Harrogate Herald - 7th February 1917

Dear Chaps,

Thus far you have had a hard winter, much the worse of the last three years. Every blast of cold wind has reminded us of your discomfort at the Front. I want to give you something encouraging, and that is when bad weather is long in coming and we are misled by false hopes of mildness, it almost invariably follows that rough spells come at last. You have had your dose of winter promptly, and the indications would seem to be that you have got over the worst of it. Since last Wednesday the sun has come out with almost the power of Spring heat. As I stood in front of the Herald Buildings I felt Spring was very near. Each day, since, increasing warmth of the sun has manifested itself, so that I think you may take heart and believe that your weather troubles are nearly over. I have noticed that you get similar conditions to ours, so I watch the weather here with the keenest interest on your behalf. Often when in London I have found a beautiful day, and on arriving home ascertained that the weather in our town has been bad. Next day our weather has gone to London, and London weather has reached us; so look out and see if we don't send you better climatic conditions.

I have no doubt many of you lads will have known Nicholson, who was chauffer to Dr Hayne. [L B Hayne, MD, (Camb), Sheen House, Victoria Avenue] I deeply lament to say that he has died of pneumonia, in hospital, after being out only seven months in France. To be precise it was June when he went to the Front. You have seen him many a time with Dr Hayne's car. A quiet, industrious, excellent man. It grieves me to tell you that he has left a wife and two children.

This is a young, fit man's war. I have heard that the military place most reliance on boys from 19 to 25. I can understand it, and experience proves they are right. All the boys within these ages I have seen have taken very kindly to the severe training recruits get, and are quite buoyant and happy under it. Only on Thursday Private Wilfred Dickinson came in to see us. You will remember that I mentioned that he was our last apprentice to be called up. He is on his last leave after eight weeks' training. When he left us he was a thin youth, looking not particularly robust. When he cam in on Thursday I saw a much thicker set - straighter, and more alert individual. He is perfectly happy in his training, and, though this is his last leave, I do not imagine that he will be hurried to the firing line. I was pleased to notice the excellence of the material of his uniform. It is really fine stuff, and convinces me that the authorities are out for the best. This cheerfulness of the youngest soldier is very reassuring, even comforting to us.

Private J W McBain came to thank me for a mouth-organ which I sent him once upon a time. He was wounded, at Christmas, in the left ankle whilst on a wiring party. He entered the 21st General Hospital at Etaples, and next had the happiness to find himself at Heatherdene. That particular mouth-organ, I remember, Gaynor gave me for McBain. My visitor was quite full of gratitude to the Grand Duchess, for her Heatherdene Hospital had been a most comfortable home. You should have seen the light in his eyes when he expressed his appreciation. McBain's home, I believe, is really in Hull, but he enlisted at York. He has turned out of Heatherdene, now perfectly cured, and went home on Saturday for what is known as "sick leave". Next he will report at the depot. If any of you chaps meet Private J W McBain he will have a good deal to tell you about Harrogate, its people, and all the kindness he has received.

I am plunged in perpetual sunshine whenever I think of socks, mitts, and mufflers, for the Harrogate people have been exceedingly kind, and kept up my supply for you lads in a way that I could hardly have thought possible. I am sure you will be pleased when I tell you that I have not now to confine myself altogether to the wants of Harrogate and district boys. My generous readers have enabled me to do more than this. I handed out at one time 19 mitts to that number of boys in training in Harrogate, and daily I have been able to supply them with more. Further than this, I have had the happiness of sending additional supplies to chaps who need them, who are somebody else's boys.

A lady has brought me an extract from a letter of an officer in the -th Northumberland Fusiliers. I will give you a few selections from that extract : "If you know of any people who send out things to the Tommies, I should like much to have articles for my company. The Army socks are thin and loosely knit. Thick socks would be very welcome, as well as mufflers. Between ourselves, these poor chaps have had a most uncomfortable time. Imagine it; twenty-four hours at a stretch, with no sleep, standing in the open up to the knees in water in places, food brought up to the trenches cold, no possibility of fires. I just feel I ought to do what I can through my friends".

These facts have touched me in the most sensitive spot. I am going to try and send the boys the warm comforts they want. Out of what has already arrived I can forward a good instalment, and I know I may trust to my readers to keep up such a supply that I may accommodate these lads, and yet still do justice to our own town and district.

I need hardly tell you that those who are a first consideration with me are the men who are taking their turn in the trenches. I am quite aware that those behind the lines are existing under less uncomfortable circumstances; I shall, therefore, be glad when you are recommending boys to me, to receive articles, if you will tell me under what circumstances thy are working. On the other hand, I am not going to neglect anyone, wherever he may be, who is suffering from the want of anything that can make him comfortable.

It is Friday, by the way, and I have just had Private H Ryder in. About three years ago he went out to Canada, and when war broke out travelled home at once and enlisted in the Hussars. he eventually broke his leg, a compound fracture, I believe, and was in hospital nine months. He was then discharged. Private Ryder does not forget his old pals, for he brought me three razors and a helmet to be distributed as I think best. Before he went out to Canada, Ryder worked at the wine merchant's establishment of John Knowles, Parliament Street, and eventually became mananger for Mr Storey, who at one time succeeded to the business. To digress a moment, I may tell you that Mr Storey enlisted in the Hussars, went out to the Front, and was eventually invalided out of the service.

Friday has been quite a busy, eventful day. I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Sergeant C Stackhouse, a fellow journalist from Canada. He is a son of our Mr Stackhouse, manager of the Harrogate branch of the London Joint Stock Bank. Like so many Harrogate boys Sergeant Stackhouse came over to fight for the Motherland. He was one of 13,000. He had been ten years in Canada, and I may say incidentally that he has a wife and two children. From that you can understand what sacrifice for the old country our Canadian relations are making. But I was forgetting - we still claim Stackhouse as a Harrogate boy. Over the other side he is in the newspaper business, and was wishing to see our establishment. I just happened to be Dictaphoning to you when he came in; but I put that aside while I took him round. Our works present something more than meets the eye. You have to go through them to see how fully every inch of room is occupied. Of course, across the water they know all about the latest improvements in nearly everything. My visitor was quite accustomed to the adding-up machine, to the Linos, Monos, the stereotyping plant, the process block department, the litho section, the die stamping, the copy lift, and the bookbindery. All these were familiar subjects, and it was interesting to compare notes. It will probably be some time before Sergeant Stackhouse gets another leave, but I am looking forward to that time in the hope of seeing him again. By the way, Sergeant Stackhouse has the Canadian alertness, the prompt speech, and a suggestion of the overseas inflection, which to me makes him all the more interesting.

And now what do you think of the Germans ruling the sea from Berlin? You know, of course, they have been accommodating enough to give us notice that they have declared war upon all neutral ships coming to the coast of the Allies. It seems to me they have been doing their very best to sink neutral as well as ally vessels all the way along.

However, it is good of them to give us warning. I wish I could tell you how many ships of ours are specially detailed round the coast of Great Britain to hunt submarines. It is given out, probably with a set intention, that our enemies have 300 submarines, and are building three a week. Well, with so many, the catches of our fleet ought to be all the more numerous. I am waiting curiously to see how much more our Yankee friends are prepared to stand. I am wondering also whether "Too proud to fight" will veer round to "Too proud not to fight". Your friends at home are not disturbed by the Huns' latest outlawry. [Hun - Abusive term for a German, apparently derived from the Kaiser advising German troops sent to China in July 1900 to act like the Huns under Attila] As for our imported food supplies, we have been assured by an authority that only a very small proportion of our shipping has been engaged in transporting food to us. So we have a big margin to go on before we starve. The whole business looks like a last dying kick, doesn't it?

The "A" Company, which is the Harrogate contingent of the Volunteers had a jolly smoking concert at the Crown Hotel on Thursday night. I believe some of the promoters thought that they would be short of talent, but as events turned out all the available turns could not be utilised.

Mrs Best is sending out 500 cigarettes to Private W Walker and his comrades. He wrote last week saying that they could do with some. This is the second 500 the good lady has sent in about a fortnight or less.

On Saturday night at six o'clock I was sitting in my music room discussing the German scheme of running amok amongst shipping between neutral countries and the Allies, with Mr William Atkinson, JP, of Knaresborough, whom you will remember is the chairman of the Knaresborough Rural District Council, when the telephone rang excitedly. I can generally tell when it is a war telegram, for there is a long and insistent ringing. This is what I received : "Reuter Washington message says : Diplomatic relations between Germany and the United States of America have been severed - P A". You can just guess that there was a warm glow of satisfaction in that room. To find the American spirit so promptly asserted was splendid. We have learnt since how united and determined are the people of USA. It is gratifying also to hear that many of the German Americans have given their adherence to the new country which gave them am asylum when they could no longer live in the country of their birth. Depend upon it, whatever the USA now does will be thoroughly done. That country has wealth, plenty of inventive genius, and patriotism second to none. If it comes to war the Yankee boys will tumble over one another to enlist. Most of the other neutral States will doubtless follow America's example, so far, at least, as breaking off diplomatic relations. All this means shortening of the war.

It is clear, bright, and frosty this (Monday) morning. One of the coldest yet. The sky is clear, the sun dazzling. Harrogate looks as if it has been newly painted. The causeways are dry and clear. We have had skating for some little time. Yesterday (Sunday) there was skating on Appleby Car, which, you know, lies between Knaresborough and Scotton.

The ice was crowded. I don't think you will be horrified at the idea of skating on Sunday. Certainly, I am not. Everyone is working hard. There is little pleasure, and if the young folk, even the old, can have this healthful exercise, then Sunday is not too good a day for it. If people are able to skate week-days, I do not think they should engage in the pastime on Sunday. Many of you boys have been to Appleby Car, and had fine hours on the ice. You can shut your eyes now, and imagine you are there, and in your minds be happy amongst the red-cheeked boys and girls who are passing like flocks of birds swiftly over the ice. The mere thought of it will set your blood coursing, your eyes will brighten, and there will be a warm glow in your hearts.

On Saturday the annual meeting of the Harrogate Infirmary was held at the Queen Hotel. I understand the year's working has resulted in a deficit of about £700. Nevertheless, with that splendid sum raised by the Mayor and Mayoress in mind, the meeting must have felt very contented and happy over the prospects of the Infirmary. You may wonder how this deficit arises. I will mention a few things to convince you. Dressings and other appurtenances indispensable to the Infirmary have risen in price 175%. One hundred and sixty cases of sick soldiers have been treated. The work each year very much increases. So it is almost inevitable that there should be a deficit. There have been many additional cases in which the patients have been wives and children of soldiers at the Front. In ordinary times many of these would have been treated at home. So you can imagine from these few instances how expenses mount up. The work the Infirmary is doing for soldiers' families alone warrants its existence and our admiration. Take cases of serious operations; these patients have the best of skill from the cleverest physicians and surgeons. I am running up against the ethics of the medical profession when I remark how fortunate patients are in having the skilful services of Mr Frankling, surgeon. [Herbert Frankling, 19 York Road] From what I hear no tongue, no pen could do justice to his untiring efforts on behalf of patients whose means certainly could not obtain such services in the ordinary way. There is Dr Steward [E S Steward, FRCS, ophthalmic surgeon, Crowhurst, 30 Victoria Avenue] for the eyes, ears, and nose - another specialist - and then quite a host of our ablest practitioners. All these gentlemen give their services absolutely, and devote much time, skill, and anxious thought to sufferers. I hope our Harrogate people will realise all this, and redouble their efforts on behalf of the Infirmary, in order that it may be kept out of debt. Quite a number of you boys remember when you were hurt in the football field how promptly and successfully you were treated in the Infirmary, which opens its doors with equal freedom even to visitors to Harrogate.

As you know, letters are very much delayed now from the Front. A good many mothers, wives, sweethearts, and sisters find their way to my office in some anxiety at not having heard from you. Fortunately I am able to explain to them what the difficulty is, and so they go away reassured. Some letters have lately been eleven and twelve days coming.

I have received Gunner Roland Ramsden's address. His aunt came and gave it to me on Friday. I have now despatched the gramophone records to him.

Private Jack Dalby, son of Mr T Dalby, of High Harrogate [Probably Thomas Dalby of 7 Thompson's Yard], gave me a call today. He worked at the Herald Office a while, but as with Mr Scholes, plumber, [Charles Scholes, Registered sanitary plumber, Glazier, Gasfitter, etc., Eldon House, Promenade Square, and 5 Valley Mount] when he enlisted at the age of 16. He went out to France in July, 1915. When his officer discovered his age he was going to send Dalby back to England but he begged to go along with the boys, and was put on escort for rations. This is his first leave, and he has enjoyed good health all the time he has been out. Amongst his lot are Signaller Tyreman, and Wood, from Starbeck, Lamb from Starbeck, is also on ASC transport duty, in which Dalby is employed. Morris, of Knaresborough, has been with him since the battalion was formed. The officer has kept young Dalby out of the firing line.

W H Breare