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Description: Letter from Pat Armstrong to Mrs Armstrong
Date: 28 October 1915
Source: Armstrong Collection
Identifier: P6/1210 (198)
Oct 28.
My dear wee Mus.
I wrote you a brief note yesterday for K.M but just in the midst of it the Dr came to say that I would have to send Ames to hospital. So I had to dash off, get him fixed up & arrange about another servant. Poor Ames I’m sorry he had to go, he was quite upset going off. I expect that they will pack him straight off to England.
I told him that if he got home he was to let you know & go & see you. He has got practically no family so if he got leave after coming out of hospital, I dare say you could look after him for a bit. Anyhow I told him to let you know where he was so you’ll be able to see what happens.
I have got an awfully nice little Scotch boy to do servant to me. He has been on this staff for some time in the sanitary squad. He is about 18. A nice clean boy & a very willing worker. He did servant to somebody for a bit before he came out here. He landed here with his Regt the 5th Royal Scots & has been here ever since. I think he’ll do me well but I shall miss Ames. A servant out here as a matter of fact, has extraordinarily little to do. Just calls on in the morning tidies up the house & sweeps it out. That’s always done before about 9 o’c. Then he has nothing much else to do till 7 o’c when he brings me hot water. My wardrobe not being very extensive he hasn’t many clothes to look after. So I really won’t miss Ames so much as if I was in barracks at home. I’m afraid he is pretty bad. He had dysentery & always complained of pains. He had his operations for an appendicitis. The first one was about the time of the Joburg Stakes. The doctors told me then that there was little or no hope for him, however he pulled through came home & had another operation about 6 months afterwards. I’m rather afraid that now there may be complications of the same sort. I hope they get him to England quickly.
I got a letter from you yesterday by K. M. of the 10th then to-day I got 5 of the 30th-1st-2d-3d & 4th. Grand it was getting them. It’s a long time now since we’ve had a mail. They had quite a difficulty landing it as the wind has gone south & blows right into this bay. I got my thick coat from you yesterday & some boots for the winter from Maxwell. Both parcels were awfully battered about but no damage was done.
The coat arrived not a bit the worse for its travels.
The change in the weather is simply wonderful. Last week there was a perishing north wind & it was really quite cold. One night I put on a thick vest & a leather waistcoat & two pairs of socks & by the end of dinner I was freezing. Now to-night I’ve only got a thin vest on & no waistcoat & I’m beautifully warm. The last two days have been simply glorious. It’s a lovely night to-night, really nice & warm. Hardress & I walked up to the line yesterday & walked round a bit of it then had our horses to meet us, & rode back. This morning I went out with Curling about 9.30 & we got back about 12.30. He has been a bit off colour so we didn’t do very much. Just looked at a few machine gun positions & then went & had a look at our advanced posts.
I had to go down to the Beach this afternoon & get money & then paid out about 5 o’c. I got your letters about 4.30 & had just time to read them before I paid out. As a matter of fact I was just sitting down to write to you when they arrived. I made another attempt to write this evening about 6 o’c when Basil turned up. Now we’ve had dinner so there is lots of time. It is lovely to have a really nice warm night after that cold snap, one is in no hurry atall for bed. Basil & his General had been over to Imbros to see Munro but he hadn’t much news to-night. Apparently the French & Servians are doing well but Greece is jibbing about letting our troops go through the country. A real dirty game she’s playing. I wish Roumania would come in now, but I’m afraid she doesn’t till Russia gets on a bit. Basil had a letter from Bobby Canning, in which he said that the 3rd Cav Div were brought up to a wood near Bethune for Sept 25 & the next day were put into the trenches in front of Loos. He didn’t quite know why as masses of infantry were shoved up past them. Apparently the first attack went with great dash but after that things were hung up a bit. He says that our casualties were very heavy in comparison to our gains, but from what one hears we seem to have blotted out a good many Bosch. They say that there are 9000 dead lying out in front of one post of our line. Good work that as it probably means about 20 to 30 thousand others wounded.
They have got a lot of fight in them yet these old Bosch. I wish you could forsee the end of this show. I suppose it will end one day but I don’t think we’ve turned into the straight yet. Just ploughing away & rapping the fences pretty hard. I wouldn’t employ old Sir Ian as my jockey!! But I hear that he got a great reception on arrival in London. I suppose they will give him command of some Army at home now. The General has been rather seedy these last few days, that cold snap rather played him up, he’s had a sort of flue & isn’t looking too well. However he is a good deal better to-night I think. I’m afraid that the cold weather out here will try him very highly. If he ever has to go sick I’ve decided to try & get a job out here as either Staff Captain of a Bde or G.S.O 3 to a Div. I think he would get that for me alright. I was talking about it to Curling to-day & he says that he thinks I’d get either job without much trouble if there was a vacancy. A Staff Captain’s job might lead to a Bde Major which I’d like to get. But I won’t leave the General as long as he is well & can stick it out here. But I don’t atall fancy going back to France as 2d in command of a Squadron. Anyhow if he ever does go sick, which I hope he won’t, I’ll talk it over with him & see what he can do for me. I’m afraid the cold will try him pritty hard. We have got everything pretty comfortable here now so I dare say he will stick it alright.I’ll stay on doing A.D.C to him but I don’t fancy it with anybody else. What do you think?
I hear that Franky has gone as A.D.C to some Divisional Commander. That’s a good job for him & he’ll do it well. It will be a great relief to the Duchess. It would be a terrible thing if anything happened to him.
I hear that they have brought Wickham in from the K.D.G’s to command the Regt. From what I hear there has been a good deal of chat & a certain amount of unpleasantness about the command of the Regt. Bill Stanley who is a dug out was commanding it, then Giblet came out & took it on & Stanley reverted to Captain. I suppose they thought that Giblet was too young. Anyhow it’s ended by Wickham being brought in. He is a very charming fellow & a good polo player which is a good thing. I expect everyone will like him but it’s a bore having him brought in. Hangs up promotion which is a bore as far as I’m concerned. I hate the idea of promotion by fellow being killed but it’s a nuisance having it stopped by people being brought in. Pokes is senior subaltern now so that makes me second on the list. I expect I will hear from Brock soon about Wickham being brought in, he’ll have a good old grouse about it.
If that paper hasn’t come that Ames signed I think you had better just keep the money for him. As I never got him to sign the other blue paper. You will be able to give him the money when you see him. I expect he will want it when he gets home.
The old goat is still in great form & milks away she went off for a bit but is quite good now, a great blessing she is. If I can get hold of Lazarus I’ll try & get another one. I sent one of the cyclists over to Imbros yesterday to try & see him we want to get him again with his boat. A d—d fool of an A.P.M sent him away when he came last time but I’m in hopes we’ll get him again. This canteen here is quite good but Lazarus brings us beer & whiskey & that sort of thing which we can’t get anywhere else. Eggs are off now I’m afraid, most of them used to come from Bulgaria. However we have got lots of stores so don’t miss them much.
Nice of little Welch sending you partridges. Dear wee Mus wishing I was there to help you eat them. It won’t be long I hope, and I’m really very happy out here. We have a real good lot on this staff, I’m busy all day & the time just flies. I’m on the go doing something all day. We have got the road almost done now another day ought to do it. It has worked out a great success. The General is awfully pleased with it. The men have worked awfully well on it & taken a great pride in it. I’m building another wing on the kitchen now, sounds fine doesn’t it. It will be a pretty good affair when it is finished.
I’ve had no news about old Pokes for ages. I’m afraid he has never really recovered from the effects of our Burma shoot. However he is like me & says “In spite of all our diseases it was d—d well worth it.”
It’s a nuisance about prices going up isn’t it. I thought that was a good speech of Kenna’s [?] didn’t you. Howard de Waldon is paying 7/ in the £1 he tells me. That’s heavy isn’t it. It’s great luck you don’t have to pay income tax isn’t it, that’s all done for you. But it’s going to hit everybody very hard.
Poor Mary, I must write to her, I haven’t for ages. But I find it’s hard to write letters these times.
I’m glad the films are arriving alright. It’s hard to keep count of them. As far as I can remember since I sent the lot in the shirt I have sent 3 rolls in a little tin box by K. M. 6 rolls in a cigarette box registered 3 of those rolls were the ones I got back from G. H. Q. Then two days ago I sent you 6 rolls in a cigarette box with some socks. I hope they arrive safely. Some of the last lot were quite good others bad. I can’t understand why as they were all taken in good light. Ask the man at the shop what is wrong with those ones of the Gourkas. I’m afraid some of the rolls must have been damp. Be very careful that the next lot of films you send are in a hermetically sealed tin. Try & get those little round tins with sticking plaster round the lid. I’ve sent a lot home to you which could be used again.
Well wee Mus enough for to-night. This is the last page of the block & it’s very late so I’ll turn in for a bit. I’ll write again to-morrow & answer your letters. I love all your long letters I read them through & answer them & it feels just as if we were talking. Quite a good chat we’ve had to-night!
Best love to you all dear wee Mus.
Your loving
Pat.