W H Breare letter

The Harrogate boys who are in training at York, in company with their detachment, are to be moved south this week. One step nearer the front, Egypt, or somewhere else. The last location is the only one we are permitted to be sure of. The boys are glad to go. Rogers and Palmer, two of the chaps who enlisted from our works, came in to see me the other day bursting with bully beef and general health. I was glad to hear that their little lot all passed the shooting tests, at the Knaresborough range, in a week. Robinson, who used to help make the blocks for the pictures in the Harrogate Herald, is in the same migratory group, and he is off likewise. "AAJ", who has written those amusing sketches of soldier life in the Harrogate Herald, I fancy, is of the same contingent.

Harrogate Herald - 8th December 1915

N Rogers, who was in the despatch department of R Ackrill's up to enlisting, writes : Just a few lines to let you know how sorry I was to hear of the death of Mr Ackrill. It was a great shock to me, and must have been to all others employed at the office, as he was so well liked by them all. I was only sorry that I could not attend the funeral or contribute towards the wreath. Well, we are having some rough weather just now, but all the boys are sticking it well. We have got our sheepskins now and waders up to our thighs, so we are well prepared for any kind of weather. Some of the letters we read in the Herald are quite amusing, one especially last week, where one chap said the Germans were on quarter rations and that they often came to our parapet and asked for grub. We have been in or in the vicinity of the front line for seven months now, and have not had any customers at our parapet asking for grub. I think this is almost all this time, so I will close now, wishing the best of luck to your paper and hoping you are all keeping well.

Harrogate Herld - 14th February 1917

W H Breare letter

Private B Thorpe is one of my boys in a double sense, for he has worked with us for years, and only left us to enlist. He arrived in Leeds last Monday, and had to stay all night there, coming home by mail train on Tuesday. It is 14 months since he had his last leave. You will remember that he had a slight shrapnel wound just before Thiepval. he is now an orderly at Brigade Headquarters, consequently he doesn't see so many of our lads. He did come across Rogers, another of our staff, who presided at the despatch office which is attached to our works. Rogers is now battalion orderly, and Roland Alderson is likewise corporal in an orderly room. Thorpe has also seen Robinson, son of Mr Robinson, plumber; Ben tells me it has been very cold out at the Front. He saw for the first time, eggs frozen. Thorpe was full of just pride when he told me what our West Yorks lads did on September 25th. It was a memorable and proud day for them, for the Corps Commander came and thanked them in no measured terms. You know what Thiepval was, what a hard nut to crack. Percy Raworth, who is in one of the Tanks, was near them when they went over on that occasion. Ben's experience the other side, on his way home, was not very encouraging. It took him nine hours to travel 14 miles, and that in an open luggage van. It must have seemed to him, what with the slow train and the wait at Leeds, "A long, king way to" - not Tipperary, but Harrogate. You must know that Ben has all the instincts of a printer. They have an alert eye for a poster or anything that emanates from a printing office. Ben was very near the firing line one day, actually going to it, when he saw a poster. He walked up and read it. It was an announcement that the Tykes would give an entertainment in that locality. When his eye reached the bottom of the bill, Ben saw in plain letters the imprint "R Ackrill, Printer, Harrogate". Walter Ogden, [1 Torrs Road] whom you know as a clever comedian, is a prominent man in our bill department. He is a brother to Mr J R Ogden. [James R Ogden, The Little Diamond Shop, 38 James Street. Residence : The Bungalow, Lead Hall Lane] When Walter Ogden set up that bill he couldn't have thought it would ever have reached the firing line.

Harrogate Herald - 19th September 1917

W H Breare letter

Private N Rogers, of the West Yorks., has been home on leave and called. He is one of the Herald staff and presided over our Despatch Office. The only other members of the staff with him are John Lee, of the bookbindery, and A Robinson, all the rest having either been wounded or transferred.

Harrogate Herald - 26th September 1917

W H Breare letter

Last week I had Driver John Whitehead, ASC, in to see me. He is of the 49th Division, and was due to return last Friday. He had been out 30 months and was lucky enough to see his brother Jim Whitehead the Friday before he came on leave and Sergeant Calverley. Whitehead was a joiner for Raworth Brothers, with whom he served his apprenticeship. On one occasion he saw a regiment containing lots of Harrogate boys, just going on a route march. Amongst those whom he knew were Draper, Rogers, and John Lee, the two latter of the Herald staff. Another of Whitehead's brothers, Bob, is in the ASC, but at present in Ireland. Both brothers were members of the West Park FC. My caller has had no wounds and been in good health all the time, so far.