Z1360/1/44

Letter (4 sheets) from Wilfred Hammond, marked: BEF France Feb. 4th 1917. My Dear People, This is the promised continuation of my former letter, with the silk card as a sort of hyphen, siphon or whatever the thing is. I went two nights ago to one of those concerts I was telling you about and found it very good. They were well dressed as pierrots, with a Mephistopheles. But what causes a lot of fun are the remarks referring to Army life. This is an example: A tragic scene is going on with the above mentioned “Mephy” when in walks the villain and picks up an apple. Everyone is paying attention and as he picks up the said fruit, he turns aside and says “Aha, I wonder if this came up with the rations?” Sounds simple, but it caused shouts of laughter. The leave question is a standing joke and grievance, so when two “gaggers” let the following go, it caused plenty applause: 1st “When Jones went on leave….” 2nd “Leave?” 1st “Yes, leave!” 2nd “Leave?” 1st “Yes, leave, don’t you know what leave is?” 2nd “Leave? No!” 1st “Well, I will tell you. Leave is that which is reserved for officers and sergeant majors!” I did receive that £1 note that you keep asking about, Mother. Also a number of parcels. If sending I should like a tin or so of the various tinned meals, such as Curried Rabbit, Camp Pie, etc. These only require heating to make a decent supper or dinner. Have you only just heard about the Southampton way of sending parcels? It was in force before I came out and was particularly fine during Christmas time, when lots of fellows had huge parcels almost as big as themselves. They don’t take too long to come, either! I have a confession to make, a horrible confession to the effect that I have become a Quaker Oats Maniac and all last week I might have been seen feverishly stirring away at a semicircular Dixie from which eventually issues a mess which is declared to be good. When I come back I’ll show you how to cook Quaker Oats. Our cooks turned out a damned fine raisin duff the other day. One of those rolls, about 9” in diameter and cooked in a new sand-bag. The Goods! On this note, Grub, being a favourite subject of mine, I will finish, Yours with love, Wilf

4 February 1917

From: 1917 To: 1917

item

Hammond, Wilfred,
Quaker Oats

France, letters, service personnel, overseas (WW1), 18th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps, postcards, silk, concerts, fruit, bank notes, money, rabbits, pies, Southampton, postal service, oats, raisins, bread