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Letter From The Front

B

BernardR

Guest
Sorry for the quality but it was written in pencil and has been folded up for many a year. I will try to do a transcript as soon as possible and append it. Please readit by reference to the page numbers.

Letter_From_Bill_1.jpg




Letter_From_Bill_2.jpg
 
Well this is good stuff; I am finding it quite hard to make out all of the words, perhaps 60% or so, but it is very interesting. I was wondering if anyone could transcribe it and post it here?

Bernie D'Boult - Are you able to tell us anything about this person, did he get back safely, are there any family photos.

Regards
 
This is my effort of transcribing



1/ ............4/5/16
Dear Mother and Father, very plese to hear that you are in the very best of health and .......Family?.....
Mother I suppose you are having good weather at home it is alright out here
Now I wrote a letter to Our Fred and he wrote back saying that he is in very best
2/ of health. I see some of the West Yorks out here but they was the 1(8?)th Battalion. Well I should think it was time Our Fred had a Furlough (?) and truth.. (?) because some men go home with 3 months out here Mother. Well our first Battalion goes in the trenches tonight, they have lost
3/ the Colonel and 4 (?) officers as well. it is a very hot shop where they are indeed. Were I ham it is about 6 mile from the fireing line stationed in a wood we have plenty of work to do as well working Sundays as well and dont get sleep every night on account of Air Craft Guns. well Mother shall be very glad when it
4/ is all over wont you, because it is all for nothing at tall. Well Mother I think this is all at present Our battalion goes in the trenches to night May 4/5/16 for 9 weeks or more Well Mother so long for now same address as usual.
I remain your loving son Bill xxxxxxxxxxxx
 
You littledevil Lindy but thank you. I will copy and past that and build upon it - I didnot spend 30 plus years in the Motor Industry without learning a trick or two -as I have the benefit of the original. Incidentally what you are seeing is onlyas readable as it is following quite a bit of tweaking - the next has actualholes in it down to degradation due to contamination or simply age and notbeing archived effectively.
 
Morturn - Fred certainly survived as I recall him at the age of 70 cycling to my In Laws from Warstock (about 2 1/2 miles). Not sure about Bill but may have more next week. Incidentally only of the borthers actualaly moved away fromBirmingham and he went to Nottingham - name next week if relevant.
 
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This is my effort of transcribing

Lindyloo that is lovely, thank you.

Bernard, was one of the pictures you posted on the other topic Fred?

If so can you pop a copy here to, so we can see both together please.
 
Bernie...little devil..Moi ?? :angel:

Morturn..my pleasure :peaceful:

Re the letter, there is a part of it that puzzles me....as per the medal card info that I already sent you Bernie, showing that Bill (John William T) was definitely a private in the West Yorkshire regiment ...the way he writes "I see some of the West Yorks out here"... makes it sound like it was Fred who was in the WY's...and not Bill ?? might just be me reading to much into the way he wrote though ???
 
One seems to have been in the W Yorks and the other in the 'Seaforth Highlanders'. Watch out for more photos and a letter. I will take another look and fill in what I can but it is definitely furlough.
 
might just be me reading to much into the way he wrote though ???

Excellent....It is very easy for the same two people to witness the same historical event differently, and family stories can get distorted through time. Therefore it is always worthwhile just taking a second to look again, and ask, you never know.
 
This completes the letters I have:
Letter_From_Front_Aug_20_1916_P1.jpg






Letter_From_Front_Aug_20_1916_P2~0.jpg
 
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My offering of transcribing....

August 20 1916
Dear Mother and father, Just a word. Hoping all the family are in the very best of health as it leaves me at present. Well Mother I surprise you. I am think-ing that our Fred will never have his Fur-lough, Well Mother I don't think he will be long now.
I had a field post card from him the other day and he is going on allright Thank God for that. Well Mother keep on worring(?) (war office ?) about Arthurs (?) age
Well Mother my old battalion as been through the mill since I left them, they have been very badly cut up indeed Well Mother I don't think it will last much longer Do you.
Well Mother I can't give you my address this time as I don't now what part of France I shall been in with .................week..
I will....(let?) you know as soon as I can. Well I think this is all at present I remain your true loving Son
Bill xxxxxx So long


Interestingly this kind of solves the puzzle for me about The West Yorks in his previous letter....he had obviously left The West Yorks and joined another regiment...but which one ???
 
You are a star. However I have now (with the help of your transcriptions) set myself a new problem - I have read a letter in the past where the question is asked "Is Dad is still on the 'Wobble'"? That was harder to read than these have been. Back to my filing system.
 
Once again..a pleasure Bernie :) sorry about causing you more problems though ...but as my old Rover Foreman used to say..No Problems..only Solutions !!! Help is at hand if you need it I'm sure..
 
Hi Lindyloo

Thank you for that; yes it is quite sad really, it's a wonder how anyone managed to survive in the conditions of trench warfare.

It is interesting how Fred said 'it's all for nothing'....
 
Morning Morturn, it is very sad..it must have been so terrible for them all..It was Bill that was writing the letters and unfortunately he was right, poor man, in his case, as in so many others, because he never made it back, so it was all for nothing for him...
 
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