Author Archives: Richard Berryman

20 August

Dear Mother

Many thanks for your letter from the Isle of Wight. I do hope you had a good long time there & feel the better for the change. Poor Jim getting sand fly fever. Lots of it here too, but so far I think I have escaped. Tap wood. Arthur Morse must have been lucky not to have been wounded before. I wonder what his son & daughter are like. I remember his daughter quite well. Such a ripping little girl. I met her in Scotland about 10 years ago, & of course she must be quite grown up by now, and as tall as Arthur Morse I suppose. Give her my love when you write.

I cannot imagine what Janet Ryder must be like. I do wish I had gone to see the Morses when I was at home.

We’ve just had a convoy in & being registrar I have to receive them an’ all.

Did Ruth ever apply to go to Marseilles? I wrote and told her where to write to.

I’ve written to Evelyn this mail, I wonder if she has been to see you again.

Nancy’s brother is near here I hear. I must go over & see him tomorrow. I only heard yesterday he was in the offing & I’ve been wondering how we are related, & I have decided that we are no relation at all until Paul gets a baby, then we shall both be uncles to the same child, so must be related somehow.

A mail has come I believe, but my letters got to Alex first, so I have’nt got mine yet.

Best love to all

Yr loving son

Richard

Found my grey suit?

Nancy’s brother was Major Charles Francis Trollope Swan MC of the 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade –

• http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ENG-LINCSGEN/2002-04/1018040061

Sausthorpe roll of honour, immediately above Paul

• http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Lincolnshire/Sausthorpe.html  

MC award notice in Edinburgh Gazette, 29/6/15

• https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/12824/page/932

Mentioned on pages 60 & 67 of The Rifle Brigade: A Memoir by Andrew Buxton (1918)

• https://archive.org/stream/andrewrbuxtonrif00buxt#page/60/mode/2up

Search for information on forum by her daughter Clara

• http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=175418

Nancy’s brother is 3rd from the left in this 1909 photograph:

Captain Somerville- Lt D Ovey – 2Lt C F T Swan – Lt T Baring – 3rd Bn RB -winners of the Officers’ Challenege Cup and the Wellington Cup – Aldershot Command Rifle Meeting 1909

16.8.18.

Dear Mother. Just got a letter from you dated July 8^th. Very many thanks. That crop & glasses turned up the other day, but some of those letters have been lost I am sure. I never got Paul’s for instance, you remember he said he had sent me an important letter, & you forwarded it to Cox Alexandria. My eye-glasses must have been sunk I think. I hope you have had a nice time at Totland Bay with the Morses, and the rest has done you good. Fancy Willie Wessel having been at Cordwalles. I am so glad Ben likes the little dog.

I have’nt tried to get back to Marseilles yet, doubt if I can manage it. Mrs Tudor sent me those photographs. Very good are’nt they, I must write & thank her. I had some to be developed & sent them to Cairo ages ago but they have not sent them back yet. Don’t let old Gabb fool around too much with the spot on your nose, he may burn your whole nose off. Tell him you’d like to see a skin specialist & ask him to recommend one. I know a young man who is very good, F.C. Macdonough, I think he’s in Harley Street, but I am not sure of his initial. Go to him if it does’nt get better & say, I sent you. He knows me.

I met Eric & Stella at lunch one day before I left England. He is an ass to have married her, he told me he was actually married then! I am sorry for Mrs Henderson.

It’s still very hot here. I’ve written for some bulbs & flowers to grow in the sand here! & the figs are just getting ripe. I eat them all day, you know how fond I am of them, don’t you.

The war news seems very good nowadays. I hear one of the Rgt oficers has been taken prisoner and one wounded. Good thing I am out of it eh? I got Dreda’s & Jane’s letters. I shall be writing to them soon. I want Dreda to send me a referee.

I had that racquet I told you of restrung out here. 16/- it cost, very dear eh, but much cheaper than buying a new one. I wish I was home in this lovely weather. I shall never take leave again unless it’s summer time.

Best love to all

yr loving son

Richard

Can you pay Kings’ bill?

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

7.8.18

Dear Mother       Cannot wangle this exchange so I shall be going on some old time I expect. Not yet awhile. Don’t write here anymore anyhow. I shall be able to pick up the other letters later on. Getting hotter here every day. I must go & call for some more letters , I expect there are some

Best love to all

Yr loving son

Richard

29.7.18

Dear Mother.

Many thanks for your letter (June 30). People seem to have their letters numbered out here. This one of mine is No 1, & I have noted it. So number & note yours & we can tell which is sunk!

You seem to have had a big house party the Sunday you wrote. I expect E Hatch has left Guildford by this time. How nice having Evelyn Drewe down, I expect you’ll like her the more you see of her.

The eyeglasses have’nt arrived, suppose they came by parcel post & got sunk.

They seem to have had strenuous times with the bath that Sunday. I wonder if you will ever find those papers of mine.

I am anxious to see the photograph Miss Tudor took, they must have all gone to Devonshire by now I suppose.

Still boiling hot here. I must go & look at the sights I think soon. Not far & it’s a pity to be in the Holy land & not see them all. I will take my camera & send you some pictures.

Best love to all

yr loving son

Richard

39 Indian General Hosp       EEF

Richard Berryman, sketch by Vall

July 22.

Dear Mother.

Many thanks for your letter written June 24^th, which Cox sent on to me here. The silly fools have’nt sent the original letters yet, they must be wandering about somewhere & will turn up in the end I suppose. I am with No 39 Indian General Hospital, so you can write to here, but I don’t know how long I shall be here, one gets moved about a bit in this country I fancy.

So Ted never got home after all. How disappointing for Nell. He seems a great swell in Baghdad & must be nice for Jim & he to be together.

We are in tents on the sea shore. A nice breeze during the day. c We’ve got a tennis court of sorts made in the sand, but it’s very difficult to get anything hard here. All the paths are made of wire netting put on top of the sand, & the old original wire netting road by which all the troops marched up to Gaza, runs through our camp. Imagine the miles & miles of wire netting there is down.

I must send you some photographs as soon as I get them developed but they may be failures like that last lot of films. Everyone gets sand fly fever in Baghdad. I had it in Assam. Srotten.

I never forget “Cookoo pin”, of course everyone in church knew you had remembered something when they saw you tying a knot in your handkerchief.

I hope I don’t get sent back to the regiment. I’ve avoided it so far.

Would you get that caricature of me printed. It may cost a good bit, £5 or so, but I shall get heaps for that. I don’t know who would be the best printer for that sort of thing.

Best of love to all

Yr loving son

Richard.

Did you ever find those papers of mine. I want.

1. That yellow return ticket
2. (a) One paper giving me 6 weeks’ leave

(b) another paper granting me 4 weeks’ leave.

a & b were in duplicate so will you send them in separate envelopes by different mails in case they get sunk.

On reflection, it’s unlikely that Richard is referring to this pastel sketch of him, but of all the brothers he would be the one I would expect to sit for a humorous sketch in a tourist destination. Any other sketch of him hasn’t survived. though. 

Route of road to Gaza

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Sinai-WW1-1.jpg

Just to say I have arrived in case I have’nt time later on to write. Hope to get letters, riding crop etc

Love from

Dick

Address

XX D.H [20th Deccan Horse]

Egyptian Ex Force

11^th July

My dear Mother.

Have’nt had a letter from you for ages. I expect you have written to Alex, but I have’nt managed to get hold of them yet. I am now with 39 Indian General Hospital E.E.F. but I expect by the time you get this & write to this address I shall be moved on, they seem to have a knack of shifting one about in this country.

I am quite happy here on the sea shore, & lovely bathing, but nothing much else to do. It’s very hot of course & there’s no shade except a few date trees. Tons of figs though, & I am longing for them to get ripe.

We were nearly torpedoed on the way out. The torpedoe got within a few feet of the ship, but we were swinging round & just swung in time. Most exciting, & we finished up by the torpedoe & the ship going along side by side.

(drawing of incident)

I wonder if Ted is home & married. I saw George at Alex & he said he imagined Ted was expected any moment when he left. I have quite a good job here, registrar they call it. I wonder if Ruth is in Marseilles yet.

Best love to all

yr loving son

Richard.

Wait…? What….? Ruth is going to Marseilles? It is frustrating to get such slight glimpses of what the sisters are doing. 

21.6.18.

My dear Mother

I’ve already sent you a letter & a telegram today. I forgot to ask you to send any eyeglasses you have of mine. Have’nt you got some or did you give them to me? If you have please send them along to where the stick & things are

Best love to all

yr loving son

Richard

21.6.18

Dear Mother

I am sending you a telegram this morning “send my watch”

It’s a nuisance, but I could not wangle the exchange, but I might possibly get back if I still want to from the other end

Love to all

Yr loving son

Richard

16.6.18.

Dear Mother those books and the shoes arrived this morning, thank you very much. I was reading that Windsor you sent me; you did’nt, but one of the others may have read the story where the people motored from London to Guildford over the Hog’s Back! and eventually turned up Waterdene Rd? To Newlands corner, & looked at the silent pool, & then walked from Goshall to Shere. Is that why you sent it? Silly mistake though saying you go over the hog’s back before you get to Guildford.

Rain today for a change, it lays the dust which is an advantage.

No more news of going, suppose it will be sudden.

Best love to all

yr loving son

Richard

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hog%27s_Back
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Pool
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newlands_Corner