Friday 12th November 1915

Reserve billets in Laventie

More heavy rain fell. At 11am Laventie was heavily shelled by the Germans. Lt. Dick Bolton (see 10^th November) remembered the brief stay at Laventie and the danger of the German shelling; “the Battalion was billeted in Laventie, a somewhat battered village, just behind the line, for a day or two, during which time we were all chased into the cellars and shelter trenches by one of the periodic bombardments”. One man (not from Tunstill’s Company), Pte.  Ralph Porter Walker (13345), was wounded.

By 1pm the shelling had subsided and at 3pm the Battalion marched, by platoons to minimise the risk from any renewed shelling, three miles further east to Estaires where they took over billets from 10^th Royal Berkshires.


With a little more time available, Pte. William Knox (see 10^th November) wrote a long letter home to his wife, Ethel, reflecting on recent events and conditions. (I am most grateful to Rachael Broadhead and family for allowing me access to William’s letters).

My Dearest Wife

I now sit down and write you a few lines hoping they will find you quite well as I am very pleased to say that it leaves me very well at present, excepting my knee and it pains me very much today, but I think it is with marching out of the trenches as we had about six miles to go and then I was put on guard so I cannot expect it to be any different. The shell burnt it in three different places, but of course it is nothing at all. They are only very slight. I have got a bit of the shell that done it and I am keeping it for a souvenir, as they say here. Dear Love don’t you go and put yourself about over it as I shall be alright in a day or two.

I don’t think I shall ever forget this time in the trenches what with having to go through mud and water up to our hips and then going over to their lines and having a little bit of a do with them and then this rotten shell to come as well. They say we were in the worst part of our line and I don’t dispute it for our parapets were all fallen down. We were relieved last Sunday afternoon by one of our own Companies and they started kidding us because we were coming out and the Germans heard them and they let them have some shells and killed three in less than five minutes, so they got something for kidding us.

You ought to see some regiments now that they have got their goatskin jackets. They look just like a lot of Teddy bears. You will look well if I have one on when I come home. We are starting leave in a fortnight’s time so I don’t expect it will be so very much longer before I get it. I wish I was coming over for a weekend pass this week for I am longing to see you my own Sweet Precious Darling. It seems as though it is years since I saw you last but I will make it up to you when I do come home Love. I bet I will never leave you again in a hurry. I wish this war was over so as we could get settled down in a home of our own and we won’t half enjoy ourselves.

You say that I never say whether I receive your parcels. If I remember right I always let you know and I think you ought to know whether I am bothering myself. Whether I receive your letters or not you know very well I am only too pleased to hear from you and another thing you said about it is all my own fault about that relief money. You said I ought to have looked after it when I was over. I never knew anything about it until I went to Broughton Lane when I was on my final leave. Mr. White told me once that they were going to allow us all something but he was not sure what it would be. So I can’t see where it is all my fault and another thing, if I was you I should tell them to keep it and hope it does them good whoever it is that gets it. I know if they don’t tell you something definite before much longer I shall write to the Secretary and tell him damn straight what I think about it. I have not received a letter from Mr. Carter yet. He is a long while in answering my letter. No Dear I won’t believe him if he writes to tell me you are not looking very well. Who is it that is going to send me a parcel? Is it from the dairy staff in Kirkbridge Road or where? Do you ever see any of our chaps when you go down to Broughton Lane? If you do, just remember me to them. My word you would be alright if you were to get on at the dairy. I could just see you (I don’t think).

I received the Green Un (this was the nickname for the local Sheffield Saturday evening sports newspaper) and Answers last night, Wednesday (sic.). I have just finished my last piece of cake and I can tell you it was an extra special one wasn’t it Dear, but it would have been a hundred times better if I was eating it at 25 Grosvenor Square (Knox’s home address). Don’t you think so Love? We are moving away from here today, Friday, to Estaires for a fortnights’ rest so shall have plenty of time to write to you for it makes me feel very miserable when I don’t write to you three times a week. I will write to Jimmie when we get to the next place. I always thought that the government had taken over Edgar Allen’s works a long time ago.

The 11^th Battalion has left Lichfield today, Friday, and gone to Bowden, only two miles from Stafford. They are in wood huts so it will be better for them. We have not got that other draft to us yet but we may do early next week. I had a letter from Maxwell. He is in Belgium and is quite well. I had a letter from Mrs. Wilkinson last Tuesday. She said she is sending me a parcel so I shall have plenty to eat when I get all promised parcels. You know who I mean; her that used to cater for us at Halifax. Remember me to Lizzie and Kiddie. Hope they are both well. Tell Lizzie her butterscotch was A1. I am just going to bed and it is only 7.30 so don’t you think I keep very good hours? Different to what I used to do, especially when we used to go back of the Ball Inn at Heeley. I shall take my clothes off tonight. The first time for a fortnight. So I shall feel a lot better in the morning.

I think this place is worse than any I have seen as yet. Nearly every house, in fact nearly all the buildings, in the town are a mass of ruins, especially the Church. It is smashed to bits. The place where we are billeted has been a school once upon a time but it has been shelled down flat to the ground. We have not got a roof over our heads so it will be nice and cool but we have got our blankets tonight so shall be warm enough. I asked you in one of my letters to send me Jenny’s address but I think you must have forgotten all about it Dear. Let me have it next time you write will you Darling. I have just had another new rig out of clothes. 2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts and 3 pairs of socks. You would have laughed to have seen my pants. They come right up to my shoulders. So I am going to put two tapes on them and fasten them over my shoulder so they will be more like combinations than anything else.

It is raining here again very fast and it is perishing cold. We have to keep our overcoats on all day or else we are starved to death. If you have another photograph left you might send me one will you Dear? For I am lost to death now for I always used to look at it many a time a day but now I can’t do so. I can tell you it has hurt me very much to lose the wallet but I would not have cared if I could only have got your photo out. You can say that you have been burned with a German shell. I think they cannot last much longer as the shells they are using were only made last September 1915, so they must be getting very short of munitions. For every shell the Germans send over, we send ten. It was a grand sight on Monday afternoon to see our artillery blowing their trenches up. The sandbags were yards up in the air. Also now and again we could see a German go up as well. When we came out of the trenches on Sunday afternoon we went on guard about 300 yards behind our firing lines and we went scouting and found an orchard with some pears on a tree so we got a sandbag full and then in the afternoon I stewed them for our tea so you can see I am getting a jolly good cook so I shall be able to do the cooking when I come home. I think I have said all this time so will close now with fondest love and kisses.

I remain, your ever loving and affectionate husband, Will.
PS Don’t you think I have done well to write a few lines like this but I could write ever so many more pages if I could put in all I should like to do.

Capt. Pereira of ‘D’ Company, who had been evacuated to England suffering from dysentery and jaundice contracted whilst in the trenches in the Bois Grenier Line in early October (see 30^th October), was examined by a Medical Board at Caxton Hall, London. The Board found that, “jaundice symptoms have subsided gradually and for the last week he has been able to eat ordinary food, but he has lost a considerable amount of weight”. He was deemed unfit for service and awarded six weeks’ leave (to be re-examined on 24^th December). 

Ex-Tunstill’s Man, Dvr. Arthur Overend, now serving with the ASC at Maidstone, Kent, again found himself in trouble (see 3^rd September); he was reported as having been absent without leave for 25 hours from 9.30 pm on 2^nd September. He was found guilty of the offence and ordered to be confined to barracks for seven days.