RSS

Category Archives: British Ships

3 September 1914 – Ted to Gertrude

03 Sep

3.9.14

Dear Mother

of course you have seen that 2 divisions are coming from India to help in this show, and you must have guessed by now from what Ben & I have already told you that we are coming. Anyhow, we have got as far as this, & embark in a day or two, & ought to land in Europe somewhere about the end of this month, where, I don’t know. But it’s all so secret, & we are not allowed to tell you anything, so I’m afraid you’ll have to go with little or no news of me for some time, except what you can get from the papers. I’ll write whenever I can of course, but I don’t know how often that’ll be, My address will be as under:

39 Garhwal Rifles
20th Infantry Brigade
VII Division
*Indian Expeditionary Force A
c/o Presidency postmaster
Bombay.

(* or you can shorten it by putting I.E.F.A) but ALWAYS put rgt, Brigade & division, to ensure arrival of letters.

And keep all press cuttings you can get about Indian troops in the war, & the Gloucester; I see she has already distinguished herself. I’m in an awful hurry, & in haste to catch the post. I expect I’ll be able to post you a letter somewhere en route, & I’ll try when we land, but it will be all hurry scurry I expect, & I’m a busy man as adjutant.

So wish me luck, & don’t worry about me please mother. You’ll be having Ben home soon I expect, she’ll have told you all the news. Lovely sea breeze here, & I’m as fit as a fiddle.

Best love to all

Yr loving son

Ted

Ted wrote on a piece of paper torn from a Field Service Pocket Book. The letter was delayed, possibly by censorship, and took a month to reach Gertrude, whereas Ben’s written on the same day from Lansdowne, arrived on the 25th September.

According to Drake-Brockman, they had arrived at Karachi the previous day. Drake-Brockman also says:

En route we had a minor accident which fortunately was not worse. Our engine went through a small low culvert, derailing a couple of carriages. As we were going dead slow at the time, being close to Lahore, no one was hurt. Another engine and carriages were soon obtained and we continued our journey.

It’s possible Ted wrote about this from Lahore and the letter was lost, or maybe he didn’t have time to write about it at all.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 3 September, '14 in Benedicta Berryman, Col Drake Brockman, H M S Gloucester, India, Karachi, Primary source, WWI

 

31 August 1914 – Paul to Gertrude

31 Aug

Aug. 31st

My dear Mother.

I am afraid I have no news for you, except that I am still quite well. We’ve done no more fighting as yet, and we get scattered news of what is going on at home – most of them rumours, so we don’t really know what is happening.

I do hope everybody is quite well at home- the last mail I had was Aug 4th, but we really are expecting one from Malta in a day or two.

With v. much love to you all
from your ever loving son
Paul

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 31 August, '14 in H M S Gloucester, Malta, The Mediterranean

 

23 August 1914 – Paul to Gertrude

23 Aug

Aug. 23rd

Dear Mother.

Am so sorry I forgot to wish you many happy returns in my last letter – but I do so now.

I am still alive and we have had no excitements for ages out here – The French Fleet seem to be doing all the work – fighting – but we are really doing very strenuous work too -only we have’nt seen our enemy for some time. And No news from home – what is happening there? we get no mails – we are rather expecting one tomorrow from Malta.

As far as I can make out the entire of Europe will be at war soon except Spain & Portugal.

I do hope you are all well – This is a chance letter that I hope will reach you- It being sent by one of our colliers,

heaps of love to you all.
Your ever loving son
Paul

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 23 August, '14 in H M S Gloucester, The Mediterranean

 

15 August 1914 – Paul to Gertrude

15 Aug

H M S Gloucester

15th August

My dear Mother,

Just in the midst of a hurried coaling so xcuse any dirt. I am still safe & sound & so is the Gloucester – but it is a strenuous life this war – & we get very little news out this way.

Hope everybody is very well at home.

It is sickening about the “Goeben” & “Breslau” being sold to the Turks, as we did hope to have another go at them. We heard today that the Breslau has a decided list one way- thro’ her action with Gloster – so we must have hit her a bit.

Terrifically hot out here.- We are away from Malta & no hopes of going back yet awhile. Have had no letters since the 31st July – no mails whatever.

Very best love to all
Your loving son
Paul.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 15 August, '14 in Breslau, Goeben, H M S Gloucester, Malta

 

11 August 1914 – Richard to Gertrude

11 Aug

Lahoal.
August 11th.

My dear Mother.

Very many thanks for your letter. The song arrived safely & many thanks too. I forget if I told you I had had a fever. Funny it was’nt malaria what one generally gets, but a different kind, not so bad really. I have been really very lucky not having had malaria yet, everyone seems to get it. Am writing in the train so it’s a bit shaky when we are moving. I suppose you are at Selsey now, unless the war has interfered with everyone’s arrangements. We get a lot of good news, but we never hear any of the English or French losses. I hope it is soon over, and if the Germans are getting beaten as they seem to be I should think they will soon give in.

Fancy pickling 400 walnuts, you will use a fair amount of vinegar I should fancy. That was’nt Leonard Pullman after all then. I thought you’d remember the Parsy boy, Ben said you were rather friends with Mrs Parsy. One of the sisters is being married out here. I wonder how Holmwood looked, have you arranged to leave the estate to the eldest son. Remember how we used to argue about it. It’s been raining here now for about 16 days on end to make up for a drought we had in July, & June. Wish I had some gooseberries!

Wonder how Paul is getting on in the Mediterranean, he surely must be in a scrap somewhere, he will be pleased I expect. I wish I was at home, it must be so exciting & we who are abroad will never realize what it was all like. I have’nt heard from Topher for a long time, he said he was going to write & tell me where to send some shirts to. No one I suppose talks anything else but war. The last we heard was that 19 German ships had been sunk or captured in the North Sea. Fancy hearing all the firing, it must be very awe inspiring. I am afraid Ted may not get his leave now, but nous verrons.

Well I must stop
Best love to all yr loving son

Richard

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 11 August, '14 in Benedicta Berryman, H M S Gloucester, Holmwood, Lahoal, Leonard Pullman, Mrs Parsy, Paul Berryman, Selsey, Ted Berryman, Topher Berryman

 

2 Aug 1914 – Paul to Gertrude

02 Aug
Paul's first letter of the war

Paul’s first letter of the war

H.M.S. Gloucester. Malta

Sunday, 2nd Aug

Well Mother as these times are very critical and perhaps there may be no more mails for some time, I suppose I ought to sit down and write a sort of farewell letter – of course we are all awfully excited over these rumours of wars etc, but I cannot tell you any thing about it at all, however much I know, and it makes it all the harder to write really.

If anything happens – my monetary affairs are quite settled- I have a Banker – all the same as Cox – called Stilwell & Sons- 42 Pall Mall – who hold a life Insurance of mine for £100 & I am sending them all my bills, receipts etc- & they will see to all that – the £100 will easily cover everything, & what’s left over they will send to you. Of course Mother, we all hope & pray this will not have to happen yet- I want to see you all again, naturally- & one feels so far away out here. But all this is put to one side when anything happens in earnest, a momentary homesick feeling & then King & Country-

Well Goodbye Mother – I hope & pray I shall be able to write to you for years & years to come – and that all this will finish up with everybody happy-

My very best love to you all and God bless you –
always your loving son
Paul

Paul’s writing looks like a scrawl but it is probably the most legible of all the brothers’. Of course, he was frequently writing on board ship.

There is more information about each of the brothers on their pages; see the menu at the top of the site (if you are reading on a Mac or PC) or at the side of the site (if you are using a mobile device).

 
2 Comments

Posted by on 2 August, '14 in Cox, H M S Gloucester, Malta, Stillwell & Sons

 
Newer posts →