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26 recline in my straw bed which is really wonderfully comfortable…. … … fallen on us all. Major Nickson eve green envelopes Rudolf wrote long letters home to his wife and I have taken a letter written on the 29 teresting examples. The following two I am glad you tell me all. I am so eive my letters in bed it is t while you lie th (Later) I am making this letter today’s ‘Daily’. Since I have started this letter and in fact since the last bit of it, a great sorrow has was mortally wounded last night and died just about the time I re-started this note. It is terribly sad. As this is a private & family letter I can hardly say much more but his loss is a great and irretrievable one – He was such a splendid soldier. He fully deserved a D.S.O. for our show. It is cruel how the best are taken. I dare not think of his wife. She will be almost demented with grief. There is a lot more I could tell you but can’t. In the midst of life we are in death. I have changed my mind and will not put this letter in a green envelope but will send the cheque and A.R.’s letter by themselves. I beli take longer to come and go. This will allow me to say that Nickson was October 1915 as one of the most wounded by a shell which went through in his shoulder into his lung, as he was extracts give a flavour of his writing. From walking away from the fire trenches down the information in the previous article we a communication trench. The shell was know that he had just returned to France coming the same way as he was going & after a spell of convalescence in England. the portion of it that struck him hit him in the back near the shoulder & went down Les Trenchies 29.10.15. into his lungs. He was in great pain until the Doctor was able to relieve him with My own baby darling kid, morphine. He was a hero and a … … … gentleman. We can only ask that God will much better able to picture you. Now that give him rest now that his mortal toil is I know you rec over. I might add that he was exceedingly comforting to know tha well liked by the men, not only his own there stretched out on your snow-white company but the Battalion in general. I bed, your luscious body & you yourself in must close. The Post Corporal awaits your very soul can feel the tremors of the this. emotion that pulsate through my veins With piles & piles of hottest burning when I write. kisses all over you, your own cockie boy (3.0am) It is now much later or really R. earlier & after a tour of duty I am about to
Rudolf changed his mind about sending this letter in a green privileged envelope and sent it instead in a plain envelope (which he self-censored). He did this so that he could giv e full details of how Nickson died. If he had put the same details in a ‘green’ envelope (which could have been opened at the Base Censor’s office) he would have been in serious trouble. If his self-censored letter had been opened the censor would have just struck out anything contravening the rules or returned the letter with a warning. Rudolf Ord’s letters mention many of his fellow officers and they are all interesting to read. He is also very fond of his new wife and sometimes quite amorous in his writing. Andrew Brooks BRANCH AFFAIRS ARMISTICE PRIZE 2012 When going to press with Despatch no entries had then been received for 2012. This was a similar situation to 2011 when submissions were made towards the end of the summer term. The closing date for entries is 1 ty Council schools st August. In February Andy Gregson at St Cecilia’s Roman Catholic College, Longridge sent out reminders to Heads of Department at Coun and in March reminders were sent out to High Schools in Blackburn, Blackpool, south Cumbria and the private schools. If any readers of Despatch have contact with any High Schools it would be useful to mention our competition and encourage entries. Details of the competition are on our website. Since last November’s Despatch I have pursued sponsorship of the competition with a car dealer but after considering my request I was advised the company had other requests for sponsorship which they considered to have higher priority for their available resources. Any suggestions for other sources of sponsorship? MEETING REPORTS A.G.M. and Social: December 2011 (23 attended) After reporting the “healthy” state of branch funds Gaynor Greenwood indicated she would be relinquishing the post of Treasurer which she had held since 2002. Gaynor was thanked for the work she had undertaken over the past 10 years. Stan Wilkinson and Graham Kemp agreed to continue in the posts of Chairman and Secretary respectively and Chris Payne took over the position of Treasurer. Donations were agreed as follows: Toc H: £50 King’s Own Royal Regt. Museum: £100 A contribution was considered to the National War Memorial’s Trust and this will be reconsidered in 6 months time in the light of the level of Branch funds. After the formal business Chairman Stan spoke about his about his collection of Old Bill mascots. Terry Dean then showed a selection of photographs from the WW1 album of Sir Arthur Mordaunt Mills (see also Page 7). Tricia Platts followed with a presentation about the WW1 exploits of the Cottrell brothers who she had 27
Page 1 and 2: The above group photo is of the sta
Page 3 and 4: October, 1890, given the service nu
Page 5 and 6: foam-flecked chargers “clothed wi
Page 7 and 8: ecognised and authorised by the Arm
Page 9 and 10: until 1924 when he became Chief of
Page 11 and 12: about politicians, strikers and shi
Page 13 and 14: museum is able to pay for a single
Page 15 and 16: ought on by the dust storm from pip
Page 17 and 18: The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment:
Page 19 and 20: with the butt of a rifle, and have
Page 21 and 22: elieved to be the world's only comp
Page 23 and 24: the twenty years prior to World War
Page 25: crossed the embankment under which
Page 29 and 30: Flanders peasants, and we heard a h
Page 31 and 32: Chaplains steadily improved once Do

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