Letters of Alvin Whiteley part 2 of 6
Transcripts by James Hewitt of the letters of Alvin Whiteley. This second part includes Alvin's basic training and his trip to Africa as part of The Frontiersmen (25th Batt. Royal Fusiliers), 1916. Part two (May 1916 - January 1917): Detailed letters and postcards from around the time of his draft or enlisting at Halifax, and his sailing to Africa in July 1916, and service there until January 1917. He is now Private Alvin Whiteley 41739, 25th Batt. Royal Fusiliers (also know as the Frontiersmen) based in general in Hounslow. The letters detail: uniform, horses, daily routine, food, his coarse underpants, the canteen nearly all the chaps… from Bradford, Leeds and district. ; Lieutenant Haggas; ...our confounded weak-kneed Government..., ...proud that I am doing my duty (not for king and country, but my parents, sister and sweetheart and our homes, present and future. That is all that I am out to fight for, so there). ; in June 1916 he enclosed photograph; home leave; Church Army Recreation Hut; a lot in many letters about socks; the YMCA hut; other soldiers either coming from or going back to France; brooches for Mother and Margaret ...like our cap badges, only in coloured enamel; insurance card; Richmond; Kew; Income Tax paper; Bernard Rhodes; on a draft for the tropics ...we have received our big rain helmets...; ...about the group photo… You will find me knelt down nearly in the middle. There is the old Sergeant Major fair in the middle, an officer on his right with hands crossed. The crossed hands are just above my shoulder. Can you recognise me?. In July 1916 he sails to Africa on the vessel Suffolk, and telegrams and letters from the journey describe everything in detail, (the language reflects the period with references to niggers). Letters include The father of one of my chums is the proprietor of the Shipley Times and my chum is sending articles home concerning the journey...; deletions by the censor; Cape Town Kaapstad; details of life in Dakar on the North West coast of Africa in French Senegal; sports; passed the Equator, or crossed the line with King Neptune; the rains; stoker Frank Howard from Sowerby Bridge; a whale, sharks, porpoises, flying fishes; life as a mess orderly; arranging to send a letter without being censored, that letter being more detailed!; in Mombasa; Durban Aug 1916; Australian troops acted so outrageously; more about socks; transferring to a vessel The Comrie Castle with some Royal North Lancashires or Loyal North Lancashires; Letter No 7 includes setting up tents etc. at base camp in British East Africa; ...seen the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the largest mountain in Africa, about forty miles to the north west of the camp...; life in camp; hearing and seeing animals such as jackals, hyenas, a lion, cheetah, giraffes; having a YMCA even out here; hymns and service including Ralph Smith, a good tenor singer from Bradford; at Korogwe, at Maktau, at Gaveta in German East Africa; sisal hemp plantations; an orchard of lime fruit trees; having engaged a native to do the odd jobs for our tent; trying to learn the native language (Kiswahili) in hospital after being vaccinated for malaria; the rainy season; Sapper Wyley; Jack has joined the Navy; ...And still the Hooson's manage to keep at home…and Percy Shoesmith and brother...; Harold Jayes; concerts by The Korogwe Military Band; on sentry duty; being the train guard now camped about five minutes’ walk from the sea shore at Tanga; describing Christmas of the natives here October 1916; concert by The Cape Corps, formed of boys from Cape Colony - sort of half-breed - black and white; a firework display, with fireworks left by the Germans when they evacuated the town; an explosion at Low Moor, a Yorkshire munitions factory; Joe Tasker; Mrs Culpan; Leonard Hanson; giving concerts in the Bismarckplatz; How strange everybody envies me of my trip out here. I don't envy the chaps in Flanders...; Arthur Hanson in the Navy; dressed in boots and puttees, bare knees, short khaki cotton trousers with an 8 or 9 inch leg, khaki shirt with shoulder straps, breast pockets and turn-down collar and of course My big sun helmet...; Letter No. 26, Wynberg, 27 Dec 1916 Christmas with some people named Foulds from Bingley (near Bradford); then taking ship back to England again January 1917; on the Union Castle liner Briton, via St. Helena, Freetown in Sierra Leone, the convoy consists of vessels named: Orana; Kiara; Beltana; Aurora; Port Napier; Suevic; Maori; Tahiti; Briton. In Letter 18 from Tanga 4 Nov 1916 he sent two pieces of khaki cloth each with a message written in ink. Love and Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year from Alvin to Father and Mother (and to Margaret). East Africa 1916. He writes How do you like my Christmas card? I have made it from the cloth cut off from the bottom of my trousers when I made them into shorts. I enclose one for Margaret as well.
CONTRIBUTOR
James Burnett Hewitt
DATE
1916-05 - 1917-01
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
52
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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Letters of Alvin Whiteley part 6 of 6
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Transcripts by James Hewitt of the letters of Alvin Whiteley. This sixth part includes arrangements for employment once Alvin has left the army, as well as letters from other friends or family (January 1919 – October 1920). Part six (1919-1920): Letters from Alvin and Lilian which include: Discussions with Sam Helm, the Wool Office at Bradford over employment once he has left the army, and an Army post of Paymaster; seeing Gus Elen at the Palladium. Also letters from A.M.1 Charles H. Brownbridge, 216 Squad R.A.F., Kantara, Egypt Aug-October 1919 who before that was stationed at a concentration camp at St. Omer. He describes the journey from France travelling to Egypt on board HMT Princess Juliana even witnessing Mount Vesuvius in eruption; near the Suez Canal; later he describes the experience of a flight in a Handley Page machine (aircraft) with the pilot, Capt Halley, and mentions a Major McLaren.
Letters of Alvin Whiteley part 3 of 6
45 Items
Transcripts by James Hewitt of the letters of Alvin Whiteley. This third part sees Alvin invalided out of active service (Plymouth), some of his recuperation and uncertainty over his position (Hounslow) (January-June 1917). Part three (January-June 1917): 31 Jan 17 expecting to be invalided home after malaria and dysentery from Military Hospital, Devonport (actually a hut on the Plymouth football club ground, which adjoins the hospital grounds, which is very cold to us after coming from the tropics...). Today fifty of us have been the guests of Mrs Astor, wife of the Member of Parliament for the borough, enjoying Plymouth. However after some leave he is to be found in Dover in February 1917 and trained for hardening, to be quickly sent away to France. He is now the in No 4 Company, 5th Batt. Royal Fusiliers (not the 25th), and in a postcard, Dover 20 Feb 1917, Today I have been to the eye specialist and they are providing me with a pair of spectacles. ...in another letter Of course I have my own with me, but I might as well have the Army glasses free and wear them for drilling in, etc.; he tries to decide whether or not to apply for a commission, as long as his fitness is confirmed so he can remain on active service; Fancy Lilian is now doing man's work - shell testing and there Hooson is at home - he ought to put some petticoats on then he will be safe enough.; He is now in No 7 Company, 5th Batt Royal Fusiliers; at Dover he describes a very large YMCA hut; the YMCA reading and writing hut, where they have also a good sized library; the Salvation Army Hut; the regular Army Dry Canteen; about his chum Newman; from a farm in Gloucestershire; Ethel Cleworth; Joe Kidd; I have got my free spectacles today - they are ugly looking things - made specially for shooting with perfectly round lenses. Look like a German professor March 1917; ...pleased that you like the animal books so much. Yes, isn't it strange that Captain Selous should be mentioned in it? My old captain. He was a grand old man and I am very sorry to know that the poor old man was killed by a German sniper when bringing my chums back out of action.; from 13 March 1917 there are many mentions of the photographs; Alvin's temporary office jobs include straightening up the books of a Labour Company which went to France this week. They had to leave hurriedly and left things topsy-turvy, in another letter ...It beats navvying., and he describes his routine; Selwyn Hanson; food at home, and compared with the canteen in camp; marching out for an exercise or possibly to repel a threatened German landing on the Kent coast; This afternoon I sent a parcel containing dirty clothes and an Easter egg and some chocolate in a little plant pot and saucer for Margaret. Hope she will like it.; Frank Gilmore; ...I have just seen a boat load of wounded put into the train down at the docks. My words, aren't they just glad to get back to Blighty! ; Shaw from Bradford; going to a social at the Soldier's Institute run by the Wesleyan Chapel; later he is at St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe, near Dover; Percy Shoesmith (Salonica); John Henry Riley; Mrs Stockton; a cricket match between our men and the RNAS men from Dover; bowling on village club green.
Letters of Alvin Whiteley part 1 of 6
21 Items
Transcripts by James Hewitt of the letters of Alvin Whiteley. This first part includes hotel bills, detailed letters and laundry bills showing the life of a commercial traveller in wool around Germany (1910-1912). Part one (1910-1912): Hotel bills, detailed letters and laundry bills show the life of a commercial traveller in wool (visiting Københaven / Copenhagen; Reichenberg, Bohemia; Leipzig; Berlin; Brandenburg; Görlitz; Chemnitz; Leipzig; Cologne; Aachen; Brünn; Stuttgart). Includes, from 31 Oct 1912 ...see how this war in the Balkans goes on. The Austrians take it very seriously as it might very easily land them into a war with Russia if the Allies win, and if that should happen it might mean a general European war, but we must hope for better things than that...