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FROM THE CONTEMPORARY LOCAL NEWSPAPERS OF NORTH BUCKS (BUCKS STANDARD, NORTH BUCKS TIMES, WOLVERTON EXPRESS)
With today’s internet a wealth of official information is available regarding those who served.
In an age before local radio and television, families often allowed letters to be published in the local press from their loved ones on active service.
However, for their descendants the letters reveal a more personal aspect, graphically describing the experience of the people and providing an insight into their personalities.

NBT 1915 Nov. 30th Tue.

Private F. J. Kent, of the 1/5th Bedfordshire Regiment, and a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Kent, is now in the Pembroke Convalescent Camp, Malta, and writes;

“I begin to feel myself again now, I do not feel any effects of my wound, but I have not got over the dysentery yet. I have to be very careful what I eat. I had a very narrow escape of being dangerously wounded; the bullet only missed my hip bone by the eighth of an inch, so I had a clean wound. It went through my tunic, trousers and thigh, out again. I was out improving a very dangerous part of trench when I was hit, for we had several casualties there. I had just started to pick down when, I think, a sniper hit me. I nearly got hit earlier in the day, for the snipers had held up our fatigue party that was sent for rations and water, with a machine gun, and they could not get back, for part of the open ground they had to cross was simply peppered with bullets at the slightest sign of anyone. A Sergeant and six of us volunteered to go down the front line of trenches, and we had to jump over a place where the two trenches weren’t joined together. When we were getting over we were fired on and the chap in front of me had a bullet go through his bandolier and through his ammunition, and never touch him, and one cut the dirt up in front of me. I can tell you I had some jolly narrow squeaks while I was there, and I hope I shall be able to dodge them as well again when I go back. Cigars here are six a penny; in fact they are as cheap as cigarettes.”


NBT 1915 Nov. 30th Tue.

Corporal Marsden, of the 10th Battalion York. and Lancs. Regiment, writes to his wife at Ledburn;

“You will be sorry to hear Corporal Marsh is wounded. A piece of shell hit him on the back of the head and in the right side. We have travelled several miles now and are fighting where the Gurkhas are. They are enough to frighten anyone. They gave us a turn when they came to relieve us; they come out on their hands and knees with their knives between their teeth. They do this in the middle of the night, so you can guess how dreadful they must look. I have heaps of souvenirs, such as German rings, medals and silver chains, but the Gurkhas do not take such souvenirs as these; they have long wires on their belts, and on these they thread the ears of the Germans they have killed. The Germans must be getting short of feed, as two came from their trenches into ours and gave themselves up. They said they could stand it no longer as they had lived on nothing but turnips for four days. Mustn’t they like fruit? I bet they would have liked some of the apples you sent me. This war is not over yet, nor will it be if some of the shirkers do not come and help us. If only they could see us they could do no other than join in. The fact is they do not know what a position we are in. No one can realize what it is like, only those who have been out here.”


ALSO AVAILABLE IN BOOK FORM AS ‘LETTERS FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR’ FROM WWW. LULU.COM,
PRODUCED WITH THE INVALUABLE EXPERTISE OF ALAN KAY & ZENA DAN.