For two days there had been a slight improvement in the
weather but from 21st the heavy rain returned and continued unabated
for the next week until it eventually turned drier on 28th. In the
meantime, further working parties were despatched, while conditions across the
area remained quiet.
Orders were received for the Battalion to move back into
Divisional Reserve next day.
Pte. William Knox (see 20th December) again wrote to his wife, Ethel (I am most grateful to Rachael Broadhead and family for allowing me access to William’s letters).
“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. We are still having awfully wet and cold weather out here but thank God we are out of the trenches now. We came out Sunday night. Well Dear we have had a little bit of a fight at last but I suppose you will have seen it in the papers by now. We were to be relieved on Saturday night but the Germans started sending some aerial torpedoes over so we could not get out but the regiment who should have relieved us had to stand to as the Boshes made a surprise attack. But we seen them coming so we went to meet them and we mowed them down just like skittles. It is an awful sight to see them fall in a heap, dead. I was just in my glory. They will not stand and fight against us at all. You should have heard them scream and shout mercy. But by God we gave them mercy. We gave them Hell and after we had driven them back our artillery opened fire on them and blew their trenches to blazes. They were firing all day long on Sunday. The old Kaiser is not expecting spending Xmas Day in London this year. They have been dropping pamphlets from aeroplanes to say that he was going to spend it in the same place where we are at present and what a hope he has got.
We are expecting a very big do on this part of the line before so very much longer. I received your letter dated 14.12.1915 and was pleased to hear you are quite well. Your Xmas card was very nice. You said in your letter that you had sent a parcel but I have not received it as yet but of course it may be here before you receive this letter. We have had some stock of stuff sent out here to us this last week. Every one of us received a parcel from Halifax and it contained a plum pudding, a cake, cigarettes and two tins of Riley’s toffee, so we were all eating toffee all day long.
We had a very nice concert Monday night. Our officers got it up. They are ever so good to us. They come into our huts and spend the night with us and we have a sing-song as well. You will no doubt be surprised to hear that I am next one here for a stripe, but it may be another month or two yet. I think I shall take it as we have a very good chance of getting promotion very quick out here. So you soon may be hearing of me being Sergeant (swank). I had a letter from home last week and they were all quite well. They are sending me a paper every week now. I also had a letter from Jenny Tuesday. She sent me a Xmas card and is sending me a parcel in a week or two’s time. So you see they are all beginning to think just a little about me at last.
Well Dear I hope you enjoy yourself this Xmas as much as ever you can. Do not worry over me on Xmas Day. I shall be twelve miles away from the firing line. We are going away back for twelve days rest, so I shall be out for my birthday as well. We were to have been in the trenches another eight days but our General sent word to our Headquarters that we were to have a good rest because we did so well on Sunday. He said it is marvellous for we always seem to get it hotter than the other regiments in our Division. So no doubt a bit in the papers about our good work out here.
Don’t you go and put yourself short of money to buy that watch for me Love. I don’t think you should send me a parcel next week Dear as I shall have more stuff than I can eat before we go into the trenches again and I should only have to give a lot of it away. And it costs you too much for that doesn’t it Dear.”
Pte. William Knox (see 20th December) again wrote to his wife, Ethel (I am most grateful to Rachael Broadhead and family for allowing me access to William’s letters).
“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. We are still having awfully wet and cold weather out here but thank God we are out of the trenches now. We came out Sunday night. Well Dear we have had a little bit of a fight at last but I suppose you will have seen it in the papers by now. We were to be relieved on Saturday night but the Germans started sending some aerial torpedoes over so we could not get out but the regiment who should have relieved us had to stand to as the Boshes made a surprise attack. But we seen them coming so we went to meet them and we mowed them down just like skittles. It is an awful sight to see them fall in a heap, dead. I was just in my glory. They will not stand and fight against us at all. You should have heard them scream and shout mercy. But by God we gave them mercy. We gave them Hell and after we had driven them back our artillery opened fire on them and blew their trenches to blazes. They were firing all day long on Sunday. The old Kaiser is not expecting spending Xmas Day in London this year. They have been dropping pamphlets from aeroplanes to say that he was going to spend it in the same place where we are at present and what a hope he has got.
We are expecting a very big do on this part of the line before so very much longer. I received your letter dated 14.12.1915 and was pleased to hear you are quite well. Your Xmas card was very nice. You said in your letter that you had sent a parcel but I have not received it as yet but of course it may be here before you receive this letter. We have had some stock of stuff sent out here to us this last week. Every one of us received a parcel from Halifax and it contained a plum pudding, a cake, cigarettes and two tins of Riley’s toffee, so we were all eating toffee all day long.
We had a very nice concert Monday night. Our officers got it up. They are ever so good to us. They come into our huts and spend the night with us and we have a sing-song as well. You will no doubt be surprised to hear that I am next one here for a stripe, but it may be another month or two yet. I think I shall take it as we have a very good chance of getting promotion very quick out here. So you soon may be hearing of me being Sergeant (swank). I had a letter from home last week and they were all quite well. They are sending me a paper every week now. I also had a letter from Jenny Tuesday. She sent me a Xmas card and is sending me a parcel in a week or two’s time. So you see they are all beginning to think just a little about me at last.
Well Dear I hope you enjoy yourself this Xmas as much as ever you can. Do not worry over me on Xmas Day. I shall be twelve miles away from the firing line. We are going away back for twelve days rest, so I shall be out for my birthday as well. We were to have been in the trenches another eight days but our General sent word to our Headquarters that we were to have a good rest because we did so well on Sunday. He said it is marvellous for we always seem to get it hotter than the other regiments in our Division. So no doubt a bit in the papers about our good work out here.
Don’t you go and put yourself short of money to buy that watch for me Love. I don’t think you should send me a parcel next week Dear as I shall have more stuff than I can eat before we go into the trenches again and I should only have to give a lot of it away. And it costs you too much for that doesn’t it Dear.”
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