Letters From the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War by Bill Lamin Page A
Authors: Bill Lamin
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killed as were wounded. This confirms that the casualties largely came from the shelling once the objective had been reached.
Night of 9th/10th. On relief the Bn moved by motor lorry from KRUISTRAAT to SCOTTISH LINES. Capt. D Lewis took over temp command of Bn at midday on June 7th (from Lt Col
Bowes-Wilson, killed in action 7.6.17*). Coys at O.C. Coys [i.e. companies to be at their company commanders’] disposal for cleaning up and re-organization. [*Added in very
small writing as a superscript.]
With a new temporary battalion commander (a captain taking a lieutenant-colonel’s job shows the extent of the casualties), on 10 June the battalion moved away from the front lines to the
relatively safe location of Scottish Lines. There were several rest locations for the troops around Poperinghe (Poperinge), about five miles (8km) due west of Ypres. They would have been
accommodated in wooden huts – very similar to the ones in the training camp at Rugeley – and much, much more comfortable than the trenches. There, Harry wrote letters to Jack and to
Kate, taking care, because of the censorship of the men’s letters, not to mention specific place names.
June 11th /1917
Dear Jack
I was very pleased to hear from you and that you are going on all right I have been to the place you mentioned in your letter we went there for our bath about a fortnight
ago. The part of the line that we are in is straight forward so you will know where I am. We have had another terrible time this week the men here say it was worst than the Somme advance last
July. We lost a lot of men but we got where we were asked to take. It was awful I am alright got buried and knocked about but quite well now and hope to remain so. We were praised by the
general and all, everybody said we had done well, quite a success. I will tell you more when I see you. Mention the name of the place you think I am in and I will tell you whether you are right
but I think you will know one of the worst fronts on the line but I think we are having a change of place. When you receive this letter write back and let me know all news you can. It is a rum
job waiting for the time to come to go over the top without any rum too. The C.O. got killed and our captain, marvellous how we escaped. The biggest part of our company are scotch man from the
Scottish Borderers. I can’t tell what they say they are not like Yorkshire men and we were the fifth wave over. I am glad they are alright at home and getting on well. The little book you
sent is very nice it will come in useful I will read it. Glad you have wrote to Kate. My address is the same Y & L. I will write again And soon and let you know how I am getting on.
With best love from
Harry
(PS) could you send me a small tin of salts or lemon something to put to water only a small tin, anything that will not take up much room.
‘I am alright got buried and knocked about’ – Harry is probably describing his experience when a shell landed close to him. The earth would have been thrown up to bury him, and
he would certainly have felt the blast. Clearly, he had been doubly fortunate, for he was missed by the shrapnel and was able to escape from the burial.
The ‘worst than the Somme advance last July’ reference is curious, for Harry was plainly misinformed. The Somme had been a disaster for the 9th Battalion, York and Lancaster
Regiment. Second in line to go over the top on the infamous first day of the battle (after their sister battalion, the 8th, which suffered even higher casualties), the battalion was cut to pieces
by German machine-gun fire. One report claims that it suffered 432 all ranks killed on the morning of 1 July 1916, with total casualties, killed, wounded and missing, of almost 80 per cent of the
committed battalion strength of 25 officers and 736 other ranks (a further 10 per cent of every infantry unit involved were kept back from any major assault). Surely the survivors of that
Night of 9th/10th. On relief the Bn moved by motor lorry from KRUISTRAAT to SCOTTISH LINES. Capt. D Lewis took over temp command of Bn at midday on June 7th (from Lt Col
Bowes-Wilson, killed in action 7.6.17*). Coys at O.C. Coys [i.e. companies to be at their company commanders’] disposal for cleaning up and re-organization. [*Added in very
small writing as a superscript.]
With a new temporary battalion commander (a captain taking a lieutenant-colonel’s job shows the extent of the casualties), on 10 June the battalion moved away from the front lines to the
relatively safe location of Scottish Lines. There were several rest locations for the troops around Poperinghe (Poperinge), about five miles (8km) due west of Ypres. They would have been
accommodated in wooden huts – very similar to the ones in the training camp at Rugeley – and much, much more comfortable than the trenches. There, Harry wrote letters to Jack and to
Kate, taking care, because of the censorship of the men’s letters, not to mention specific place names.
June 11th /1917
Dear Jack
I was very pleased to hear from you and that you are going on all right I have been to the place you mentioned in your letter we went there for our bath about a fortnight
ago. The part of the line that we are in is straight forward so you will know where I am. We have had another terrible time this week the men here say it was worst than the Somme advance last
July. We lost a lot of men but we got where we were asked to take. It was awful I am alright got buried and knocked about but quite well now and hope to remain so. We were praised by the
general and all, everybody said we had done well, quite a success. I will tell you more when I see you. Mention the name of the place you think I am in and I will tell you whether you are right
but I think you will know one of the worst fronts on the line but I think we are having a change of place. When you receive this letter write back and let me know all news you can. It is a rum
job waiting for the time to come to go over the top without any rum too. The C.O. got killed and our captain, marvellous how we escaped. The biggest part of our company are scotch man from the
Scottish Borderers. I can’t tell what they say they are not like Yorkshire men and we were the fifth wave over. I am glad they are alright at home and getting on well. The little book you
sent is very nice it will come in useful I will read it. Glad you have wrote to Kate. My address is the same Y & L. I will write again And soon and let you know how I am getting on.
With best love from
Harry
(PS) could you send me a small tin of salts or lemon something to put to water only a small tin, anything that will not take up much room.
‘I am alright got buried and knocked about’ – Harry is probably describing his experience when a shell landed close to him. The earth would have been thrown up to bury him, and
he would certainly have felt the blast. Clearly, he had been doubly fortunate, for he was missed by the shrapnel and was able to escape from the burial.
The ‘worst than the Somme advance last July’ reference is curious, for Harry was plainly misinformed. The Somme had been a disaster for the 9th Battalion, York and Lancaster
Regiment. Second in line to go over the top on the infamous first day of the battle (after their sister battalion, the 8th, which suffered even higher casualties), the battalion was cut to pieces
by German machine-gun fire. One report claims that it suffered 432 all ranks killed on the morning of 1 July 1916, with total casualties, killed, wounded and missing, of almost 80 per cent of the
committed battalion strength of 25 officers and 736 other ranks (a further 10 per cent of every infantry unit involved were kept back from any major assault). Surely the survivors of that
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