Harrogate Herald - 11th July 1917

W H Breare letter

Beechwood Boys will be interested to hear that their recent comrade Billy Robinson is home on leave from an officer's training school. As you can imagine he makes quite a stalwart figure in his officer's uniform, and wears the white band of a cadet round his cap. Looking very well. He is the son of my late lamented colleague, Bob Robinson. Footballers will also be glad to know that J J G Greenwood, who was such an effective player with the Old Boys, has won his captaincy, and is now adjutant of his battalion, the 16th West Yorks. He, too, is home on leave just now. I believe his men mainly come from Bradford and Leeds, and include the p???s of one or both teams. If you remember, he has been wounded twice, but is now the picture of health, strength, and keen vitality.

Harrogate Herald - 1st August 1917

W H Breare letter

On Friday morning, Second Lieutenant Billy Robinson, son of my late lamented colleague, Bob Robinson, looked in. He has passed all his examinations, and on Monday went to the 3rd West Yorks Special Reserve. Billy informed me Second Lieutenant C R Firth, of the Woodlands, Harrogate, who was at one time a schoolteacher in Knaresborough, has got his commission, and joined his old lot, the 3/5th, which he originally entered as far back as 1915. Rather nice that, isn't it, to go back to one's one pals?, though if he happen to get to his immediate friends he will not like the feel of bossing them. For this very reason, lots of boys have refused commissions, because they could not bear to leave their old comrades.