sir are performing
a wonderful and important service to the rest of the
world. I have read the entire series of letters this
morning (not much work done today) and am entirely
captivated by Harry's experiences. I have just finished
reading Tolstoy's War and Peace which in many ways
documents a war 100 years previous to Harry's.
It is uncanny yet depressing to see the parallels
in the day to day life of the soldiers in both
conflicts; from the illogical and unnecessary troop
movements, to the tragic and horrifying deaths on all
sides. I am profoundly grateful to have never had to
participate in war and part of this is due to people
like Harry and yourself who document the real truths
and not the propaganda. As these truths are told over
the centuries I hold some hope that we as a species
will eventually war no longer. As a boy I was taught
that war was glorious, I now know that it is exactly
the opposite and will teach my children the same.
Thank you for this amazing work – really thank you.
Posted by Anonymous
How I envy you. My father served as an infantryman
in France and Flanders from March 1915 to Jan 1918
and in the 28 years that I lived with him he
mentioned his experience only once when as a little
boy I asked him if it hurt when he was wounded on the
Somme. his reply was "not much" Later as an adult
and ex serviceman myself I respected his silence on
the subject. Since then I have spent many hours
looking at War diaries and records at Kew but can
only share his experiences through the writings of
others so Harry's letters are very welcome.
Thank you
Malcolm C
I listen to an hour of BBC news every morning on
US National Public Radio, and this morning I heard
a piece about your grand-father and the blog. I
found your blog, andlooked at it. My father was a
German flame thrower (FW) operator in WW I, and I have
been studying the topic for about 6-7 years, and am
writing several books about the topic.
I looked at my principal time-line on FW, which is
about 450 pages long, and I believe that I know the
name, rank, and unit of the two Flamm=Pioniere who
were killed in Flanders that day.?(Each apparatus
was operated by a team of two; the two killed were
probably operating the unit that was captured.) I
have the death roll of the German flame regiment,
and I believe that it is extremely accurate and
complete, for very special reasons. Surprisingly,
very few FW troops were killed, on average
about one per attack, the majority of flame attacks
did not result in the death of a single Flamm=Pionier.
As some FW attacks utilized say about 30 or 60 FW
(the largest utilized 154!), that was very low. I
could explain, but the answer would be long and
complex. I know that that is counter-intuitive,
and my father's letters indicatethat his own father,
a staff officer and technical expert (explosives),
did not believe him. His getting wounded four times
did not help.???
I would think that this information would be of
interest to you, and that you might be interested
in incorporating it in your blog. I will go thru
the whole blog and read it and follow it to its
conclusion, but as?the FW incident was the specific
incident was the one mentioned to/by the BBC, I
imagine that it must be one of the most exciting
incidents in the narrative. I can give you additional
information, like the model of FW that almost certainly
was used and captured, and some comments on the sort
of attack that was attempted. Tell me what you are
interested in.
I would like to incorporate your material about
this attack in one of my books, and of course will
give a proper and scholarly attributation. Toward
this end, can you tell me where you found the War
Diary of Harry's battalion ? I know that they are
in different places. If at Kew, for example, can
you give the location description? It is often
something like, for example, "WO 1427"??("WO" =
"War Office"?) or a bit longer. I only had one
chance so far to get to Kew, and on that day my
wife got sick. (She was more eager than I was,
for her own research, on a 18th Century opera
singer.)
Robert G.
From what I've gathered from Bruce Bairnsfather's
writings, I should think William's Christmas Dinner
was a welcome relief from the endless
monotony of "Pear and Apple! Apple and Pear!" jam.
Posted by Kittybriton
was it the first Passchendaele offensive that
there was mud everywhere.
Posted by John
Passchendaele was a single protracted offensive. The
main "push" took place in October 1917, the wettest
October on record. Mud, mud mud. BL
I heard about this Blog on Radio 4's Broadcasting
House programme (in the review of the year - not
sure when you appeared on it) and followed their
link to find this site.
What an inspired idea to publish the letters -
and on the appropriate days makes it so much more
real and gives as sense of time - no doubt Harry
himself will give us an insight into the 'place'.
I have lots of catching up to do to get onto real
time (it's 31 December 2007 as I
write this) but I'm looking forward to reading the
letters.
Congratulations on your efforts, a wonderful
lasting tribute to Harry.
Posted by smallbutmighty
Wow this looks really interesting!
I found it after my english teachers (Mr W) wrote
a post about it!
I feel I may be spending the next few hours catching up!
Rachel x
Indeed, the loneliness and emptiness must have been
unbearable at times. The relatives home not quite
realizing the terrible conditions these young men
were experiencing. So tragic, such a waste.
Posted by hildA
I read with great interest about the life and times
of Harry as my own father also went to the front line
in 1917 and as a result I was told all about his life
in the trenches and afterwards of his life in the army
serving in India during the Raj. I used to sit enthralled
by the stories that he told to me of the exciting(to me
at any rate) and some of the sadder episodes that occurred
during his time in France, I have to say that I was quite
young (5 to 10 yrs of age) when I was told most of these
stories and therefore have hazy recollections(now anyway)
of the events that I was regaled with(over 50 years ago
now, where does the time go?) and, due to the fact that
I was born to my parents at a later stage inthere life,
right at the end of the second world war,(Dad was 48 and
Mum was 40) I also had to listen to all the adventures
he had during that campaign as well(in the R.A.F as ground
crew), although it was no trouble for me to sit and listen
for as long as he would talk to me.
Unfortunately there are no written records of this time in
his life and I have only my own (receding!)memories of
the tales he told to me and a few
battered photographs. My father passed away in 1976 and
during the ensuing years I have got to know a lot more
about the two world wars and all the horrors that they
contained and it is only now that I realise that the
"boys" that went to war in 1914/1918 really had no
idea of what they where getting into and the dreadful
(and some seemingly very funny) things that they would
see and events that would happen to them, they must have
been, to a man, the bravest of men.
I would like to thank you for such an informative story
about an ordinary soldiers life at war in very extraordinary
conditions, thank you for sharings Harry's private thoughts
with us all. I look forward to reading all the episodes with
interest.
yours faithfully
Michael
This is a fantastic insight to what it was like
during the first World War. Thanks for these posts.
Is there any possibility of you scanning the
letters as well as a typed manuscript in the future?
Dan
Several scans are included in earlier postings. BL
What a superb blog, a friend pointed me at it.
I will certainly be looking for updates here.
Thank You
Posted by Jim
Derbyshire, the county in England.
Did the Americans become involved in world war
one?
Posted by nemma
The Americans became involved towards the end of
the war. Harry may well have encountered Canadians
around Ypres (Ieper)
Hi,
Do you know if Stanton Ironworks was in Stanton
Hill Nottinghamshire? I live in Stanton Hill and
would be interested to find out where the ironworks
were. I know there was a pit in Stanton Hill, as my
house is one of the pithouses!
Posted by nemma
Stanton Ironworks is next to Ilkeston in Derbyshire.
I can't find Stanton Hill! Its still there but now makes
spun concrete pipes and lamposts, I believe. BL
I have read this blog with great interest. My
grandfather was also at Paschendale, he survived.
I will definitely come back as I need to know
what happens.
Posted by Lynne of Plymouth
Hi
What an amazing project and how incredibly moving.
I work as a support manager for one of the leading
software providers to the archive and records
industry in the uk so I get to see many projects
but I don't think I've come across one so simple,
personal and so well done. The blog format really
works! Congratulations and thank you for sharing
your grandfather's memories with everyone. I'm
sure he would have been very proud.
Debbie
GOOD MORNING, your letters are very interesting
especially as i have just one letter from my
uncle taken POW, the letter is from his days in
a POW camp in germany 14/04/18
He was released at end of war, not sure what
regiment he was in but could have
been the same one, he lived in marehay just outside
Ripley Derbyshire only 8mls
away.
Name was HAWKINS born 1893.
regards JOHN
This is absolutely fascinating. I feel that the
move to Italy probably saved William's life since
the 23rd Div remained there until the Armistice,
hence he missed the titanic closing battles
of the War (March 21st offensive onwards).
Posted by P
I have only just learned of your blog through
an article in The Times, so am having to bypass
the most recent posts to get back to the beginning.
I have recently been woken up to the stories in my
family's past, particularly around the time of the
two world wars, and am rather envious of the letters
and photographs you have in your possession!. My
great-grandfather Harry Jones was invalided from
the Somme at 20 years of age through having a piece
of shrapnel irretrievably lodged close to his spine.
If he hadn't been, I might not be here today!. As it
was, he lived into his eighties, having been a fire
warden in World War 2, and died when I was about a
year old (I'm 21).I have wanted to locate his pictures
and letters from that time, but fear they have gone out
of the family and have had no success at finding the
slightest trace of his existence from official sources.
So your (or your grandfathers'!) blog is of particular
value to me.
I hope you have every success with this great idea and
any book you might write.
Best wishes,
Karen
Would somebody please explain the meaning of *coy*
as referred to frequently in the letters
Posted by Justin
"Coy" is the abbreviation for "Company". BL
Seen this in the Daily record today. Excellent!
Posted by Anonymous
How different our world is from those soldiers that
fought in the 1914-18 world war; or is it?
We have more troops away in far off countries than
ever before and, although communications are far
better and life prospect infinity, one wonders what
today's equivalent of Harry will seem like in another
three generations?
Thank God that we survive because of others sacrifices!
Those of us who have never experienced war cannot and
will never be able to appreciate the horrors of it!
Posted by Anonymous
I just heard about this blog from the BBC on NPR in
the U.S., and I cannot wait to get into it and follow
it. I was a child during the Second World War, but I
have always been more interested in the First World War.
Another book I would like to recommend is non-fiction:
"The Great War and Modern Memory" by Paul Fussell,
which, I think, helps to explain why that war holds
such an important place in many people's imaginations
and understanding of war and history.
Posted by garbo
Brilliant, keep up the good work. Fascinating
reading.
Posted by thursdaysarefun
I have read this blog with great interest. My
grandfather was also at Paschendale, he survived.
I will definitely come back as I need to know
what happens.
Posted by Lynne of Plymouth
What a wonderful and very humbling project,
thank you. "We will remember them"
Posted by ROGUE GUNNER
I wonder how he felt about being in Italy.
I assume that, by late 1917, he was used to
being moved about, and that Italy must have
seemed like just another military camp,
although one with intact countryside and
villages rather than shelled wastelands.
I don't know how common it was for people
of Harry's background to go on continental
holidays, if he ever expected to travel so far.
He doesn't seem to mention his fellow soldiers
very often - perhaps he was worried about getting
attached to people he might not know for very
long.
Posted by Ashley Pomeroy
Thank you for posting this blogg.
Will we as a race ever learn that war solves
nothing, it only creates thousands of lost
lives and many more scarred for ever.
Yet, in a way we have the 21st century's
Harrys serving in Iraq and Afghanistan;
families still facing the dreaded call
signifying the loss of a loved on fighting
for his Queen & country. One wonders how
future generations will view war with the
benefit of videos etc?
Friends have told me that if you have
never experienced war it is impossible to
understand it; I thank God that I have no
"understanding" of their suffering.
Posted by Anonymous
I just heard about your blog on NPR [public
radio, New York, USA.My father fought in WW1
[ he was an officer, fought in France & on the
Peninsular campaign]. My father was in his
60's when I was born, but I did learn about
his views on war etc. Like your grandfather,
he was stoic about describing the real horrors.
But he left me an album of letters to his
parents which made it all clearer. I found
them extraordinary & they made me realize
how brave & how much those young men gave
up as a result. I know it completely changed
my father.
Because of financial pressures, I sold the
letters last year, to an amateur historian
& philanthropist. He is putting them together
as a book & then will probably donate the
album to a university. You've probably had
more than enough response to your blog, but
if you have any interest in my father's
letters I can put you in touch with
the man who bought them.
Felicity
What a fantastic way of bringing the horror of
war into the modern world. It should be part
of the curriculum so all school children
future prime ministers, politicians etc can
read what was like from someone actually there
living it day by day. Maybe it will make people
think before sending someone else's children
off to war.
Posted by community&leisure
The Royal Sanitary institute is now the Royal
Society of Health and Hygiene
Posted by Richard london traveller
The Royal Sanitary Institute is now the Royal
Society for the promotion of health
Posted by Anonymous
Hmmm: I would think that The Royal Sanitary
Institute, essentially what we would term our
modern day environmental health practitioners,
is now the Chartered Institute of Environmental
Health.
Posted by James
Not quite in agreement there! BL
I had two great-uncles who survived the First World
War. One was awarded France's Croix de Guerre as a
stretcher bearer. These letters are interesting
to read as they never talked about their experiences.
Although, Harry also seems determined to avoid writing
about the horrors we know he must have witnessed.
It is shameful that our society is still governed
by donkeys who are so careless with the lives of others.
Posted by toby
My dear writer, you have just been featured on two networks on Australian national tv.
I daresay you should expect more traffic.
:)
10:24 PM
An article of the blog is also in one of the most important italian newspaper.
http://archivio.corriere.it/archiveDocumentServlet.jsp?url=/documenti_globnet/corsera/2008/01/co_9_080105072.xml
10:32 PM
Well done from an ex Sapper (R.E. 1985 - 1991), this blog has made me proud of our WW1 heroes and the sacrifice they made. It has brought back memories for me as, when I was a young soldier, I received letters and parcels from home. We all looked forward to the mail arriving as our Armed Forces still do today. Letters can be read over and over again and treasured. What a find the letters have been and such a privilege to read.
Keep your chin up Harry.
Thanks
KS
11:13 PM
wow this is a great blog. i saw a thing on one of our morning shows about the blog and got right onto it and have just spent the last 2 hrs reading it and love it. my great gandfather was in WW2 and he never spoke about it to us. all i now is he was a prisoner of changgy (sorry i dont know the spelling) and he did come home alive to die of heart break in his 90's 15 days after my great gandmother. i will be looking forword to reading as the letters come. oh and we are australian but my great grandfarther was born in england (somewhere...) in 1905 but between then and WW2 he came to australia and there he joined the australian army and from there he surved... well thankyou again from creating such an impacting blog... regards catherine
11:52 PM
I am enjoying your site. I am from Western Australia and your site was featured on our National morning news program. I feel you are very lucky to have such memories of your Grandfather and the experiences that he went through. Cant wait for the next letter. My oldest son is in the Army cadets here in Australia and will be touring some of the places your Grandfather fort at.
3:58 AM
Dear Writer
I´m from São Paulo (Brazil) !! and
I read an article on web site here and I loved your idea...
Nice work!!
best regards,
William Mass
7:15 PM
I just started, and finnished, reading all of the letters and entries today, and wow, it is an amazing idea. I'm a student at a Canadian University, and althought history is not my major, I really love the letters. My Grandfater faught it WWII and his father in WWI and home gaurd for WWII, and the letters remind me of them. My boyfriend is wanting to join the military in a few years so he can pay for med school, so I can easily imagine waiting for letters like Harry's from him.
7:35 PM
Great history.
Congratulations!
best wishes from Brazil,
Renato Bellote
7:44 PM
You've also reached the frontpage on Digg.com - Which will probably mean another 15,000+ visitors.
Enjoy,
Dan
8:20 PM
I think Harry looks like a lovely, kind person and I hope the war didn't change that. It makes me sad to look at him and read about his life but glad that people can read about what his fascinating life was like; keep it coming, please!!
Karen
8:25 PM
Congratulation for you blog.
The blog 1 war in spain is
http://elmesiasrio.blogcindario.com/
8:25 PM
Harry looks like a lovely, kind man and it's great to be able to read about his amazing life, although very sad. It makes me actually realise what these great men and women did for us and we should all be eternally grateful to them; I know I am!
Keep it coming please!
Karen McLarney
8:40 PM
Great blog. A new in El País, one of the best newspaper in Spain.
Congratulations!
9:24 PM
I heard about this on SKY News here in Italy where I have lived for the past 18 years. My grandfather was a major in the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery during WW1 and I am now going to try and find out more about him. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Jane
9:38 PM
Saw the report in the 'Times',I think this is fantastic. My Grandfather served in the Queens Royal West Surreys at Passchendaele
sadly He did not make it past 1936, so I never knew him. But Harrys letters are giving me some idea of what he went through.
Thanks a lot.
How about publishing it as a book?
10:06 PM
What a magnificent idea, a superb site. I think that this should be used in history lessons up and down the country. A very moving experience to read such personal letters. Thank you so much for sharing your history with us.
11:37 PM
What a magnificent idea, a superb site. I think that this should be used in history lessons up and down the country. A very moving experience to read such personal letters. Thank you so much for sharing your history with us.
11:38 PM
'El País', the most widely-circulated daily newspaper in Spain has also written about you and your blog:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/blog/Primera/Guerra/Mundial/elpepuint/20080107elpepuint_8/Tes
11:57 PM
You are also in brazilian press.
10:16 AM
Hello.
I have known about this blog today reading a piece of news in a Free Newspaper in Spain ("20 minutos").
Congratulations for this blog.
10:22 AM
Dear Writer,
Over the last year or so I have become increasingly interested in my Family History,which has in turn led on to an interest in History itself. Several members of my family were involved in WW1 in both France and also in India. I read about your blog on the Yahoo home page and have just spent the last couple of hours reading up to date and found it rivetting and utterly fascinating. Keep up the good work I will look forward to further blogs.
10:52 AM
Dear Writer,
Over the last year or so I have become increasingly interested in my Family History,which has in turn led on to an interest in History itself. Several members of my family were involved in WW1 in both France and also in India. I read about your blog on the Yahoo home page and have just spent the last couple of hours reading up to date and found it rivetting and utterly fascinating. Keep up the good work I will look forward to further blogs.
10:57 AM
I think you are famous abroad: http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/blog/Primera/Guerra/Mundial/elpepuint/20080107elpepuint_8/Tes
Well done!
11:58 AM
Such an awsome idea you have had. Thanks for this beautiful effort to bring history to life.
By the way, this is from Spain, You are getting worldwide famous!
Best wishes.
1:00 PM
An article of the blog is also in one of the most important croatian web portal (It's a portal of TV channel NovaTV) http://dnevnik.hr/naslovnica/scena/zanimljivosti/20080108_34460.php
Keep on!
1:09 PM
What a terrific blog. You were featured on BBC World News (TV) today and I caught it here in Nova Scotia.
5:50 PM
HI¡, IM WRITING FROM SPAIN SO EXCUSE ME FOR MY POOR ENGLISH. I SAW YOUR BLOG IN A SPANISH TV AND I THINK THIS BLOG ITS VERY INTERESTING AND VERY USEFUL FOR THE HISTORY SO THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.
5:54 PM
Am a new and avid reader of this blog. Think it's a fantastic idea, and it makes me realise what we today owe the young men who fought such terrible battles in years gone by. How they fought in such terrible conditions I will never undestand, but I will be forever grateful.
10:09 PM
I've just finshed reading your blog and wanted to say that it is fantastic! People need to be reminded that war is not as it is in the movies.
There is so much in Harry's letters that ring's true, I'm in the forces myself, and the fact that he keeps saying "write back soon" letters are a big moral boost when away from loved one's.
Keep up the good effort.
10:18 PM
Those letters are like some that I read in a book called 'Soldier Boy.' I can't remember who the author is but it was a really good book describing what the trenches were like. I've been reading this blog from beginning to end
11:17 PM
hey! greetings from Brazil here! i just want to say thank you for posting these moving letters! WWI fascinates me,and altought im only 16 I just love to know the soldier's personal experiences! it must be great have such things in your family! im waiting Harry news!
11:44 PM
Brilliant, I am so glad I found this. I have a blog on a smaller scale of my dad's time as a POW in Singapore during WW2
http://daveross.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/my-dad-private-william-ross-10533623/
11:48 PM
I am another new reader to the blog and just wanted to add my comment to thank and encourage you in all your efforts here.
It is a truly fascinating collection of letters and information. I have spent most of my day reading through the archives and I'm sure I will read each new entry as it appears with delight.
11:49 PM
Hi there.
Could I suggest that you used a different font or different font colour when you are posting as a narrator then when you are posting on behalf of Harry? It would make reading easier.
12:39 AM
The leading media in the Spanish-speaking world ("El País") featured your blog today:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/blog/Primera/Guerra/Mundial/elpepuint/20080107elpepuint_8/Tes
1:18 AM
Thank you so much for these letters. My Grandfather fought in the war. He was from Appleton Wisconsin, USA.
These letters give me an idea of what he went through as a soldier.
When he returned from the war he brought with him 2 rifles. I still use his 1917 Remington Enfield 30-06 rifles for deer hunting.
1:25 AM
Hi from the US. I read about this blog on Yahoo. I just finished reading it from the beginning and like so many others, I'm now hooked.
Being only 44, I haven't experienced the fog of war personally, but did serve my country in the reserves so in training for that, I can appreciate.
I did, however, remember stories told of my mothers father who served in WW1 in the US Army.
Keep up the good work, and the way you are posting the letters...the date they occurred 100 years later...is excellent in that it keeps us readers on edge awaiting the next letter just as your grandfathers family did, awaiting the next correspondence.
3:32 AM
wow. I hope you can decipher it, because Im eager to hear about it. You got us all interested. It feels like the letters were sent to us...
3:34 AM
Excelente por conocer lo que ocurrio hace tantos años como si fuera ahora.
www.espacinsular.org
4:09 AM
Es importante uno poder conocer esta experiencia sin estar presente
www.espacinsular.org
4:11 AM
Quite interesting and istructive story. Madness of war appears through soldier's view. They see nothing of the battles, only gunshots, bombing, shrapnels and bullet. Nothing of heroic, but they hereos are.
I've read sime tìme ago the war diary of a man living in Italy dolomites mountains, at that time part of Austria, but the guy speaks italian and he's fighting against people living in tha next valley beyond mountain ridge, people they met at the country fair. They do not understand what is happening, but they are brave.
I recommend to everybody paying atttention to this story to read the last 50 pages of Thomas Mann's novel Der Zauberberg. Rarely i've found better description of war.
Thank you for your time you spend in this blog.
Graziano, Italy
6:10 AM
Hi there. Just to let you know that an article has been written about your blog in the NZ Herald, one of NZ's largest daily papers. Go to : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10485789
So you may be getting more NZ readers and comments now. Great blog idea. Keep up the great work!
6:28 AM
I saw this post on the BBC news this morning, so I thought I would just drop in for a quick look. I ended up reading the lot with tears rolling down my face.
We really don’t know how lucky we are.
Good luck with the rest of your blog, I shall be dropping in again to follow Harry’s journey.
Helen
anewwayoflife08wordpress.com
6:50 AM
Gostaria que fosse traduzido para português, não sei inglês e acho que deve ser bem interessante, quando eu arrumar um bom tradutor voltarei aqui.
Abraços....
8:01 AM
Great idea and a brilliant resource for the younger generation to experience life during WW1. I will be recommending that our pupils have a look when they study ww1 life in the trenches.
What a lovely way to remember a loved one.
DDB - HHS, Earl Shilton
9:28 AM
This is a fascinating, yet sad, soldier's perspective of fighting in and living through WWI. I read about your blog yesterday on MSNBC and spent this whole night reading the blog and the comments.
I was especially touched by how often Harry asks for letters from his family (he doesn't quite beg, but gets close on occasion). Our soldiers today experience fear, boredom, death, discomfort, and the unexpected, but soldiers in Harry's day had small rations of bread and water (no mention of meat except at Christmas), rarely had showers or baths, suffered uncomfortable boots and wet feet, barely stayed warm, and went for days and weeks without correspondence. I am not trying to downplay the havoc and despair of war in this day and age; I'm just pointing out that our soldiers now have much more decent food, clothing, bedding, shelter, leave times, and access to email, cell phones, etc. to keep in touch with their loved ones.
I do not know about my family's service (or lack thereof) during WWI. I am grateful and proud that both of my grandfathers were kept in the States during WWII to help with the war effort from home. My maternal grandfather was a mechanic (he was sent to San Diego to work on ships), and my paternal grandfather was a chemist working for a natural gas company (he was kept at his job in Texas, as maintaining and producing power at home was considered of the utmost importance during wartime).
I am especially grateful that my father, who was drafted, and my uncle (my dad's brother), who volunteered, were both 4-F for the Vietnam conflict (they're both legally blind without glasses). My dad's best friend did serve in Vietnam, and Dad said that his friend wouldn't even talk with him about what happened over there, and they'd known each other since diapers! It was truly terrible, and I'm glad I can't even imagine. As one commenter (Beverly) posted: "I suppose each war has its somewhat
unique brand of horror."
Thank you again for this wonderful insight into what life was like for an ordinary family man who was thrown into unspeakable conditions. Several readers and you have recommended books to go along with your blog. Most of the books describe the soldier's point of view. I strongly recommend a book I read in high school; I think it was called "The Black Hand of Sarajevo", that explains WHY WWI happened in the first place. It's been 20 years, but I still remember how the book explained the complexities of world politics, territorial boundaries, treaties made and treaties broken, and how one assassination brought about such a devastating war.
Keep up the good work!
Yours truly,
Texas History Buff
10:56 AM
What a wonderful and touching tribute to your grandfather.
My family has a similar story, in that Grandpop's trench diaries survived with him until 1965 - they were read by my mother and uncle when they were deemed old enough, but he rarely mentioned that part of his life. Unfortunately, on his death, his 2nd wife destroyed the diaries and all other family papers and photographs.
In a strange way, this blog brings me closer to the Grandpop I struggle to remember (he was 3 years older than Harry). Thank you.
11:21 AM
Nice work.
How about doing an audio version using an Asworth Lad the same age?
Just a thought!
11:30 AM
My grandfather, another Harry, went through the war from its start to 1st July 1916. He was killed in action on the first day of the Somme. He was a sergeant in the South Staffs. Nothing survives from him.
My grandmother was left with 3 children under 6, one of whom was my father - another Harry. There had been another child but she died a few months before her father. My own father's earliest memory (aged 4) was the black edged telegram arriving and his mother holding it.
The horrors of the trenches are undoubted, but remember also the pain and suffering of the widows and orphans.
Ros
11:51 AM
Dear Bill
What a brilliant concept !
As an ex-ww2 veteran who spent most of the years between 1943 and 1946 in Italy it has particular significance for me and I shall await each posting with great interest.
I have already posted a link to "a- Trieste",
http://www.atrieste.org/viewforum.php?f=34
(an Italian Blog to which I suscribe) and I know they will be equally enthralled.
Best wishes
Ron Goldstein
12:56 PM
I speak spanish... ican't understand... I would like translate the text to spanish... sorry for my horrible english. Hablo español y no puedo entender... me gustaria y estoy interesado en visitar el blog pero no entiendo ingles... podria traducirse o algo por el estilo.
Thanks
3:30 PM
I am a 55 year old American. My war was in Vietnam. Reading Harry's letters with his requests for letters from home brought up a well of emotion in me that caught me quite by surprise. I do not believe it is possible for people "back home" to comprehend how treasured each and every letter is to someone so far from home in such an alien environment.
Thank you for making the effort to share this treasure.
3:44 PM
Qué guerra al pedo.
6:27 PM
Your blog in Spanish main newspaper
Greetings
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/blog/Primera/Guerra/Mundial/elpepuinteur/20080107elpepuint_8/Tes
6:46 PM
Hi, H,
Very interesting blog, it must have been scary and exiting for you to to discover these letters from your grandfather. As I am Belgian and from Bruges originally, I'm am interested in WWI, as I grew up near the main battle fields.
Both world wars left quite some traces in the landscape, but the most astonishing is still the scars in the landscape that are over 90 years old. Farmers in the Ypres and Passchendaele regions are still finding WWI bombs...
This summer I visited the north of France and I can advise you, if you ever go there, please visit the WWI museum in Péronne, http://www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/Somme/museums/historial.htm
This link is only in French:
http://www.historial.org/
I did notice in the blogposts that you edit out comments with links, but I can assure you that I'm not spamming!
I just wanted to say, keep up the good work and go to Péronne if you can. It's the best war museum I have ever seen. Not because it's spectacular or overwhelming, but because it's discrete, informative, delicate and confronting. At the time I was there, there was a magnificent temporary exhibition about animals present in WWI.
There there, I shall stop my rambling :-)
Greetings
Wendy