familyletters.co.uk

c/o Cox & Co

Karachi.

June 23.

Dear Mother-

Many thanks for yours & the bystanders & tatlers. I will expect the Camera. It has not arrived yet. You must excuse a short letter as I have left it so late & I must catch the mail. Blow that man for not sending the watch. But I saw a friend of his tother day, he says he is sure he will post it in the end. Hope he does!

You say you must go to bed it’s long after 11.30, it’s not really it’s 10.30 is’nt it?

Best love to all

yr loving son

Richard.

June 22/16

Dear Mother

We were expecting the English mail today, but I fancy the boat was late at Bombay so I suppose that’s why. It’s always frightfully disappointing when you expect the mail and it does’nt turn up.

There’s absolutely no news this week; it’s done nothing but rain hard the whole time, really hard & we have’nt seen the sun for a week. I always hate the rains, everything is always so damp & generally unpleasant.

I wish we could hear some more news about the naval Battle; we heard a good deal at first, but since then things have been very quiet and we are still anxiously waiting Jellicoe’s full report. It seems the Germans must have suffered very heavily and isolated scraps of information keep on leaking out. What a splendid victory it was, was’nt it & how proud you must be that Paul took part in it. I don’t suppose he’s been able to tell you much about it as yet.

I’ve written to Ruth to tell her to get herself a present, something really nice, when she starts at Guy’s; anything up to 3 guineas or so I’m quite ready to give.

I hope Cox sent you the money; he told me he had sent it last mail, but things take a long time to get home nowadays & one is never certain about things arriving at all. The Pink papers roll up regularly and are much appreciated, as we don’t take them in the mess.

I hoped to hear in today’s letters from home that Topher had got his leave, he certainly deserves it poor boy; I hope he’s got over his flu all right. Any more news of Jim going out?

I enclose Sir John French’s farewell order to the Garhwal Bde, the only Brigade in the Indian Corps that got one from him; he gives us his personal thanks you notice, which is a great compliment. Please keep this amongst the family archives.

Hope you’re all fit & well at home. I’m going strong; rather bored & very busy still. Excuse a dull letter.

Love to all

yr loving son

Ted.

Please give Ben the enclosed picture of a bureau, I’m thinking of giving Nell one something like this.

I met a Mrs Sherring up here, who was one of the Wrights at Frimley Hall. I think Ben met her in 1914.

c/o Cox & Co

Karachi.

17^th June.

Dear Mother.

Many thanks for your letter May 25, you won’t get this till a bit late, as I see the mail steamer does’nt leave Bombay till 20^th, so I am writing a day late, but the Quetta mail will catch the ship they say.

I remember seeing “Peg of my heart” in London with Chubbie. Very good is’nt it? It’s poured with rain here last night & this morning, quite exceptional I believe, & anyhow we shan’t get much.

You did have adventures going down to Mr Hunt’s, that wheel coming off must have been funny, his place sounds awfully nice. I always like the idea of old country vicarages.

Yes I saw a Mr Kirwan had died, it was in one of the Indian papers last week. I believe I have seen him, & fancy I once heard him preach.

How idiotic of me, I sent £1 to Cordwalles myself & now you’ve sent 10/-, they’ll get quite a lot out of me. I forgot I had asked you.

I was going to play cricket today, but the match is cancelled because of the wet. I am so sorry as I am getting quite fond of cricket & so far I have made 15 & 16 not out, so I am going to try & never get out.

I heard from Ben (2 letters) this week, she seems to have enjoyed herself when Wiggs was home.

Well best love to all.

Yr loving son

Richard.

June 15/16

Dear Mother

Very many thanks for your letter which arrived yesterday. I also heard from Ben & Rosamond & got various papers, for which many thanks. Your letter was dated 24^th May, so the mails seem to be coming a little quicker nowadays. Everyone says in their letters how nice & hot it is at home now; Nell says it’s lovely down at Gloucester; they all went down to Salisbury to see Jack before he went off to France, & they seem to have all enjoyed themselves.

So glad you’ve seen Peg o’ my Heart: pretty little piece is’nt it; I saw it 4 times I think, including once at Bristol with Kathleen. My dear mother, what adventures you had with Mr Hunt; that taxi wheel coming off might have been much worse, how lucky you did’nt turn right over into the ditch. His vicarage sounds lovely & I’m glad he was so pleasant. Thanks for sending Louie a photograph; Yes, please send Mrs Stack one, 150 Sutherland Avenue, Maida Vale.

Poor old Topher, down with flu now; every mail I expect to hear he has been home on leave, it certainly seems hard to get nowadays. Yes I saw Mr Kirwan’s brother’s death in the paper. I was most awfully sorry, & please tell Mrs Kirwan so from me; I met him once or twice out here, in Lucknow I think, & he was quite well known out here. Kathleen’s husband is still out in France I believe, & a captain now!

Yes Nell’s photographs are awful sweet are’nt they; I too like the side face one best I think, though the two full face are awfully pretty too. I got four! one of which I don’t like at all. I had a long letter from Dick a day or two ago, & letters from Ben & Rosamond this mail. So sorry Ruth’s arm is bad, I hope it’s all right again now; my love to her.

What about daylight saving? I suppose you are getting used to it now, & I expect it will be generally adopted after the war, for the summer at anyrate. After all it does’nt much matter what time you call it, so long as you get all the daylight you can. But I should think it takes some getting used to, it must be very strange at first.

The rains have fairly broken now & we live in a perpetual downpour, & mists & clouds. It’s freshened up the place a lot, and made it much cooler, & it has come just in time to save a serious famine in Garhwal. It has also improved the golf links, which were hard and dry and almost unplayable before; but they are in splendid condition now, & I generally try & get a game in most afternoons.

Any more news of the North Sea fight I wonder? They don’t seem to know for certain what damage they did to the Germans, but from all accounts of the Kitchener memorial service in the papers today; what a wonderful display of sympathy was shown; well, he was a tremendous figure in History, & will loom very large in English History especially. I don’t suppose there was a more outstanding figure on either side in the war, nor will there be.

I must try and get some more mail letters off today; I’m afraid I have got a bit behindhand lately with my correspondence.

My leg has more or less recovered now, though it is still a bit stiff, & of course I can’t play footer or anything, as I can’t put any strain on it, or twist or turn suddenly on it, & I am still a bit lame. I wonder if that microscopic wound I got weakened any muscles, because it was in just the same place; but I don’t think it is likely.

Best love to all

from your loving son

Ted

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peg_o%27_My_Heart

Charles Harrison recording (1913)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWODupYEMDI

Karachi.

Friday 9^th.

Yes see about Miss Sparrow.

Dear Mother.

Many thanks for your letter May 17. That man has never sent my watch yet. Hope he has’nt run away with it! Trust he has only forgotten. I am glad you like the photographs. Who I wonder told you about a doctor in No 1. G.H, I much prefer the men in it to the fellows in ours. I hear from Evelyn that she had been down to tea on a Sunday. I am so glad you like her. Rather nice for you being at Aldershot.

I got the two letters all right; many thanks. One of them very welcome, about some money that was owed to me. It’s dreadful about Kitchener. We heard the day after, I wonder what everyone thinks at home about it.

Just at present it’s very very hot here. Always is they say before the Monsoon breaks. Ted says he may be able to get down here next month. I’ve told him we’ll be delighted to see him, but he may find it a bit hot. Anyway it will be cooler than it is now.

I’ve just had most awful bad (not really as bad as some) prickly heat. Such a nuisance, & I’m so angry, as it’s just like a beginner I say, not like an old Anglo-Indian like I am.

Fancy seeing Dumps Morse again. I have’nt seen her for years! You might send me (don’t get excited or flurried about it) my ventriloquist doll, as there are crowds of kids here and I’d like to amuse ’em one afternoon. Stick him in a strongish box & send it by the mail. I expect the man in that Express luggage shop near the station will tell you the best way, or write to the Eastern Express Co (can’t find address) they are as good as anyone & they have a depot in Karachi. Put in the box too, some of those white shirts of mine with R.B on the front and also my blue uniform.

Ask Jane to send me some new songs if there are any. There is some money of mine still knocking about. She has some anyhow.

I am putting in some photographs which Trel took the other day, funny I should meet him, is’nt it! Did Evelyn sing the other Sunday, does’nt she sing well? She liked you awfully.

I must stop & catch the mail. Best love to all.

Yr loving son

Richard.

I see the Malaya arrived in time to do some fighting, how pleased Paul must be.

While all the boys asked their long-suffering mother to send them things, Richard’s requests were always more extreme and more frequent than Paul’s or Ted’s. It seems typical of Richard, the convivial party-goer, that he should have a ventriloquist’s doll but it’s verging on the ungrateful that his long-suffering mother would make a fuss about sending it to India. 

The fighting the Malaya had been in was the battle of Jutland.

June 8th/16

Dear Mother

I got your letter today dated          Please excuse a rotten letter, but we have just heard of the terrible tragedy of Kitchener’s death in the Hampshire with the whole of his staff. It seems to have completely knocked us all over here; personally I feel very much the same as I did when I first heard about the “Titanic”. Is’nt it ghastly? The one bright figure, the one proved patriot, gone. The creator of England’s mighty army now in the field that has done & is going to do so much; the wonderful organising brain, & the man who never for one moment lost the confidence of the whole Empire. Why could’nt he live just long enough to see his life’s work – for so I think we may call K 1 & K 2 & all the rest of them, however many there may be – crowned with success. But we must’nt be too depressed about it, though it’s hard not to be. And there are so many we could spare, & none to take his place!

What a full week this has been. The big naval fight of course occupied all our thoughts at the beginning of the week; [Ted is referring to the battle of Jutland] a magnificent show was’nt it, despite our heavy losses, for it seems we fought against tremendous odds at first. I can’t quite make out how long the Malaya was there or when she came up into the fight. At anyrate she seems to have had her baptism of fire & I do hope old Paul’s all right; but I don’t suppose you’ve been able to get much news out of him.

I had a long letter from Dick today, he wants me to go down & stay there sometime & I expect I’ll be able to go next month perhaps. He seems very fit & well.

I tore a small muscle in my left leg playing footer last week, & I am rather a crock now, & very lame. But I can manage to hobble about to work, though it’s very painful but will heal up in time I suppose. But it wants rather more rest than I can afford to give it to heal up quickly; but it’s nothing very exciting, quite a minor thing & will be all right in no time.

Nell sent me her photographs today, very good one or two of them; one of the side face ones is exactly like Dreda I think. She was awfully pleased with her stay in Guildford, & wrote glowing accounts of it.

I was so sorry to see the death of Mr Kirwan’s brother in the paper a day or two ago. Please tell him how sorry I am; I will try & write next mail. But I seem all knocked silly by the news today & I can’t help thinking about it.

Please thank Dreda & Jane awfully for their letters, I’ll try and answer them next week.

Best love to all

from your loving son

Ted

The original of this letter is in the Archive of the the Imperial War Museum: Private Papers of Lieutenant Colonel E R P Berryman DSO –  http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1030021700 

Ted was right to be concerned about Paul: here is an account of the Malaya at Jutland

http://www.oswild.org/hobnob/family/john/jutland.html

Death of Kitchener

http://century.theguardian.com/1910-1919/Story/0,6051,126462,00.html

Kitchener’s Army

http://www.1914-1918.net/kitcheners.htm

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

http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Kiplings%27_Reporting_on_The_Battle_of_Jutland

Rev R.M. Kirwan

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=63092864

The Kitchener Memorial, Orkney