LANSDOWNE,
GARHWAL,
U.P.
Aug 17/16
Dear Mother
A very belated mail reached us on Monday, & I don’t think it was even then complete. I got a letter from you dated July 19, & Nell’s last was on the 16th, so I expect some is hung up somewhere. Many thanks for your letter. Yes rather, we have read Jellicoe’s despatch now and I think I told you I had a long letter from Paul all about the show. So he’s gone off again has he, but I’m afraid he and his pals did too much damage last time to actually encourage the Germans to come out again. However one never knows of course. The news continues to be good, especially from the Russian front, and what tremendous efforts we are making in the ammunition and gun line, our present output must be enormous & almost incredible.
Quite fine days here now, though a day or two ago I was tempted to pitch my tents in the garden in the sun, to air them a bit, but like an ass I left them up at night & it began to rain about 3 am & went on nearly all next day! However today has been fine and warm again so I have managed to dry them and put them away.
Glad Ruth’s pleased to have got what she wanted; I expect I shall hear next mail what it is. So glad Jim is in such good form, & is so important; I suppose they are keeping him at home to run courses of bombing and such little things.
Fancy Nance getting a little two seater; hardly war economy, but I don’t think that matters much. Nell seems very fit & flourishing, & very hard at work as the hospital is very full just now of course. Our 1st Bn: is off to Quetta shortly, as a sort of garrison for the place I suppose, & also probably to make room for the 3rd Bn: here. No more news about the raising of it yet, but I suppose we shall get some shortly.
Best love to all
Yr loving son
Ted.
Did I tell you I had moved out of Dolly Lyell’s bungalow as he is replastering it & generally repairs etc. I am living in 2 tiny little rooms ordinarily reserved for the Brigade clerks in peace time but now empty.
I saw one of the Lloyds’ photographs in the paper the other day, engaged to some man, I forget who or what, but I saw the name Lloyd of Hartford House Winchfield
“Nance” may have been Nancy Swan who would become engaged to Paul in 19017, but she was only 20 or 21 at the time and it seems rather fast and rather extravagant for a woman that young to have got a car.
Gladys Mary Lloyd
http://www.mundia.com/in/Person/52038937/13291503293
Her first husband, Major Geoffrey Lee Compton Smith, was captured by the IRA and executed on the 30th April 1921. It is an extraordinary story and his letter to his wife displays the British upper lip at its stiffest. He leaves his watch “to the officer who is executing me because I believe him to be a gentleman and to mark the fact that I bear him no malice for carrying out what he sincerely believes to be his duty”.
http://www.cairogang.com/soldiers-killed/compton-smith/compton-smith.html
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1924/may/19/major-g-l-compton-smith-murder
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2743800/COMPTON-SMITH,%20GEOFFREY%20LEE
http://historicgraves.com/story/major-geoffrey-lee-compton-smith
http://irishvolunteers.org/2012/04/frank-busteed-cork-ira-no-1-brigade/
Her brother Wynell Hastings Lloyd was also murdered, in his case he was shot in his trench by one of his platoon in 1918
http://www.woodyatt.bravehost.com/cradley/pafg24.htm
