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Description: | 20 ms letters (82pp), 24 February 1916 - 9 September 1918, with ts transcriptions and personal observations (61pp), written to a friend, whilst serving as a Rifleman with the 5th Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps (1916), then as an NCO with the 99th Company Machine Gun Corps, (99th Brigade, 2nd Division), (July 1917) and later the 20th Battalion Machine Gun Corps, (20th Division), (May 1918) on the Western Front, describing his basic and specialised training as a machine gunner, being posted to the Machine Gun Base Depot in France and carrying out general fatigue duties, going to the front and taking part in the fighting at Vimy Ridge, Arras, Oppy Wood and Hebuterne, being admitted to a Canadian hospital after being gassed, joining a new Brigade at Hazebrouck to support Portuguese forces during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 and advancing after retreating German forces in the autumn of 1918; together with 23 ms and ts letters (40pp) and an ms postcard written to him by friends and family, 1912 - 1965, including congratulations on his being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, being offered his old job back after demobilisation and details of a friend's war grave in France; a ts booklet giving details of the seven Victoria Crosses awarded to the Machine Gun Corps; a National Registration Card, 1915; four Christmas cards; a set of Corporal's Stripes and a black leather wallet carried by him throughout hostilities.
Cataloguer JHK
Catalogue date 2007-11-19 | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Bedwell, G C | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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