A letter home from the BEF

Along with the letter Martin, fantastic stuff.

Your posts are all very much appreciated in giving a detailed part of the picture of life with the B.E.F.

Keep 'em coming.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Thanks as ever Jim. As I’ve said before it’s a real pleasure both reading and sharing them. Today’s gem of a find re the fire has been the icing on the cake for me. Not so much for him, of course!

I remembered too later that he had written about that barn billet in his letter of 15th November, which I repeat again here:

“We had our billets in straw in a barn, but the men came this week and started threshing the wheat so we had to shift, but we have built another one and it is just like a dug out. We have made our beds on bales of straw and made a gangway and small opening to walk along so we are fairly comfortable.”

Captain Austin thought it was ingenious. Not fire, or idiot, proof though.

Talking of a detailed part of life in the BEF, we also found out that he took his bloody slippers to war! Of all the things you may think that a soldier might have in his kit, slippers would definitely not have come to mind. Good for creeping up on sentries though.

 

Fascinating stuff as always. As Jim says, keep 'em coming!

His words describing the fire gives a personal and really interesting account from a soldier's perspective, as if he, too, had contributed to a book or diary.

 

Cheers. I’ll be gutted when I’ve no more to read.

 

Nix on the rissoles Rich, too complicated for field cookery

Stick with 2 and 3 (note: after consumption you will be stuck with 2 and 3!).



For dessert, a tablespoon of syrup of figs

Kind regards, Q. "what's for dinner; A."Rissoles" Response from the brotherly chorus "****holes!", always,

Jim.

P.S. There is no truth in the rumour that said exchange took place twixt Fanny and Johnnie!

 

There was another letter from 1939 after all and, as I suspected, I’d mistakenly put it in the 1940 pile. What threw me when I first found and them was that he’d written “Wed 28th” and there were no Wednesdays that were the 28th for the BEF’s 1939 spell. However, I looked more closely today at the envelope and could make out what looked like 31 DE 39. The contents of the letter then confirmed that this was most likely written on the Wednesday 27th December - he’d simply got the date wrong.

He’s a bit testy in the first part of the letter and it looks like my Nan had had a pop at him. It’s possible she was trying to get him to write more letters home than he was doing and was trying to make him jealous in order to achieve that - he wasn’t having any of it!

You will read that he mentions Nan’s “admirer” being 11 years behind time. They married in 1929, so whether he was talking about how long in total he and my Grandmother had been together, or whether, in that time honoured tradition of the husband, he’d forgotten they had, in fact, only been married ten years, who can know…

You get the impression he was in a bit of a mood at the start of the letter, that might even account for getting the date wrong, but it’s really amusing how he deals with whatever my Nan has thrown at him. The letter and, more likely, his mood, mellows more as it goes on.

He also gives a clue as to where the regiment is going next. The clue is ridiculously simple and how he got away with it I’ve no idea, but get away with it he did. He’s used one of the “green” envelopes again that “need not be censored Regimentally”, but, as it clearly states, it could still have been seen at the Base. As usual, I’ve transcribed the letter for your ease:

 

Transcription, quote:

“Wed 28th

My Dearest Elsie,

Many thanks for card you sent in letter. No doubt you have been waiting for this letter as I should have wrote earlier, but I have been waiting to see if any more parcels arrived so that I could let you know, but what has happened I don’t know but I have received nothing, only your letter and one from Aunt Annie & Aunt Beat. Both have sent cigarettes and Aunt Annie said she sent hers last Monday fortnight so they are well overdue.

Yes dear when we went away the other week it was to take the guns on a 6 days firing camp, so that was work wasn’t it. You can tell the gentleman who thinks you’re attractive that he is just 11 years behind time. As for jealousy there are two of us and it is not me. Now you mention someone who gets 2 or 3 letters a week from her husband and you only get one.

Well there are several reasons for that. Firstly I always like to get a reply from you so that our letters don’t cross. Next, Mrs So and So’s husband is probably in a totally different place to me. A place with plenty of life and things to write about, while I have told you before I am in the wilds of France with now only half a farm to look at since it caught fire. Still we are moving tomorrow to a big town with houses for billets. We are told it is as good as can possibly be.

I want you to guess the name of the place we are going to. Do you remember that old war song that was sung many years ago. You know “Mademoiselle from”, now let me know in your next letter if you have discovered it.

Need you ask if I ever think of you dear, when I see other chaps with photos hanging up and I have none.

Well dear Xmas is over and a good job too. We had a fairly good time, but I didn’t enjoy myself much thinking of home and you. It is freezing hard and snowing hard at the present moment and now it has started I expect we shall get plenty of it.

Well the weeks are rolling on and next Monday is the first of Jan. and when that month is out you can start getting excited. It is roughly 6 weeks from now. I’m glad Aunt Beat came to see you as I knew she wouldn’t forget you.

I have just been issued with my battle dress today but I am not going to wear it if I can help it till I come home. I don’t know how I am going to get all my stuff home as we are not allowed to bring kit-bags home, so I expect I shall have to leave best part of it here. You won’t miss your present this year as you said because you will have it later on.

Dear, if you manage to send another parcel later on could you put some grips or **** (illegible **) in as I have still got a slight cough. By the way my knee is better. I went to the M.O. and he told his orderly to take the bandage off. He did. If you get a piece of linen or calico and tear it you will get the sound it made when he tore it off my leg. They certainly kill or cure in the army.

Well dear I have just discovered that there is no mail tonight, for any of us, so we must wait for tomorrow. As time is getting on, I am going to shave and turn in early as I expect we shall be busy tomorrow.

So for the present dear Cheerio till next time From Your Loving Husband Wally xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You will certainly get these and more later on.

Send these to Kiddies xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S. Have bought Knife, Fork, Spoon but would like a shaving brush if you can send one.”

Unquote.

The 6 day firing camp he refers to was presumably the time spent at Sissonne from 1 - 7 December. I wonder if my Nan had accused him of having a six day holiday! As I said, she’d clearly got his back up.

Regarding the next destination, and his top secret unbreakable code, you will all know he’s referring to Armentières. The censors either missed that or didn’t care, or he was just lucky and the letter was never examined. The war diary confirms this move and the DRAMA records it thus:

“On 17 Dec the regt began the transfer to 5 Inf Div. On 26 Dec the advance party moved to Armentieres and on the 28th the regt moved by night to Armentieres. It was a foul night with a snow blizzard but every vehicle but one motor cycle got in that night and the DR rejoined the next day. The regt was proud to become part of the field artillery of a regular division and was to remain with it, with one short break, to the end of the war. The gun posns were around Linselles and Roncq in support of the Halluin Salient.”

This further confirmed that he’d written the letter on the 27th as he spoke of their moving out tomorrow.

Finally, there is one word that I can’t make out, the bit where’s he asking for some things to help his cough. The first thing he asks for is “grips”, which I at first thought was a weird thing to ask for, how’s fixing his hair going to help his cough, but then I found these, which I assume to be what he’s talking about, some sort of cough lozenge:



For the life of me, though, I cannot decipher the second item after grips.

 

Is the illegible word Zubes by any chance?

https://images.app.goo.gl/UjwY55pkDDmZ81sa7

 

Top job, spot on!

Kind regards, "go suck a Zube", always,

Jim.

 

Here's an old advert for Zubes from 1935.

 

Well done mate, you and Jim are on fire with these mystery words, I really thought that one was impossible. I see you can still get Zubes, but I’ve never heard of them.

Thanks for the help. Here’s a closer view, but I’d still never have got it.

 

Up in his letter he wanted a shaving brush sent to him if possible. I still have my grandfather’s shaving brush and shaving cup which he used up until his death in 1957. He was 85.

 

That’s cool! As you probably read in the previous letter, my grandad lost his in the fire in the barn.

I’ve always fancied treating myself to a proper shave at the barber, shaving brush, cutthroat razor (gulp), hot towel, all that, but never got round to it. Of course, whenever you see that in the movies, some mobster comes in and whacks the poor bloke in the chair!

 

No problem at all. Hadn't heard of Grips, though. They are a new one on me.

 

By 1939, most men were using "Safety Razors" with a few Rolls Razors too, but they were quite big and heavy if they had to be carried in kit. The razors were not issue items but usually bought via the NAAFI. A friend who detected a lot on the beaches at Malo told me that Wardonia was the most common brand.

Was the cutlery also to replace the fire loss ? I wonder if he bought dated WD items or if they were plain ? For some reason, 1939 and 1940 dated spoons and forks are easy to find, but the knives rather scarce. Easier to find in France than the UK though. There was a standard pattern, but numerous makers.

 

Thanks for the info, Rich, and the images. It all adds to the general picture he’s painting and brings it to life.

I think you’re right re the cutlery being replacements for the fire loss - he said that he saved most of his kit, but lost all his equipment. I’m guessing his equipment included his cutlery.

What he bought and where from will remain a mystery, but I was surprised the army didn’t just give him a new set though, especially given the circumstances, but maybe the wheels were very slow and, naturally, he needed a knife and fork in a hurry.

I’d originally wondered if his new battle dress was a replacement for that lost in the fire, but on reflection I’m thinking maybe that was just a routine issue for everyone?

 

Gillette - Wikipedia

 

Macleans (toothpaste) - Wikipedia

 

Rissoles followed by a Zube. Hmm! Never heard of "Grips".

Great thread, thanks.

John