LETTERS

From 'Letters to a Soldier', 1915 to 1919 ...
Those of May to December 1916

From P Shaw, Beechwood Mossley, M/c
Sept 3 /16

Dear Cecil,

On Friday we posted your weekly parcel containg plum cake, box biscuits, pastilles, health-salt, parkin, Eccles cakes, cigars and cigarettes. Your letter dated the 26th ult only arrived this morning. It is the only one rec’d since the 23rd August so we were getting a bit anxious to hear from you.

Events are moving rapidly in the Balkans and some people think the Germans will shorten their line considerably in France and Belgium. Rumania coming in on the Allies’ side has been a nasty shock for them, and is expected to shorten the war. During the week we have heard from Mr Walsh, Charley Varley and Bert Witham in acknowledgement of cigars sent out to them. Mr Walsh’s address is 1st Garr Batt N Staffs Regt @ PO3 France. He wishes you good luck and says he is pleased to hear you are still “batting". A number of friends have asked at different times to be remembered to you including Mallandain, Woolstencroft, Bert Barlow and others. You will be surprised to hear Sam Rhodes is on light duty at Ashton Barracks. What price Hollingworth, his officer.

Write soon, Love from all
Father

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From P Shaw, Beechwood, Mossley, M/c
Sept 9/1 6

Dear Cecil,

It is Saturday evening and we have just been looking out for the postman but he seems to have given us the go by. We thought we should be having a letter from you, nothing having arrived during the week your last being dated 26th August.

Yesterday we posted your weekly parcel containing plum cake, biscuits, tinned pears, cream, liver-salts, chocolate, cigars and cigarettes which we trust you will get in due course. Charlie Yates is here today in his uniform. He has got a few days leave, and says he might any time be put on a ship.

Alec is still here and we are hoping will be for some time yet. The only bit of news this week is that Arnold Chandler is ill at Salonika. His father could not give us any particulars. Jim Adams was in London when the Zepp was brought down and saw it. Cedric Mayall also saw it, being in London for the week-end. Elsie and Alec have both been vaccinated as several cases of small-pox have occurred in the town. Elsie felt the effects rather badly but has got the worst over. Let us know early about yourself.

Love from all,
Father

Editor's note:
Cedric Mayall is Cecil's cousin (and later grandfather to comedian Rick Mayall).
Jim Adams married Cedric’s cousin Ethel Ogden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From P Shaw, Beechwood Mossley, M/c
Sept 16/16

Dear Cecil,

We sent off your weekly parcel containg Pal’s box of biscuits, plum cake, Shrewsbury cakes, pine chunks, home-made toffee, health-salt, cigars, cigarettes and pair socks. Mother would like to know if you require the socks sending every other week as before. Also please tell us if you require anything in the way of gloves, scarves etc. Your letter to Elsie (undated but post marked 8th Sept reached here on the 12th. We are glad you are quite well again and more than pleased that you are likely to be at the Depot for many more weeks.

You are quite posted up, I expect, with all the news if you get the “Daily Mail " out there. I can fancy there is much rejoicing amongst the British and French troops now that real progress is being made. There will now be a sort of feeling that they are getting over the "Donkey’s Bridge" and will shortly have the best of the fight easily.

Auntie Jane sent you a parcel about a fortnight ago and wonders if you have got it. Please drop her a line. Alec has not yet had notice. He and Elsie are right again after the vaccn. They are forming a defence Corps here in Mossley. I have been asked to be a vice-president, but have not yet consented.

Write again soon - Love from all - Father

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From P Shaw, Beechwood Mossley, M/c
Sept 23/16

Dear Cecil,

Your weekly parcel was sent off yesterday and contained - plum cake, parkin, digestive biscuits, tinned pears, golden syrup, health salt, cigars and cigarettes which we hope will reach you safely. Your letter to mother dated 17th inst reached here yesterday; we notice you are now at Cayeux-sur-la-mer; this is the place which I suppose reminded you of Lytham. We hope they keep you there indefinitely. We often wonder if the work there is congenial and whether your immediate "pals" are nice fellows. Elsie wrote you about two days ago and informed you of poor Hughes’s death from dysentery. Eric Mellor’s brother (J G. Mellor) has also died at Hospital at Baghdad. You will see references to both cases in the “Reporter" and “Oldham Chron"; both these papers are being sent by this post. We herewith enclose you a letter which was addressed to you whilst in The Machine Gun Section and dated July 22. This has been returned to us undelivered and marked “wounded". This is the only one returned so far, but I think there will be several others, besides two parcels, missing.

Alec is still here; not called up yet.

Love from all - Father

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Medal Card Herbert Cecil Shaw, Private 20th Battalion Royal Fusiliers; 2nd Lieutenant South Lancashire Fusiliers

27th May - 24th June 1st July- 29th July 4th August - 26th August 3rd September - 23rd September 1st October - 28th October 3rd November - 25th November 2nd December - 30th December

Letters to a Soldier, Introduction