Harrogate Herald - 27th February 1918

Breare Letter

G F Jeffrey, son of our Jeffrey at the works, who, by the way, used to work for the Harrogate Billposting Company, is in the Koylies. A brother and another son of Jeffrey are in the Military Police. They are cousins of AB Seaman F Bussey. The latter passed through a series of training ships before being commissioned, these including HMS Redoubtable, Prince of Wales, Venerable, and is now on the Hindustan. With Bussey came Private S Fawcett, of the Royal Marines Light Infantry. The pair were on the same ship for some time, but Fawcett is now in barracks. He is a son of Mrs J Fawcett, 66 Mayfield Grove, and has been in the service over three years, having enlisted at Liverpool in 1914, two or three months before the war started. He wished me to express his thanks to the Rev S T Dawson, of St Luke's, or the St Luke's people who sent him a Christmas parcel. He did not know who to write to, hence his delay in acknowledging. Fawcett has had a fair experience of war, being at the Dardanelles in 1915 when the Allies attempted to force passage through the Straits. He was in hospital at Malta for a time, then came home on 21 days' leave. Later he was commissioned to the Hindustan. He has two brothers serving with the Colours, Private Edwin Fawcett being in the Highland Light Infantry. This chap was wounded on the 1st July, 1916, but has been at the Front again two or three months. His other brother, Trooper Harry Fawcett, of the Royal Engineers, has been two years in Egypt and is still there. A message came from him that he was seriously ill will diphtheria, but a later letter announced he was improving. It is some time, however, since his friends heard from him. During one of my visitor's trips ashore he dropped across Tom Lawson, son of Mr G Lawson, of the Window Cleaning Company, Chatsworth Place. These boys expressed gratitude for the Harrogate Herald, but they all seem to feel that way.