Category Archives: British Ships

H.M.S. Gloucester

30^th June

Dear Mother.

V. many thanks for your letter and the cake – yes quite eatable & very nice – only the oven was too hot when you made it – because it was just a bit stoggy in the middle –

I have’nt had a word from Bournemouth about the motor accident – how awful though & I do hope Ben & Alex are all right. I heard from Bee Dudman this morning – she seemed to tell me a good deal about it & that “Susan” is dead – was she in the car & killed or what?

I’ve just written a line to Topher – I thought he was more than 22 – why I don’t know –.

Are you buying any of the War Loan. It seems to be the thing to do – however little one puts into it.

I say those green peas & beans sound rather nice!

Yes I suppose it does sound funny to be playing football now, but the sailors much prefer it to anything else & we’ve got heaps of grounds up here.

Oh – will you send me my grey flannel trousers & are there any black brogue shoes anywhere about – that nobody wants or uses – as we get ashore a certain amount & I have no plain clothes, boots or shoes at all & we can wear anything like that, grey or white bags & uniform coat & cap?

There’s awfully little news – oh how is your leg – I quite forgot to ask in my last letter- I do hope he is all right.

with ever so much love

from your ever loving son

Paul

H.M.S. Gloucester

June 25^th

Dear Mother.

Thank you muchly for your letter and the slippers – simply lovely they are and quite the right size. My photographs arrived yesterday – so you have kept one – quite right – but I don’t think they are fearfully good – They will always touch them up so and makes my face look like putty – & so fat – but still – I suppose they are all right.

I am so glad to hear Ted has got some more leave – I’m sure he wanted it. Where is he now, down at Bournemouth? Rather nice for Jane down at Pitney – I’m going to write and ask them to have another shot with some cream – fairly safe this time I think – I have never got the last lot at all.

We’ve been doing nothing much lately, one or two football matches – and yesterday I went to a local “Café Chantant” – rather dull I thought – & rotten Tableaux, but I met some people I knew – an officer & his wife – so I talked to them most of the time.

I enclose some photographs taken during our last trip. Most of them are rather rotten – There are some of our “Crossing the Line” show – Neptune & Coy.

My very best love to you all from ever

Your loving son

Paul

H.M.S. Gloucester
C/o G.P.O.

June 17^th

Dear Mother.

Ever so many thanks for your two letters. Our mails have been all wrong again – such a nuisance, and we got our first mails since we left G 2 days ago.

I am glad to hear Dreda has got her job – I must say I do think it is a fine thing for her to have done – and I do hope she will get on allright.

Oh. Thank you awfully for the cake – it arrived quite fresh & ever so good.

Somebody seems to be getting worried about my photographs. It’s all right – they’ve been ordered from Robinson – but will someone pop in one day & send with them a piece of cardboard – or the thing they send photographs away in, one for each for me to send them away – do you see what I mean – and you know how crumpled a photograph gets if it’s not properly wrapped up especially nowadays, & tell him to hurry up too.

And will you send me a pair of Bedroom slippers – leather soles – sort of carpet slippers- 7½ or 8?

Ted sent me a lovely present the other day – a silver flask – most useful really and some ripping records – from the “Passing Show”. Has he passed his board! I do hope they won’t let him go out till he is really fit. He writes & says he’s still a bit dicky.

He & Dick down at B-mouth seem to have had a lovely time –visiting various old friends

Well I must stop now – ever so much love to you all-

Your ever loving son

Paul

It’s hard to tell where G may have been without sight of the logs. The obvious place is Gibraltar but Paul talks of being cold. Other candidates might be Grangemouth on the Forth, or possibly Gloucester itself or Glasgow.  

Sunday

Dear Mother. I arrived onboard safely yesterday morning – We are spending the time here & are off very shortly.

We had a splendid time in town on Friday evening & it was lovely, all of them coming to see me off. I went down to Orpington for lunch & tea and had quite a good time.

It’s most awfully cold up here – & it has been raining – beastly is’nt it – because I had such gorgeous weather for my leave.

I don’t think the girls packed my hair brush & comb – will you have a look – it’s a small brush & a small comb – sort of ½ a comb & all big teeth in it – black one –

I have been working hard all yesterday and to-day. I just went ashore for an hour this afternoon to see some flying

I must say I DID enjoy my leave – every moment of it; and it was ripping seeing everybody again. I wonder when the next time will be.

Well good-night Mother – I must fly off to bed.

With ever so much love to you all

ever your loving son

Paul

Saturday

Dear Mother- I arrived down safely last night – Miserable down here- & appalling weather & the ship is inside out & filthy. It does’nt seem as if we should leave much before Wednesday.- but nobody knows really.

I hope the girls all arrived back safely – & that you did’nt mind me taking them up to see me off.

Must be off to do a job of work.

With very best love

Your ever loving son

Paul

Oh Mother – I never thanked you half enough for your Birthday present. It was kind of you Mother & thank you so awfully.

Paul

It’s difficult to tell which Saturday this was, but it appears to fit roughly here in the summer of 1915.

14^th

Dear Mother – Thank you so much for your postcard – I wired to Ted & am so pleased to hear he is quite fit and well. It will be lovely seeing him – & we must get all the family together this time.

Will you ask Chubbie to come and stay for a day or two – if there’s any room – Mr Kirwan will always give one of us boys a room won’t he? I get to Longdon late on Tuesday night – that is if everything goes allright & I have written to Ted about coming down home the next day-.

I had a long letter from Ben yesterday.

I must get along with some work now-

With ever so much love

Your ever loving son

Paul

It’s difficult to tell whether Paul knew Ted was wounded. My guess is that he did know from the annoucement in the Gazette, and the entire family, Gertrude included, are reassuring each other like mad.

H.M.S. Gloucester

Monday 10^th

Dear Mother

Glad you got my wire all right – & thank you very much for your letter – which I have just received.

Yes everybody seems a bit scattered – but I shall not be coming on leave till next Tuesday week – i.e. 18^th and then I get 10 days – lovely is’nt it. At present ½ of us are on leave & ½ on board.

What an awful nuisance for Ben having got measles – I do hope we will be able to see one another.

Thank you muchly for the Neuve Chapelle paper – how interesting – so Ted must have been right amongst it all. So many fellows I know have been killed. Two very great pals of mine at Malta. And that Lusitania show – too dreadful I think.

Am so glad to hear Jim has got his commission. Is Topher going to try for one?

I am longing to see you all again. I hope everyone will be at home when I come – 18^th

very best love to you all

your ever loving son

Paul

H.M.S. Gloucester
at Sea
15^th April

Dear Mother-

We’ve been some distance since I last wrote – we were at Sierra Leone then – & have now been at sea for 3 weeks or so – no mails or anything & this is the first opportunity we’ve had for sending letters. I am still very fit & we’ve been in the hot weather all the time. We’ve crossed the equator off and on some dozen times- Our show is over now & there’s a chance of seeing you again in about a month’s time – but it’s only a rumour –

We captured a “prize” the other day, rather a fine ship – but I don’t think we make much out of it as they have done away with Prize Money – nothing doing in fact-.

Life’s been fairly monotonous during our month at sea – but still I don’t mind personally – cos as you know I like the hot weather. Food has been a bit short & we practically live on what is known as “bare navy” i.e. Salt Pork: pea soup & lime juice. Very good though.

We have had no news since we left either – so we are slightly behind hand in knowing what is going on.

I hope everybody is very well at home-

with ever so much love to you all

Your ever loving son

Paul.

HMS Gloucester Log – 15 April 1915
Lavandeira Reef to Rocas Island
Lat -4.0, Long -34.3
6.30pm Colliers Djerissa and Gisella parted company
8.10pm Sighted fleet off stard bow
9.30pm Cos & speed as reqte for approaching anchorage West of Rocas Is
9.55pm Stopped. Came to with stard anchor
11.0pm Ships on company – Sydney (fla), Glasgow, Liverpool & Macedonia

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Sadly, this is the last of Paul’s letters where the logbook has been digitised.

Details of “prize” on 28^th March

On patrol
Lat 0.0, Long -32.8
True Bearing and Distance: Rocas Is S15W 225′
12.05pm Sighted steamer bearing N10W 12′ steering SE :
12.10pm Steamer altered co to N. ward
12.15pm Proceeded co & speed as reqte to close steamer
1.20pm Boarded S.S. Hendrick flying Dutch colours. Proved to be German S.S. Macedonia with
coal & provisions. Put prize crew on board.
3:10pm Proceeded as reqte to close and communicate with Liverpool
3:45pm a/c as reqte to close prize.
4.0pm Discharged 29 ratings to Macedonia as prize crew with Lieut. H.O. Norman RNR  (in command) and Mr Allen R.N. Received on board German Captain Kunstler(?) with 2 officers and 19 men as prisoners of war.
7.15pm Proceeded as reqte to close Djerissa

http://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-06Gloucester.htm

H.M.S. Gloucester

18 March

Dear Mother

We have arrived in harbour again after a longish trip from our last Place. Boiling hot where we are now and it’s a place I’ve never been to before. I’ve been ashore twice & had some tennis & to-day we have a cricket match

I met Dr Hill yesterday – he’s Digby’s great friend & was at Barts with Dick – he asked after all of you.

I find it very difficult to write letters when we get no mails – so you must excuse a short letter.

Hope you are all very well at home. I am still quite fit & much prefer this hot weather. Does’nt look as if we should get a mail for 2 or 3 months, as a ship here has only just got her Christmas letters!!

With ever so much love from

ever your loving son

Paul

HMS Gloucester Log – 18 March 1915
Sierra Leone
Lat 8.5, Long -13.2

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H.M.S. Gloucester
c/o G.P.O.

8-3-15

Dear Mother.

Don’t suppose we shall get any mails for some weeks now- so consequently don’t expect any letters from you. I wrote from Gib [Gibraltar] last, as I suppose you saw by the stamp-  We had 3 very strenuous days there, & now are off again – where & what for I don’t know. I enjoy this hot weather ever so much better than that beastly stuff at home- We’ve all had to stow away our woolly things – I hope we shall never have to use them again.

Everybody at home very flourishing. There’s absolutely no more news. With ever so much love to you all-

from your ever loving son

Paul

HMS Gloucester Log – 8 March 1915
Gibraltar to St. Vincent
Lat 22.3, Long -21.9
8.30am Put clocks back 1/4 hour
9.20am Carried out range finder exercises with Liverpool
11.0am Read Warrant No 102
5.32pm Closed Liverpool, co S47W
Quarters at Night Defence

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