RSS

Monthly Archives: November 2016

9 November 1916 – Ted to Gertrude

Delhi

Nov 9.16.

Dear Mother

Very many thanks for your letter last week. I say we’ve just heard this evening about the Arabia being sunk, & all the passengers saved; I do hope the last part is true, but we have only got the bare wire announcing the facts, & shan’t know any details till tomorrow morning’s paper. I do hope & pray it’s true about all the passengers. I have an idea my friend Mrs Proctor was on board, & also two more people from Lansdowne, a Major & Mrs Rait of the I.M.S. whom I knew. What can be done to such swine as these Germans. I’m afraid it means a mail gone, but that after all is nothing so long as lives are saved.

We have settled down fairly comfortably now, & have 2 nice big tents for our mess. It’s getting awfully chilly here in the evening and much cooler by day. The C.O. and I share a car, on hire, between us, & it is almost a necessity to have one, as we are 3 miles out of Delhi and the distances are considerable here. I had my first driving lesson today, & hope to become quite a chauffeur by the time we leave here! The car is a 4-seater “Chevrolet”, a Yankee make & not very well known I imagine, but it goes along quite well & is quite comfortable.

I had a morning’s duck shooting the other day, but shot disgracefully & only got 6 birds; it was bitterly cold in the early morning standing in the water waiting for the birds; I hope to get a good few mornings’ similar sport, as it’s well worth it, but I really must shoot better. Nell was lamenting the fact of your not paying them a visit while you were “down west”, but I don’t expect you could manage it. Thanks awfully for the bound “Daily Mirror”, I love getting it as it gives you such a lot of news without reading much.

Bed time    excuse a short note

Best love to all

yr loving son

Ted.


 

Report on sinking of Arabia, Melbourne Argus, 9/11/16

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/1626791

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Arabia

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?132080%23130741

http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=15029

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Series_490

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 9 November, '16 in About

 

8 November 1916 – Paul to Gertrude

H.M.S. MALAYA.

c/o G.P.O.

Nov. 8th.

 

My dear Mother-         Very many thanks for your letter – thanks very much about the ruffle- I don’t know when this acting is coming off – we keep on having to postpone it for various reasons – but we hope to do it in about 3 weeks – that’s if everything goes all right.

I had a letter from Dick too – we both wrote to each other on the same day -, now I expect we are both waiting to see who is going to answer first – so silly.

Same sort of weather as we are having – miserable is’nt it- ? but to-day for a change it is quite a calm day.

Looks as if they are sure to ask you to Billet some of those 5000 troops that are going to Guildford!

Awfully little news this week- I am awfully fit and well – Oh I had another patch of that alopacea on my head the other day – very annoying – but the hair is growing again fine now-

with much love to you all

Your ever loving son

Paul

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 8 November, '16 in About, HMS Malaya, Rosyth

 

4 November 1916 – Richard to Gertrude

Nov 4.

 

Dear Mother

Many thanks for D.Ms, most acceptable. I want one of those silver identity discs, round one, not oblong if poss.

Inscription

R.C.P. Berryman
Capt I M S
C of S.

You know the disc on a chain you wear round your wrist. I enclose a small cheque to carry on with.

I got Sheina’s letter, please thank her.

I got your letter dated 27 with those photographs of Jim & Sheina, awfully interesting. I hardly recognise Ruth. Many thanks for sox & breeches, they will roll up soon I expect. It’s not my B. warm at home I’ve got it here!

Fancy Jim coming out with the Portuguese army.

If you can get me a pair of gauntlet gloves (soft gauntlet part) size 8 I’d like them. Warm & waterproof.

Best love to all.

Yr loving son

Richard

 

I saw Morton’s photograph in one of the D.Ms.


 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scotland

Similar ID tag

http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/380287/identification-discs-sapper-alfred-galbraith-world-war-i-1915-1916

Gauntlet gloves (1941)

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30099897

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 4 November, '16 in About

 

3 November 1916 – Ted to Gertrude

Delhi

3.11.16

 

Dear Mother

I think I must have answered your mail before last only, as we left Lansdowne the day after the mail got in last week. We marched 20 miles last Friday, & arrived at the station about 4 p.m. and went off  by train about 10 p.m. & arrived here next morning about 8. Found everything absolute chaos & nothing ready, as is usual out in the country. Our tents had all arrived but there were no poles to pitch them with! And the camping ground was a dry & dusty wilderness. However the tent poles turned up eventually, & we managed to get things going and have settled down quite comfortably now. We each have a great big tent, about the size of ½ the drawing room, and with weird furniture and carpets, a boarded floor & electric light; it is really very different to living in a house, except there’s only one room of course, and it’s very dusty just at present. I use my small manoeuvre tent as a bath room, & as I have always used it to live in it entirely hitherto, I am beginning to wonder now how I used to managed to do so!

We are camped on familiar ground, this camp being near the old polo ground used at the Durbar. But of course things have altered a lot since then & really the only things left are the main roads which were laid out at Durbar time & which have been kept up. All the pomp & magnificence of the Indian chiefs’ camp and all the miles & miles of tents of course are not here, and the place is hard to recognise. It’s fearfully cold in the mornings here, and quite hot during the day, but not unpleasantly so. The Viceroy came here on the 30th, but his entry was private, so we had no show thank goodness. We have a few sentries round his house but he is going away again this evening, & he comes back on the 21st for a few days & then goes away on a long tour to Burma & does’nt come back till the 13 Jan, so I suppose things will be fairly quiet till then.

Not much news nowadays is there, but the Submarines seem to be surprisingly active. I wonder if the Yanks will be too proud to fight after this last ship when several Americans were drowned. I have’nt been out much & have called on no one as we’ve been so busy in camp, but I suppose one will probably be quite lively when the Viceroy comes back in January. I told Ben  to address my letters Cox & Co Bombay, as then I can be certain of getting them in case we move off anywhere. I hope Pitney did heaps of good & you had a good rest, I am awfully glad to hear you had gone there, but it sounds funnier than ever!

Love to all yr loving son

Ted.


 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi_Durbar

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 3 November, '16 in About

 

1 November 1916 – Richard to Gertrude

1st.

 

Dear Mother   Would you mind sending me some loofa sock things for boots.

Say   2 pairs size 10. for gum boots

2 pairs size 7

2 pairs size 8

& you might send me some of those funny things you just shove on your toes under your sock like I used to see you sending Topher.

Best love to all

Yr loving son

Richard.

 

By the way I’m a Capt

How good for Ted getting that medal.

PTO

Please send me that Balaclava hat that is knocking about somewhere

I forgot to put this in!

R.C.P.B.

You might send me one of the linings for my tin hat 6¾.

Can’t see now, but it’s got sort of rubber buffer arrangements

comme ça

 
1 Comment

Posted by on 1 November, '16 in About

 

1 November 1916 – Paul to Gertrude

H.M.S. MALAYA.

c/o G.P.O.

1st Nov. All Saints’ Day.

 

Dear Mother

Ever so many thanks for your letter – and all the news. A few more of the family home for this week end.

I have’nt the slightest idea when we are likely to get any leave so I can’t tell Dick very much – Glad he’s having a good time in France-

We had Father Carey over to preach last Sunday. Rosamond’s friend! – he can speak straight enough – if you like.

Yes – one thing about this weather it keeps off the Zepps – we rarely get a decent day here now – and of course we have fires.

I never knew Ted had got the Humane Soc. Medal – I knew there was a movement on foot to get him one. I am pleased to hear it – he certainly deserved it. Rather a good thing I should imagine doing guard at Delhi – a lot of social work attached to it I should imagine – a fine thing for the Regt to be chosen.

Oh. could you make me a “muff” – one like Ben & Dreda used to wear – smallish one – & tied up with big ribbon – I want to wear one with my dress – when I’m acting as a female – must be black.

Any more news when Jim is going out?

With best love to you all

Your ever loving son

Paul

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 1 November, '16 in About, HMS Malaya, Rosyth