Collections Guide - West Yorkshire Joint Services

(RMP:1145/14) 31 August 1916 Letter to Thomas Ramsden from J S C Wells, fromthe "front", asking him why he does not write to him and giving him family news(RMP:1145/16) 26 July 1917 Letter from J S C Wells to Thomas Ramsden, from the"front", telling him of the shortage of water out there, giving family news and addingthat the announcement of his DSO was made on his birthday(WYC:1147/18) 30 December 1919 Letter from Marguerite Melot of Louvain, Belgium,to Mr and Mrs Horsfall, with news since she lived at Ogden and was befriended bythem as a Belgian refugee(WYC:1147/172) 1915–1916 Letters home from France from Eric Shaw, principally tohis brother Joe in Preston, sister-in-law Ada (nee Feber, daughter of Grace Horsfall)and niece Florence Shaw. Also note by Private Fred Lucas in trenches on death ofEric Shaw in action(WYC:1388) c1914–1918 Reginald Horsfall of Halifax. Letters and postcards fromGermany as a prisoner of war in Gustrow to Phyllis Kershaw of Halifax, withphotographGustrow was in Mecklenburg, an area of north-east Germany that included a number of camps, includingGustrow, Stralsund and Parchim. Reginald Horsfall did return home after the War, but died shortlyafterwards.(WYC:1249/42-80) 1914–1918 Pocket diaries of Herman Van Dyk, pianist, conductorand composer of Holland and HalifaxRecords cover rehearsals, performances, meetings, works composed and written, travel and holidays, andthe War. Entry for 3 August 1914 - "A European war has suddenly broken out. Germany has declared waron France, and England will support France. There is a panic in the market and everything has gone up byleaps and bounds". Entry for 3 September 1914 - "I am writing to the Home Office for conditions ofnaturalisation, in case Holland should be dragged into this war, or else if Germany should conquer Holland, Ishould wish to become a British subject. I have lived in England nearly 27 years now". Appointed memberof the War Refugees Committee. Refugees arrive October 1914. December 1914 - German cruisersbombarded Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby "did a great deal of damage and then escaped in a mist".April 1915 - writes to the Dutch Vice-Consul at Bradford asking if there is any truth in the rumour that Hollandmight join Germany and declare war against England. Reply that Holland is "overwhelmingly anti-German".Mentions that Harrogate Corporation will not sanction any foreign conductors or composers to appear thisyear unless they belong to the allied countries. Goes to the police to see if he needs to register himself asan alien. They say no and report that "there had been tons of enquiries and letters about other foreigners,