Harrogate Herald - 28th March 1917

To Our Boys on Service

Dear Chaps,

Thursday was the first day of Spring, and, though it was not very bright, was a fairly nice day. The next morning, however, when we woke up the ground was covered in snow to a depth of perhaps two inches. Friday morning presented as almost cloudless sky and sunshine. It was a beautiful day, warm, and spring-like. It is now Friday, and as I look out of the window a grateful sun is casting strong shadows, and there is an air of tranquility and warmth. I am sitting in my office talking to you in the Dictaphone. It is four o'clock in the afternoon, and the second delivery of the day has just arrived. In it was a letter inviting me to a meeting this afternoon at the Church Institute on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. I was urged to attend, but it is four o'clock now, and the meeting commenced at three o'clock. I tell you this to show you that we at home are having some inconvenience through delays in the post.

I have just had Tom Coleman's good mother in to see me to tell me that her son had not received the Herald for two, or perhaps three weeks. I assured her that he would receive them, and probably all in a lump, as you are receiving your letters now. Coleman, she told me, was helping by working on munitions in France, just for a short time. He asks for a mouth organ. I am going to try and get him one, though they are very difficult to obtain in Harrogate. For instance, a lady called this morning to ask if I knew where she could get one for a friend at the Front. It so happened that I had one, and let her have it. She was good enough to leave me 5s to buy another or two if the money will cover it. I shall have to get them, I am afraid, out of the town, but when I do I will remember Coleman.

I have also had Private Wilfred Dickinson's mother in, who tells me that her son is for India. If you remember, Dickinson was one of our apprentices, and the last of our men to be called up. He cannot have had much time for training, and I presume he will get it out there. He will find India a very interesting country, and I think is lucky to be sent in that direction.

Whilst on news of the boys, I can tell you that Private Herbert Hardcastle, of the West Yorks, is in the Scottish National Red Cross Hospital, Glasgow, with pneumonia. His sisters have just called to ask if I can do anything to get him into a hospital in Harrogate, as he is getting convalescent. Almost at the same moment I received a letter from Mrs Allen, mother of Norman Allen, who is at St George's Hospital here now, telling me that her son, Rifleman Frank Allen, is progressing nicely, and is able to come to Harrogate. He desires to get into St George's, if possible, where his brother is. I have no doubt Mr Titley will help me to bring this about if he can. Frank Allen, however, has the first claim, because he applied some time since, but was not well enough to be moved then. I hope, however, I shall be able to manage it for Hardcastle. He comes from Beckwithshaw, and is a son of Mr Hardcastle, farmer, there. His father is an old friend of mine, and when I lived at Harlow Car he worked for us on that estate to such effect that I shall never forget his skill and kindness during that period of my life. Up to the present Hardcastle has been seven weeks in hospital.

This morning a very smart young fellow called in. he was dressed in a sort of naval uniform, which I had not noticed before. On his cap was the letter "M", and on his shoulders a gold waved line. He turned out to be Wireless Operator C Potts, son of Mr & Mrs H Potts, of Mayfield Grove. You will remember him perhaps, when I tell you that he worked before the war for Mr J R Ogden. He has been in London making himself efficient as a Marconi operator. He was on three days' leave, after which he has a fortnight in London, and then he is off to sea. He is quite enthusiastic about his Marconi work, which he finds most engrossing. I sincerely hope good luck will attend him, on the briny particularly. He is in good spirits, and looking forward to his life on the ocean wave with much pleasurable anticipation.

I have had a letter from J B A Bennett, enclosing a photograph of himself and Sergeant Kaye, whom he knew in peace time. Kaye has joined Bennett's Machine Gun Squadron. You will remember that Bennett is Harrogate's first DCM. He is in excellent health, and wishes to be remembered to all his Harrogate friends and those at the Front who are not near him.

This afternoon at three o'clock the remains of Mrs Rowntree, wife of the Vicar of Pannal, were laid to rest in Pannal Churchyard. The Rev W Y Potter, of St Mark's, Harrogate, and the curate of Pannal, Rev J Maver, took the funeral service. I know you Pannal and district boys will in your minds go back to Pannal village and picture yourself the sad occasion. I am sure your sympathy will be with the bereaved husband, whose kindly smile has so often greeted you on the lanes of Pannal.

The paper shortage is even more acute. No pulp of which paper is made has come into the country for some time, and there does not seem to be much prospect of it arriving soon. I am privately told that there will be another reduction in quantity, which will bring the supply for newspapers down to something like 25%, or less, of the normal supply. Sugar is a very scarce commodity. Imagine going two weeks without being able to get even a pound; yet this has been our domestic experience. The quality of flour is less refined. I like it, and am content so long as it does not change for the worse. When you are eating the present bread you feel you have something nutritious to go at. Some people compare it with hen food, but that is a gross exaggeration. There is a nutty sweetness about it, and it certainly is more nutritious than the highly refined article of pre-war days. Eggs are a little cheaper, five and six for a shilling, and they seem to be fairly plentiful. We shall manage all right, and the experience will do us good, bodily and mentally.

The concert organised by the Volunteers takes place tomorrow (Thursday) night at the Crown. I know the band of the Volunteers is working hard. It is a drum and fife band. They often practice over my head, for my second son, Fred, is training them. They are getting on well.

The town is very good just now. There has been no Occasional Court for the past week. If it were not for the lighting cases business at the session on Tuesdays would be quiet. Indeed, we might almost expect the Chairman to be presented with the accustomed pair of white gloves of a maiden session.

A young soldier friend of ours is in Aberdeen hospital with septic poisoning. We do not know the details, because the post has been so irregular. He is Maurice Fenwick, only son of Mr and Mrs Fenwick, of York Road, Harrogate. He joined the Yorkshire Hussars when - I will say, he was quite young, and has been a long time in training, but not very long out of the country and where the fighting is. We do know that he lay out ten days under a roof, certainly, but there were no walls, and it was some time before he got to hospital. He is going on all right, but we should like to know more about his case. He was already in hospital at Aberdeen when the first intimation came from across the water, about three weeks late, stating he was somewhere in France. Since then notices, equally late, have followed. I am glad to say he is going on satisfactorily, and is a short way on the road to recovery.

Norman Allen came in on Saturday. He is on crutches, but looks exceedingly well. His foot does not progress quite so satisfactorily as we could wish, so he may have to undergo another operation, as there is a suspicion that further bone needs to be taken away. There are five of these Allen boys in the Army, and the mother and sister have patriotically endured many sacrifices, but I am glad to say they are getting on satisfactorily in the business of one of the boys which they are running.

Lance Corporal J Thorpe is in hospital in Scotland. He, too, would very much like to be transferred to Harrogate.

You boys who are connected with farming will be interested to know something about the sale of stock, etc., at Abbey Farm, Knaresborough. It was a beautiful day, and there was a very large attendance, quite equal to purchasing much more than was offered. There was what is termed a very "good sale". One of the features was that the implements generally brought higher prices than when new; but, of course, everything in this way is scarce and dear now, which accounts for it. An excellent young cart mare in foal fetched £90 all but 3d. the younger beasts and calves realised extraordinary prices. The milking stock brought much more than could be obtained in peace times. Rhode Island Reds, pullets, fetched as much as 7s 11d each. One pedigree sow of the white Yorkshire breed realised just over £20; another £20. I think these are all the main features that will be interesting to you. The sale emphasised the dearness of things.

But, stay, there were seed potatoes. People came from far and wide to get those advertised. They were of the Arran Chief variety. Had they been submitted to auction they would have realised an extraordinary figure, because they were good stuff. It seems rather hard on the farmer-producer, however, that there were regulations in the way. Two days before the sale the police gave the auctioneer notice that the farmer-producer could not sell potatoes for more than 11s a sack, plus 3d for the bag. Whoever bought them at the price, however, could retail them at 3s 6d per stone. Under these circumstances, potatoes were not offered. Mr Thornton, of Thornton and Linley, auctioneers, Knaresborough, officiated, and masterfully added to his reputation as an agricultural auctioneer. Doubtless he was stimulated by the gathering, for they were keen buyers.

I have had a request for the address of Sergeant Inman, RAMC, of Harrogate. If he or anyone who knows will send it to me, I will hand it on to the party who has written me.

If I wrote to you of "Lawrence" Jewitt, you would not know to whom I was referring. Jewitt is generally known by the name of "Pop" Jewitt. Private intimation came to me that Pop was missing. As usual in these cases, Harrogate was full of rumours about him. The stories that reached his mother and father were very alarming and various. It even went about that he was blown to pieces. After a period of suspense Jewitt's wife heard from her husband, and this is what she received : "Dulmen (Westf.), February 22nd, 1917. I am a prisoner of war and stationed at Dulmen (Westf.). My address is - Lance Corporal Lawrence Jewitt, 2627, 2/5th West Yorks, Gefangenenlager, Dulmen, Gruppe iii, Comp. 51". Mrs Jewitt had no information from our war authorities until a few days after she received the postcard from her husband in Germany. The War Office notice was that Jewitt was missing. It is a very alarming word that "missing", isn't it? It gives so much room for anxiety, and feelings are so constantly wrung by misleading private reports. You will be glad to know that Jewitt is alive. One of the last accounts received was that Jewitt had been in a shell hole, which he had left to go within 50 yards of the enemy to tale Lieutenant Smith, his officer, a cup of tea. After that nothing was heard of him. Pop Jewitt is the son of Mr and Mrs Jewitt, of 24 Mount Street, Oatlands Mount, Harrogate. They have three other sons serving - Private Harold Jewitt, who is now in hospital in Halifax; Gunner Walter Jewitt, RFA; and second air mechanic George Jewitt, RFC.

Here is a curious coincidence. The young lady in our establishment who writes out from the Dictaphone my letter to you heard for the first time there from that Jewitt was a prisoner in Germany. Up to that time all she had learned was that he was missing. Jewitt is her mother's cousin.

I told you at the time that Corporal Rayner, son of Mr and Mrs Rayner, 9 Moorland Road, Starbeck, was missing. The mother had been unable to obtain any definite news of their son, though they had vague messages from the Red Cross Society. On Sunday a notice came from the War Office apparently presuming his death. It was in September last that he was first missed. From what I can gather there is no direct evidence of his having been killed, therefore I should try still to hope and believe that Rayner was alive.

To my friends the Shipman boys, two of whom are in the navy and two in the Army. Your mother is anxious that I should tell you that she has had an accident, but is going on nicely. She desires me to do this, because letters are so irregular, some, I believe, you do not get at all. The particulars are that during the frost one of the pipes burst in her house. She was endeavouring to stop the leak, when she unfortunately fell on a bucket and broke her ribs. She called to Bandsman Thompson's daughter, to turn the water off, who took your mother into Mrs Thompson's house, where she remained, and was made very comfortable, attended by Dr Bastable, the Thompsons, and a nurse, and is doing well. I am sure you boys will be grateful to all these good people, through whose attention she has got on so well. By the time you read this the plaster bandages will have been removed, and your mother will be all right, so, don't worry. Bandsman Thompson, who is in Egypt, will probably read this, and I am sure be proud of the action of his wife and daughter.

We have a day nursery for children of mothers who have to go out to work in the daytime. It is a splendid institution, and has been in operation twelve months. The first annual meeting was held on Monday afternoon. The little ones are quite happy in the nursery, receive the best of attention, food, and medical supervision. Lady Dorothy Wood is the president; Mrs Sheepshanks chairwoman; Mrs McEwan is treasurer; Mrs Ernest Wood secretary; Dr David Brown and Dr Campbell Ward honorary medical advisors. You see they are in good hands. Nothing is left sight of that is for the benefit of you boys and your dear ones.

Rumours are still occasionally flying about Harrogate and other parts of the country. The other night three officers were called out of the Opera House, and a number of men subsequently were told at the same place to report to billets or headquarters - I don't know which. It gave rise to speculation. This occurred in various parts. We have heard nothing further of it, so I suppose it was just a practice alarm. The band that usually comes from Ripon to play at the Sunday night concerts couldn't turn up last Sunday on account of this call. I presume there is method in all this, but it is sometimes difficult for the public to understand, and then it is that rumours fly. In consequence I was kept at the telephone on Sunday, but as we had received no wire I had nothing to report, except to advise those who sought information to treat what they had heard merely as rumour and void of truth.

Monday the wind was decidedly cold, though the sun was warm. It was a change after the mild spell of weather we have enjoyed so long.

Do not forget that I still have socks and other woollen comforts if you boys need them. We are receiving applications almost every day, and sending out regularly. I am glad to say that some of the mothers and wives have discovered they are welcome to the comforts that that their men ask for, and which, owing to the price of food, they cannot afford to buy themselves. I believe that wool is selling at something like 8s a lb. I need hardly say I am glad to see these mothers and wives, and that they are welcome to the woollen comforts their boys are needing.

W H Breare letter