Harrogate Herald - 22nd December 1915

Private J Oldfield, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, writes in a cheerful style to Mr Breeden, and says in the following extract : 

I am sorry I have not written to you before now, but now I have time I will let you know how we are getting on. I handed the paper you sent over to D H Wood, another of the Harrogate men. I receive the Herald very regularly every week, for which I thank you very much. The fighting out here is very slow right now. The Turks have got a good position in the hill; in fact some of the men say the hills are impregnable, but when you look back to Quebec and Gibraltar, and just think a minute, you will find that nothing is impregnable to the British Army. I have every confidence that we shall be over very soon, and then the war is over as far as Turkey is concerned. We shall then be able to give a hand either in France or Salonica, or any other place they wish to send us. I must close now, trusting you are in the best of health, and wishing your paper every success.

Harrogate Herald - 10th January 1917

Letters

The following are men who have sent us the Army post-card briefly stating that they are well and have received papers and parcels, or whose letters contain views that have repeatedly been expressed by other correspondents, but show their friends that they are all right :

J Oldfield (with compliments of the season)

Harrogate Herald - 9th May 1917

The following are men who have sent us the Army post-card briefly stating that they are well and have received papers and parcels, or whose letters contain views that have repeatedly been expressed by other correspondents, but show their friends that they are all right :

J Oldfield

Harrogate Herald - 27th June 1917

W H Breare letter

Just imagine how you would feel if you suddenly found yourself in Harrogate on leave for the first time in two years and three months. This is the happy situation of Private J Oldfield, RAMC, who called to see me on Friday morning. He is the son of Mr and Mrs John Oldfield, of Skipton, and at one time worked for Robinson's, grocers, then for Standing's Ltd., from which establishment he joined up. The reason why he did not get leave before is that he first went to Suvla Bay, then to Greek Islands, next Egypt, and finally France. After Thiepval he was transferred to another division, and had to leave his friends George Eaddie and Wood, who lived in Parliament Terrace, and Billy Smith, of Union Street. These boys are all right so far. In his present division with him is Billy Burkinshaw. 

On June 7th Oldfield had a touch of shrapnel on the shoulder. he calls it "a bruise", but is quite all right, and declares he suffered no inconvenience. You will remember that his brother Dick Oldfield was killed a year ago last November. It is rather singular that Dick should have been sent to the casualty clearing station to which J Oldfield was transferred and now in. Oldfield and the Petty boys are great chums - in fact, before the war they went to camp out at Crimple. Perhaps it was to get their hands in, though they could have had no idea of the great affair which was to come later. Perhaps you would like to know who comprised that party? I can tell you. Dick Petty and John Petty, Jesse Scott, Maurice Broadhead, Ryan, and Chapman. All, in turn, have been casualties; but I am glad to say are now alive and well.