Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1360/1/32
  • Title
    Letter (4 sheets) fro Wilfred Hammond, marked: 8064 C Coy. 18 K.R.Rs. BEF Dear People, I am writing once again in quite a cheerful mood owing to the fact that we had a pay-day yesterday for the first time in a month. I drew 30 francs and fortunately there is a decent little town nearby whereat one can spend cash so I dug out my pal and we went and had a decent time, which under our circumstances means a general “tuck in”. I have often praised the work that Y.M.C.A.’s do out here but at our last billets there was a Y.M.C.A. which was open with hot cocoa and the usual stock from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. the next day and which also supplied cocoa free to returning working parties from the trenches. Good work, eh! When going to the trenches we were issued with thigh gum boots and you can imagine the peculiar effect they give to a working party – stalking silently through the night on the rubber heels. Once when up the line we took the wrong turn and had to go through what practically amounted to a bog of 3 yds. lengths. Every one sank to the knees and had the dickens of a pull to get one’s legs out. Of course, one fool pulls in the wrong manner and leaves his boots in the mud, thus spending the rest of the night in his stockinged feet. Tee hee! Recently I had a real bath and change of all underclothes and all the other kit steamed or fumigated for an hour. Between you and I it was not one second before needed. I am going up to see our postman this afternoon as I think my letters must be going west somewhere. Since that letter of Eva’s containing Gladys’, I have received 2 papers and 1 letter containing a letter from May, Eva and Yourself. As that was about Oct. 2nd something’s wrong. In this village near here, I found a shop that specialises in Crosse and Blackwells goods and this is a list of only a few things they sell in tins:- Roast Turkey, Duck and Peas, Roast Beef, Mutton Chops, Veal Cutlets, Christmas puddings, and Black Silk pyjamas with pink butterflies on pockets at 90 frcs. We have been working a lot lately on fatigues for the Royal Engineers and I must say I think these are the biggest farce that every was played. ‘Frinstance some days ago we went out at six a.m., marched for two hours and had then to work for four hours. During this time our fellows carried two 5 ft. lengths of timber and two sheets of expanding metal and then marched the two hours journey back. The worst of it is that the Engineers are perfectly satisfied with this amount of work. Unofficially, they are usually pleased when the infantry do not show up. Hoping all domestic affairs are going on Trés bien. I am yours, Wilf.
  • Date free text
    n.d. [October 1916]
  • Production date
    From: 1916 To: 1916
  • Level of description
    item
Hierarchy browser