15 November 1915 Gallipoli

SUVLA - Private James Hall joined the Sherwood Foresters but was transferred to the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, landing as a reinforcement to that regular battalion on 22 July 1915. In November 1915, he wrote to his parents describing just how cold it was on the Peninsula.


"Mediterranean Expeditionary Force

"November 15th, 1915

"Dear mother and father,

"Just a few lines to you in answer to your loving letter I received the day after the box arrived you and Mag. sent, and was glad to hear you are going on all right. I am all right myself at present, but it is getting cold here now. I expect you are having it cold as well. It has been a bit wet this last day or two, so that makes it bad for us in the trenches, in which we have been since October 1st, so we shall have earned a rest when we come out. I would sooner be in France than here. George does see a bit when he gets a rest, but we don’t; here there is nothing but desert. Glad to see one of his letters in the paper, and let’s hope we shall have to the good luck to get home again safe. We get nothing but shells; I am hoping to bring a piece home with me, and will then tell you all about it. I was sorry to hear about the children being so ill, but hope they are better now. Also sorry about Willie’s boy too. Mag. told me about him having to go into the hospital, but I hope they will make him all right. I don’t know what we should we do if it was not for you at times. I often think about you and dad. Mag. said how nice our little boy looked when he went to church in his ribbons. I should like to have seen him. Tell Willie to write to me; I don’t know his address. Dear mother, I have about read that Bible you gave me, and it does one good to read it here. I hope to bring it back again to show you. Let’s hope it won’t be long. With best wishes to all, from Jim."

SOURCES: ‘Mansfield and North Notts. Advertiser’, 24th December 1915 and the excellent Facebook site called "Small Town, Great War Hucknall 19141918