The War Office wrote to Robert Clement (Bob) Perks (see 19th January) confirming his appointment to a temporary commission as Second Lieutenant, and ordered that he should prepare to report to Oudenarde Barracks, Aldershot to join 10DWR. However, ahead of receiving the official confirmation, Perks had acted upon the notice published in the London Gazette and had made appropriate preparations, as is clear from his letter to his sister.
21/1/15
My Dear Joy
Just a line before Mother and I go to Mrs Stavert’s. Mother
sends her love and hopes your cold is better.
If you ever see a morning paper you will have noticed in the
Gazette among the Cadets and Ex Cadets of the O.T.C to be Sec. Lieuts. ….. R.
C. Perks.
I have got and have had on full uniform except a belt but I
have heard nothing from the War Office yet. Mother and I presume that it must
be I, and Martin sent a telegram to congratulate me but I wish they had written. It is dated Jan 15th so that I
have already earned 52/6! I have also
been to Skipton (no time to see you properly tho’ I walked round) and had stars
put on the sleeves of my O.T.C. tunic and bought a stick.
I also telephoned to three Halifax shops and George was
loaded up this morning with a parcel from Skipton. Boots from Coton and half Hume’s shop and to-morrow I hope for a belt. The parcels were addressed to Lieut R.C.P.
Dad is even more sure that it is my name in the paper. Hence an account (I gather) was in the Guardian and Courier last night while
the Evening Post said at the front of
a column :- among the Temporary Second Lieutenants gazetted to-day is Mr R.C.
Perks, of the Officers’ Training Corps at Melton College Oxford, who is the
second son of Mr T.P. Perks, a well-known barrister practising on the
North-Eastern Circuit.
In haste,
Bob
(I am
greatly indebted to Janet Hudson for her kind permission to quote from Bob
Perks’ correspondence).
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2Lt. Bob Perks
Images by kind permission of Janet Hudson
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