The weather remained good and conditions quiet, with the
Battalion again providing working parties. As one group of men returned from
leave (see 2nd January),
so another departed to England for one week; among them was Pte. Tom Darwin (see 3rd December 1915). It may have been at this time
that another of Tunstill’s original recruits, Pte. Solomon (Sammy) Webb was
home on leave; his second child had been born in October 1915 (see 4th October 1915) and at some point
Sammy was at home and had a studio portrait photograph taken of the whole
family.
My thanks to Judith
Webb and Eileen Bamford for the information on Sammy Webb and for their kind
permission to use the photograph.
The issue of leave was also prominent in the thoughts of Pte.
William Knox (see 4th January), amongst other issues, including German
atrocities, as he once again wrote to his wife, Ethel (I am most grateful to Rachael Broadhead and family for allowing me
access to William’s letters).
“Just a few lines to let you know that I am keeping quite well. Hope you are the same. I have just received your letter dated 3.1.1916. We are out of the trenches again just now. Came out on Thursday night after four days in the firing line. It has been very quiet this time and the weather has been quite alright. About the best we have had since I came out here. It only rained about four hours all the time. We go in again for another four days Monday night and then it is rumoured we go right back for a rest but I don’t know if it is correct or not as we hear so many different tales you don’t know which to believe.
I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying yourself so well. I hope you will have as good a time as you can and it will not make it any better if you worry about me being out here. I have wrote to Lizzie today to let her know that I received the parcel quite safe. We have got a very nice billet this time. We are in a front room; ten of us altogether so we have a bit of fun of a night. The people are very nice and also very good. They make us coffee every morning and bring it to us while we are in bed as we do not get up before eight o’clock now. And they have an organ that turns with a wheel so you may guess what a time we have of it. The woman is a refugee and by what she tells us she has gone through something. When the Germans occupied this place where we are now they came into the house and killed four of her brothers at once and bayonetted three of her children. The oldest was only seven years old and she has got one with her now that they cut both his hands off. It is an awful sight to see him and he is such a bonny little lad. He is about four years old. But on top of that she has got a little girl that a German left her with. So you know what the poor woman has had to go through here. And then they say if you ever happen to come across a German have mercy on him. But it is impossible for us out here to do so after we have seen with our own eyes what they have done. If some of the young men who are still slacking at home could only see instances like that they would soon make up their minds whether it was their duty to enlist or not. I hope to God that my Precious Wife or anybody belonging to me will have to go through anything like they have to go through. I know now, if I never did before, that I was only doing my duty when I enlisted and if I live to come through this awful ordeal I shall always be able to say I did my little bit.
I have just heard that we go into the reserve trenches for eight days. So we shall have a good time of it if it is correct as we shall be over a mile from the firing line. It will be the first time our Company have been in the second line of reserves. We shall be able to sleep all day and night unless I am on guard. Well Dear you say if you was me you would not take a stripe but I think I shall do. I am Acting Lance Corporal this time in the firing line and I had an easy time of it but I shall not take it unless they pay me for it as there are so many Lance Corporals out here who are not getting any extra money. But when the Sergeant asked me about it I told him straight I should want paying for it.
Well Dearest Love I am not quite sure how long it will be before I get my pass but the Sergeant that came out with us is coming home on the 17th of this month and he says that he thinks that the married men of our draft will be coming next. There are only three more of the original Battalion and I shall come third in our draft so it may be about six weeks time but will be able to let you know more definite in a week or two’s time. And we will not half have a good time of it then. I won’t half make a fuss of you. I bet I shall hug and kiss you all away. I am longing to see you Lovey as it seems ages since I saw you last. But I would rather the war finish before my leave is due so as I should not have to leave you at all again as long as ever we live. It will take something to make me leave you again. Remember me to Thomas and Jenny and Kiddies. Hope they are all quite well. Well I am afraid I shall not be able to come and see them when I come home as I shall want as much rest as ever I can get. You know I am having forty-eight hours in bed the first go off, so it will only leave me four days”.
“Just a few lines to let you know that I am keeping quite well. Hope you are the same. I have just received your letter dated 3.1.1916. We are out of the trenches again just now. Came out on Thursday night after four days in the firing line. It has been very quiet this time and the weather has been quite alright. About the best we have had since I came out here. It only rained about four hours all the time. We go in again for another four days Monday night and then it is rumoured we go right back for a rest but I don’t know if it is correct or not as we hear so many different tales you don’t know which to believe.
I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying yourself so well. I hope you will have as good a time as you can and it will not make it any better if you worry about me being out here. I have wrote to Lizzie today to let her know that I received the parcel quite safe. We have got a very nice billet this time. We are in a front room; ten of us altogether so we have a bit of fun of a night. The people are very nice and also very good. They make us coffee every morning and bring it to us while we are in bed as we do not get up before eight o’clock now. And they have an organ that turns with a wheel so you may guess what a time we have of it. The woman is a refugee and by what she tells us she has gone through something. When the Germans occupied this place where we are now they came into the house and killed four of her brothers at once and bayonetted three of her children. The oldest was only seven years old and she has got one with her now that they cut both his hands off. It is an awful sight to see him and he is such a bonny little lad. He is about four years old. But on top of that she has got a little girl that a German left her with. So you know what the poor woman has had to go through here. And then they say if you ever happen to come across a German have mercy on him. But it is impossible for us out here to do so after we have seen with our own eyes what they have done. If some of the young men who are still slacking at home could only see instances like that they would soon make up their minds whether it was their duty to enlist or not. I hope to God that my Precious Wife or anybody belonging to me will have to go through anything like they have to go through. I know now, if I never did before, that I was only doing my duty when I enlisted and if I live to come through this awful ordeal I shall always be able to say I did my little bit.
I have just heard that we go into the reserve trenches for eight days. So we shall have a good time of it if it is correct as we shall be over a mile from the firing line. It will be the first time our Company have been in the second line of reserves. We shall be able to sleep all day and night unless I am on guard. Well Dear you say if you was me you would not take a stripe but I think I shall do. I am Acting Lance Corporal this time in the firing line and I had an easy time of it but I shall not take it unless they pay me for it as there are so many Lance Corporals out here who are not getting any extra money. But when the Sergeant asked me about it I told him straight I should want paying for it.
Well Dearest Love I am not quite sure how long it will be before I get my pass but the Sergeant that came out with us is coming home on the 17th of this month and he says that he thinks that the married men of our draft will be coming next. There are only three more of the original Battalion and I shall come third in our draft so it may be about six weeks time but will be able to let you know more definite in a week or two’s time. And we will not half have a good time of it then. I won’t half make a fuss of you. I bet I shall hug and kiss you all away. I am longing to see you Lovey as it seems ages since I saw you last. But I would rather the war finish before my leave is due so as I should not have to leave you at all again as long as ever we live. It will take something to make me leave you again. Remember me to Thomas and Jenny and Kiddies. Hope they are all quite well. Well I am afraid I shall not be able to come and see them when I come home as I shall want as much rest as ever I can get. You know I am having forty-eight hours in bed the first go off, so it will only leave me four days”.
Prior to returning to the Front from leave at home Pte. Harold Charnock (see 2nd January) wrote a letter of thanks which would subsequently (15th January) be published in The Halifax Courier; “Sir – I beg a short space in your paper to tender my deepest gratitude to my neighbours of Mary Street for the hearty welcome and present of an illuminated watch which I received while on my short leave from the front, also for the good wishes I take back with me”.
 |
| Pte. Harold Charnock |
It seems to have been around this time, although the precise
date has not been established, that Pte. Johnny
Smith (see 8th October
1915) wrote home to Mr. Flint, who was one of the organisers of the
continuing effort to provide ‘comforts’ to the recruits from the village of
Addingham: “Thanks for parcel received all right; everything in it was very
good. We are kept busy; when not in the trenches we are always going out on
working parties, and as it is soon dark we don’t seem to have much time to
ourselves. I liked the photo of the old church immensely and would not mind if
I was looking at it just now. I sent it back home and shall keep it to look
back at, though it won’t need that to remind me of this war, as things we have
seen up to now we shall never forget. The weather is not bad and will soon be
better. There is not much doing just now. Wishing you all a prosperous New
Year”.
 |
| Pte. Johnny Smith |
Almost two months after first being reported unfit for duty
CSM Harry Dewhirst (see 5th January) was finally
sent back to England.
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