Harrogate Herald - 20th January 1915

Private W H Hood, of the 1st West Yorkshire Regiment, writing to his wife and daughter, says : January 7th, 1915. Dear Wife and Daughter, I received your letter today and I was surprised to hear that you had not got my parcel that I sent you. I sent it on Boxing Day; it was a Christmas present from Princess Mary and King George. It was a very nice box of tobacco and pipe and some cigarettes, and a photo of the King and Queen. I hope you get it as I wanted to keep it for the sake of them that sent it to me. Well, I hope you are both well, as I am at present. We have just come out of the trenches. We are out for six nights and then we are going back again for six nights. Then we are told that all the Brigade are coming home as they have done their duty. So I hope it is true and then we will have our Christmas when we land, all being well. I wish you would send me a parcel, but be sure to send it in a box as they get so much knocked about. It is a wonder that I got the other one. Send me a bit of twist, as the shag is too mild for me. Thank Hilda for me and give my respects to all. I think that is all this time. From your loving husband.

It is very bad weather. It is up to the knees in mud and water in the trenches. The Germans were singing to us on New Years Eve out of their trenches, so we sung back to them to let them know that we were not downhearted. We had had bad luck this time. My mate got shot through the shoulder and I pulled him into the trenches. He had been for some water. We also lost a sergeant and two corporals. One was shot in the heart, and the others were shot in the head, all being killed. They were within 30 yards of where I was stationed, so you see it is very dangerous in the trenches. Will tell you more next time. Give my love to everybody. Princess Mary's gift has come back, as we had 4d to pay, so I have sent it on with this letter. Give Fred the cigarettes next door, but keep the other things. You can send me a postal order if you like, as there are lots of things we can buy when we are out of the trenches. Goodbye. God bless you both.

Harrogate Herald - 27th January 1915

Private W H Hood, of the 1st West Yorkshire Regiment, in a letter, says :

Dear Wife and Daughter, Just a few lines hoping to find you both well as I am at present. We are out of the trenches for a few nights, and then we are going back again. I am pleased to say that I have got the parcel all right, but the rum was small, as there are four of us, so you can bet there is not much to go round. We are just having it in a drink of tea. Charley has written to me, and he told me that he was going to send me something, so I don't know what it will be. I am well stocked out now for everything in wearing apparel. We have such a lot of weight to carry about with us with equipment and ammunition that it takes me all my time to carry it about, as we have such a long way to walk when we come out of the trenches. Well, I don't think I have anything fresh to tell you about the war, only I wish it was all over. It is still raining here. I never saw such a place. I got a paper from the Herald office and I saw my letter was in. I wrote to Mrs Richardson. She will have got it by now; also Mrs Winterburn - I sent her a post-card. We are just going out digging again tonight, as it has to be done in the dark or the Germans would see us. Thank Miss C for the helmet. It just fits nice over my ears. I wish you all at the station the best of luck. I hope I shall be able to see you all again before long. It will soon be six months since I left you, and it looks like a year. Remember me to Tommy Baker, and tell him we will have a good day when I get home, providing I have the luck to do so. Remember me to everybody. Well, I'm just getting ready to go out digging, so I shall have to come to a close. God bless you both.

Your loving husband, William.

Harrogate herald - 3rd March 1915

February 20th, 1915

Dear Wife and Daughter, I have no fresh news to tell you about the war. I do wish it was over, as we are properly fed up with it. I wish they would let us make an attack on them and then we would know what we had to do. We shall either get home or else we should get shot. It is an awful war. We are losing men every day. We lost three yesterday; they were shot while going for some wood for to make their fire. We are so near to the Germans firing line. We are at it night and day, and don't get much rest in the trenches, only when we go out of the billets for a few nights. We are going out [blank] for a short while, and I don't know whether we are going back to them again. The weather is very cold and frosty, but I hope it will be a bit warmer before long.

W H Hood.

SDGW

Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment), 1st Battalion

Private William Henry Hood (3/10123)

Born : Goole

Enlisted : Harrogate

Residence : Harrogate

Died : 24th August 1915

Killed in Action  :  France & Flanders