The Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate and
Cheriton Herald carried
an extended report on the fund-raising football match which had been played the
previous Saturday between 10th West Ridings and 9th South
Staffs (see 27th March).
Company Quartermaster Sergeant Henry Briley wrote to a friend thanking him for a recent gift and commenting on various aspects of the progress of the war. Briley had been living at 29 Sackville Street, Skipton, with his father, John, a retired police sergeant and mother, Hannah. Henry had himself had been working as a legal clerk when he enlisted in Skipton on 18th September 1914, being one of a small group of Skipton men who had been attached to Tunstill’s Company. Briley, with his higher standard of education and administrative experience had (at a date unknown) been transferred away from ‘A’ Company and had joined ‘D’ Company as CQMS. He was billeted at 94 Linden Crescent, Folkestone when he wrote his letter.
“Please accept my very sincere thanks for your letter of the
30th ult, and for the beautiful box of cigarettes received yesterday
morning. It is really kind of you to send them and I shall have the greatest
pleasure in smoking the health of yourself, Mrs Oldham and family. If Harry has
got to Aldershot I hope he will fair better than he appears to have done in
Derbyshire. There is one thing about at Aldershot, you can always get a good
feed at Darracotts. I used to go to one of their places almost every night......We
are all going to get new equipment on Monday. Honestly I believe the difficulty
in getting these new armies fully equipped is more serious than the public
realise. I cannot understand how any body of working men can want to strike at
a time like this. Considering all things I believe Germany is having difficulties
to face now that if we can only get the men, guns & ammunition there to the
front & strike them a heavy blow now that it would practically mean the end
of the war…”
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| Darracott's Restaurant, Aldershot (right foreground) Photograph, c.1910; demolished 2007 |
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