11th July 1916
11th July 1916 A very short note from an exhausted Arthur, as he has been hard at work, with no time to catch the post; Dollie’s letters have not reached him yet so he is feeling particularly bereft of news. … Continued
10th July 1916
10th July 1916 After a long day’s travel on Sunday, Arthur has now come to the end of his first full day at the Third Army Infantry School and explains the regime to Dollie; he expects to be kept pretty … Continued
8th July 1916
8th July 1916 Arthur is still waiting in the lines to move off to Army School; news of Dollie’s brother Evie; meanwhile the battalion has left the front line but will probably be up again in 4 days; the guns … Continued
7th July 1916
7th July 1916 “Dear little Anxiety, your letter of Tuesday came to-day. …by God’s Mercy I am fit & well & safely through our bit of the show. The casualties were pretty heavy: the Division lost about 50% or more … Continued
6th July 1916
6th July 1916 Arthur is writing from the support line, where his CO has insisted he stay, after his “thick time during the show”; Arthur was due to attend Army School from the 8th, for a month so there is … Continued
5th July 1916
5th July 1916 Since 28th June Arthur has managed to send Dollie 4 military post cards – just to let her know he is well. By 5th July he is able to scribble her a few quick lines to reassure … Continued
28th June 1916
28th June 1916 (Wednesday Y Day) “The weather is still rotten. Very, very wet & everything is under water & fearfully muddy. Last night most of the company under Lloyd were out working. We received the usual dose of shells … Continued
26th June 1916
26th June 1916 Still in the middle of a constant artillery barrage – and Dollie is eager to hear Arthur’s thoughts on who their bridesmaids should be (he thinks sister Daisy too old!!); the fish has arrived but Arthur describes … Continued
25th June 1916
25th June 1916 (Sunday – V Day) A lively time of it for Arthur and his Company – with the deafening noise of the bombardment from behind, plus being strafed by the enemy from the front. In the midst … Continued
24th June 1916
24th June 1916 Despite rumours and fears the mail is still getting through to Arthur; conditions where they are at the moment are terrible: “…there’s a great battery just behind us here that makes an awful crash every time it … Continued