Z1360/1/19

Letter (5 sheets) from Wilfred Hammond, marked: The Farm upon the Hill. September 1st 1916. Dear Family, Am writing at 5 p.m., having just finished work for the day. I am now waiting for “Tea-up” but shall have to wait as some of the cooks are just drawing water. I received your latest parcel yesterday, at tea time and send herewith many thanks. Now, Mother I am going to criticise one or two of the items and hope you will not mind. The cocoa and tea tablets are very good when we are in or are going in the trenches in the near future but when we are out as at present, it is not worth the expense owing to the fact that we can buy the stuff. It may interest you to know that the tins which contain the tea, cocoa and coffee tablets and which come out here in quite a number of parcels, are used a great extent as cigarette cases out here, it being found that for size, capacity and strength they are the best ever. Owing to the fact that one frequently sleeps in or on one’s tunic, any cigarette packets therein are easily buckled and “fags” smashed. Now for the sweets! When I asked for them I wanted the sweets in a tin, not the tin round the sweets. Mind you they were very nice but the tin must have cost lots more than the sweets. The things I want are such as Acid Drops, Peppermints or Butterscotch in tins such as Needlers, although any sweets are useful, particularly some Mackintoshes slab toffee. While on the grumble, I may as well say that bananas squash and health salts fizz. I am afraid my letters are a combination of thanks for goods received and requests for more stuff but here is a list of things I want, please. 1 Toothbrush, 1 Nailbrush, 1 Pr. Nail Scissors (Pardon? No, I have heard nothing about leave) and 300 “Greys” cigarettes. These latter you will get sent out for me by the “Greys” firm and will cost you 9/-. We are dividing the “fags” between us and I will forward cash on receipt. For full particulars see adverts in L.O., etc. Hope it will not be much trouble. It is a worry to have a mad son, eh! The people here speak no English so we have a big job to get anything. I have just seen a fellow who had purchased six eggs and wanted them cooked. He had them in his cap and went through dumb show to get Madam to “comprenez”. Finally he had to go to a tank and ladle imaginary water into his hat and then light a match and hold it underneath, only to be overwhelmed by a flood of French from which we gathered that the fire was out. You should have seen the sergeant and I showing Madam that the former was going promenading with “Mamaselle” and I being the Mademoiselle. My little dictionary has been very useful here and is in great demand. I am sending you some cards of the last part of the world we were in but have crossed names out in case they should want them out. Wilf.

1 September 1916

From: 1916 To: 1916

item

Hammond, Wilfred,
Mackintosh,
Needlers

France, letters, service personnel, overseas (WW1), 18th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps, food, tea, cocoa, coffee, tobacco, sweets, bananas, LANGUAGE, translator, eggs