9.Letter to his mother dated 29 December 1917.
10.Letter to his parents, dated 1 January 1918.
11.Letter to his family, dated 16 December 1917.
12.Letter to his mother, dated 22–23 December 1917.
13.Letter to his mother, dated 30 December 1917.
14.Letter to his mother, dated 26 December 1917.
15.Letter to his father, dated 1 January 1918.
PEACE AT LAST! CHRISTMAS 1918
1.Letter to his mother, dated 29 December 1918.
2.Letter dated 28 December 1918.
3.Letter to his mother, dated 25 December 1918.
4.Letter to his mother, dated 25 December 1918.
5.Letter to his mother, dated 2 January 1919.
6.Letter to his mother, dated 24–25 December 1918.
7.Letter to his mother, dated 20 December 1918.
8.Letter to his fiancée Nell, dated 28 December 1918.
9.Letter to his wife, dated 12 January 1919.
10.Lt Col C. Wheeler (ed.), Memorial Record of the Seventh (Service) Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Blackwell, Oxford, 1921), pp. 165–6.
11.The battalion moved from Hellenthal to Kall on 24 December and marched to Mechernich on Christmas morning. Here they were to remain until 23 February when they moved to Wermelskirchen (reference from 2/4th Battalion Hampshire Regiment 1914–1918, published by the battalion in late 1919).
12.M.J. Rattray, Further Recollections of 107th Field Coy., R.E., p. 205.
13.Ibid, pp. 212–13.
14.Ibid, p. 216.
POSTSCRIPT
1.Letter to his mother and family, dated 25 December 1915.
Sources
UNPUBLISHED SOURCES
Brotherton Library, University of Leeds
Liddle Collection
GS 1700: Ms Letters, Pte Jack Webster, 10th Devons.
The National Archives
WO 95/4290: War Diary, Headquarters, The Royal Naval Division.
WO 95/154: War Diary, Gen Staff, 1st Army, December 1914–March 1915.
WO 95/1441: War Diary, Gen Staff, 4th Division, October 1914–December 1914.
WO 95/1627: War Diary, Gen Staff, 7th Division, October 1914–January 1915.
WO 95/2128: War Diary, Gen Staff, 21st Division, September 1915–December 1915.
WO 95/2427: War Diary, 21st Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, November 1915–February 1916.
WO 95/2427: War Diary of the 1/4th Suffolks, November 1915–January 1916
WO 95/2731: War Diary of the 1/8th Londons, March 1915–January 1918.
WO 95/2531: War Diary, Headquarters, 111th Infantry Brigade, August 1915–April 1919.
WO 95/2611: War Diary, 14th Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, June 1916–March 1919.
WO 95/5382: War Diary, Headquarters, West Africa – Cameroon: Report on Naval and Military Operations 1914–1916.
WO 95/5382: Report on the Operations of the Dschang Column, 21 December 1914–10 January 1915.
WO 95/5386: Lt-Col Haywood’s Papers, Reports and Correspondence, September 1914–April 1916.
WO 95/5387: War Diary, 2nd Battalion, The Nigeria Regiment, August–September 1914 and July–September 1915.
National Army Museum
Department of Archives, Photographs, Film & Sound (APFS)
NAM 9802-214: Ts Diary, Capt Alfred E. Bundy, 2nd King’s Own Royal Lancasters.
NAM 1986-11-43-7: Ts Account, Capt Keith F. Freeland, Indian Volunteer Artillery. This account is part of the Gallup Papers.
NAM 2003-10-28-2: Ms Account, Cpl Stanley Freeman, Royal Naval Division Signal Company.
NAM 1989-01-105-2: Ms Diary, Maj J.Q. Henriques, 1/16th Londons.
NAM 5603-11-3&4: Ms Journal of Lt Col Henry Jourdain, 5th Connaught Rangers.
NAM 1985-05-24-6: Ts Letter, Lt Col Rupert Shoolbred, 1/16th Londons. This letter is part of the Wilkin Papers.
NAM 1992-04-73-1: Ms Letters, Pte Richard Stratton, 15 Sanitation Section, RAMC.
NAM 2003-08-7: Ts Memoir, Pte George Veasey, 8th Ox & Bucks Light Infantry and 26th Middlesex.
Imperial War Museum
Department of Documents
92/36/1: Ms Letters, Pte Reg Bailey, 7th Royal Berkshires.
Con Shelf: Ms Letters, Capt Eric Barclay, 2nd and 4th Battalions The Nigeria Regiment.
73/140/1: Ms Diary, Lt Holroyd Birkett Barker, 134th Siege Battery, RGA.
Con Shelf: Ms Letters, Capt Charles Baxter, 6th South Lancashires.
94/5/1: Ms Diary, Pte Francis Victor Blunt, 2/15th Londons & 17 Training Depot Squadron, RAF.
82/21/1: Ts Memoir, Lt Frederick Arnold Brown, 7th Gloucesters (Sgt, 2nd Monmouthshires).
02/43/1: Ts Diary, Pte Albert Bullock, 8th Royal Warwicks.
Con Shelf: Ts Letters, Pte Arthur Burke, 20th Manchesters.
92/3/1: Ts Letters, Rfm Jack Chappell, 1/5th Londons.
87/56/1: Ms Letters, 2/Lt Dougan Chater, 2nd Gordon Highlanders.
88/11/1: Ts Letters, W.C. Christopher (letters of Gnrs Cecil and Ray Christopher, 47th Siege Battery, RGA).
88/52/1: Ts Memoir, Capt Sir George Clarke, 1/8th Londons.
87/62/1: Ms Letters, Lt Col Robert Clarke, 1/4th Royal Berkshires.
04/1/1: Ms Diary, Sgt Howard Couldrake, 3rd Royal Marine Light Infantry.
72/72/1: Ms & Ts Letters, Capt Eric de Normann, ASC.
P326: Ms Diaries, Pte David Doe, 51st Signal Company, RE.
87/56/1: Ts Memoir, 2/Lt Cyril Drummond, 32nd Brigade, RFA.
98/2/1: Ms Diary, Sgt William Gower Dyer, 40th Field Ambulance, RAMC.
98/28/1: Ms Diary & Memoir, Gnr Thomas G. Edgerton, D Battery, 301st Brigade, RFA.
67/256/1: Ts Letters, Lt J. Elliott, 3rd/6th King’s African Rifles.
96/57/1: Ms Letters, Pte William Fall, 1st Entrenching Battalion, 2nd Canadian Division.
94/11/1: Ts Memoir, Cpl Bob Foulkes, 73rd Field Company, RE.
86/2/1: Ms Diaries, L/Cpl W.C. Gale, 2nd Norfolks.
87/45/1: Ts Letters, H.F. Goodright, 421st Battery, RFA.
01/36/1: Ts Memoir, Rfm Harry Gore, 12th Rifle Brigade.
84/9/1: Ts Letters, Rfm J. Selby Grigg, 1/5th Londons.
84/39/1: Ts Account (letter), Maj F.M. Hahn, 9th North Staffordshires.
02/35/1: Ms Letters, ACM Frank Haylett, Royal Flying Corps.
01/51/1: Ts Letters, Pte Harold Henfrey, 1/6th Lancashire Fusiliers.
03/31/1, Ts Memoir, Pte Christopher Hennessey, 2/15th Londons.
01/58/1: Ms Diaries, Gnr Ernest Hinchcliffe, RGA.
Con Shelf & 02/16/1: Ts Diary, Maj E.B. Hinde, 1/2nd East Anglian Field Ambulance, RAMC.
P253: Ms Diaries & Ts Transcription, Pte Walter Hoskyn, 5th King’s Liverpools.
88/52/1: Ts Memoir, QMS Frederick Hunt, Machine Gun Corps.
02/29/1: Ts Memoir, Rfm J.A. Johnston, 13th Rifle Brigade.
97/5/1: Ms Letters, 2/Lt Winn William Johnstone-Wilson, 9th Royal Sussex.
04/20/1: Ms Letters, Capt Archibald Laporte-Payne, 175th Brigade, RFA.
99/13/1: Ms Letters, Pte Robert Lawson, 14th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
91/22/1: Ms Diary, 2/Lt A.C.L.D. Lees, 2nd Battalion The Nigeria Regiment.
98/17/1: Ms Memoir, Gnr Edmund Lenfestey, D Howitzer Battery, 27th Division & 22nd Brigade, RFA..
98/2/1: Ts Memoir, Pte Alfred W. Lewis, 6th Northamptons
86/66/1: Ts Letters, Rfm Richard Lintott, 1/5th Londons.
87/26/1: Ms Diary, David Lloyd-Burch, 10th Field Ambulance, RAMC.
80/25/1: Ts Letters, Lt Joseph McPherson, Camel Transport Corps.
02/16/1: Ts Letters, Capt James Mackie, 2/4th Somerset Light Infantry.
01/53/1 & 1A: Ts Letters, Pte Mowbray Meades, 2nd Middlesex.
93/25/1: Ms Letters, Rfm Ernest Morley, 1/16th Londons.
Con Shelf: Ms Letters, Roland Mountfort, 25th Royal Fusiliers.
02/4/1: Ms Letters & Memoir, Pte Fred Philipson, 1st Grenadier Guards.
79/9/1: Ms Transcriptions of Letters, Capt Conrad Price, 2nd Norfolks.
92/19/1, Ms Letters, 2/Lt Charles Philip Quayle, 1/16th Londons.
79/35/1: Ms & Ts Memoir, Pte W.A. Quinton, 2nd Bedfords.
02/39/1: Ms Diary, Pte Thomas Rainbird, 1st West Yorkshires.
96/23/1: Ms Letters, Lt Emrys Richards, 63rd Battalion, MGC.
96/23/1: Ts Diary, 2/Lt Harold Hyde Ridsdale, 76th Field Company, RE.
74/98/1: Ts Memoir: Spr Frank Rowland, Royal Engineers (Signals).
02/55/1: Ms Letters, Spr Jim Sams, Royal Engineers.
DS/MISC/44: Microfilm Ts Letters, Capt Mervyn Sibly, 9th Gloucesters.
87/56/1: Ms Letters, 2/Lt Wilbert Spencer, 2nd Wiltshires.
81/1/1: Ms Account, Pte William Tate, 2nd Coldstream Guards.
87/17/1: Ms Diary, Capt Eustace Vachell, 6th Field Company, RE.
88/61/1: Ms Diary, Brig Gen Sir Richard Wapshare.
89/7/1: Ts Memoir, Gnr Fred Warburton, RFA.
01/38/1: Ts Memoir, Pte George Watts, 2/4th Hampshires.
97/17/1: Ms Diary & Ts Transcription, Pte Henry White, 1/5th The Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment).
Con Shelf: Ms Letters, Pte George Wilkinson, 10th Royal Fusiliers.
97/18/1: Ms Letters, Capt Herbert Ewart Winn, 2/5th Gurkhas.
83/12/1: Ms Diaries & Ts Transcript, Capt James Digby Wyatt, 2/4th Gloucesters.
01/47/1: Ms Letters, Gnr William Young, 175 Siege Battery, RGA.
Royal Air Force Museum
Department of Research & Information Services (DoRIS)
X003-0380/002, Ms Letters, Air Mechanic 3 John Roscoe, 20 Training Depot Squadron, RAF.
PUBLISHED SOURCES
Barker, A., Memories of Macedonia, Arthur H. Stockwell, London, c. 1918.
Brown, M. and Seaton, S., Christmas Truce – The Western Front, December 1914, Pan Books, London, 1999.
Hammond, J.M., A Living Witness – Letters of John Maximilian Hammond MB, BS, DSO, 1914–1918, Morgan & Scott, London, 1925.
Mather, W., ‘Muckydonia’ 1917–1919 – Being the adventures of a one-time ‘pioneer’ in Macedonia and Bulgaria during the First World War, Ilfracombe, 1979.
Rattray, M.J., Three Years in the Balkans – Further Recollections of the 107th Field Coy, R.E., William Dresser, Darlington, 1920.
Wheeler, Lt-Col C. (ed.), A Memorial Record of the Seventh (Service) Battalion The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, Blackwell, Oxford, 1921.
Articles from the Inglewood Advertiser
Letter home dated 25 December 1916 from Dvr Alan Gillespie, 2nd Ammunition Sub-Park Transport, AIF, reproduced in the column ‘Tidings of Soldiers’, 20 March 1917.
Letter to his mother dated 27 December 1915, Pte Frank Scholes, 14th Battalion, AIF, reproduced in the column ‘Tidings of Soldiers’, 11 February 1916.
Christmas in the Trenches Page 15