Pte BERTIE HIBBETT: LETTER to Mrs. A. HIBBETT, 95 Foden Rd Walsall.

 Photograph of  St Mary’s Church from Windmill Hill, Saffron Walden.  We have often been up and down this road & went up trench digging that night when you went home.  I thought of a lot of things I should like to have told you and shown you.   

29 Gold Street,  Saffron Walden.  S.Y. (1) Feb 21 / 15

My Dear Mother,

I trust you had a safe journey, all dark I guess, but what a lot in a carriage compartment & I hope the early hour of arrival at home was not uncomfortable (2).

Has Harold been home for the weekend ?  The weather has been simply glorious, bright blue sky all day.  If it wasn’t for Sunday how happy it would have been if Dr Utting* (3) could have motored down to take you back.

We, Sid and I went to Holy Communion this morning, so pleasant & sunny. The Church was almost full of soldiers and our Chaplain had to say the Prayer of Consecration a good many times.

Mrs Evans* invited us to dinner, but could not get tables, we walked from place to place. So Sid & I had dinner at No 29 – very good too & had the sweets Mrs Penning had got ready for fear Mrs Evans would dine at her house.  They all went into the country, – I think to Bishop’s Stortford for their dinner.

Well, I won’t rob Sid of the chance of writing to you, but will close now. But not without thanking  Ida again for her very, very ‘nice’ letter.  I think she tried her best, as I did, to make the farewell letters real good ’uns. 

Sydney had a flint lighter for cigarettes & I had a handsome little wooden mirror from Mrs Evans. I think I will leave the rest for after evening service tonight.

8.30 pm  I went to hear our Chaplain tonight at the Parish Church.  I saw our Major Raimes* on coming out.  He was about to put his hat on while in 3 or 4 yards of the Church door & suddenly bethought himself.

I took Nell, the dog, a walk this lovely afternoon & on coming back through the churchyard I met Mr & Mrs  & Mr. Machin*.

I should have liked Sid to have gone tonight, but he was talking with the Evans in the front room. Vernon’s people go back Monday morning  I did not go right through to the front door, but just appeared at the kitchen door & went out at the back.

As I was going down the street I suddenly remembered my Prayer Book was in the front room, but I would not turn in & so for some long time I have missed my fond prayer book.  I took it to Holy Communion this morning & saw your writing on the front page:– “Be thou faithful unto death & I will give you a crown of life”.  I noticed ‘Feb. 1911’ particularly in the bottom left hand corner and now it is Feb. 1915.  I used it at Confirmation Classes, so the book has made a little history of its own.

Hymns: ‘O Jesus I hear thee speaking in accents clear and still‘. Eternal Father & 277 A & M. (4).  I will wait for Sid to write a line.

God bless you Mother,

I remain Bert.

NB  You see I have tried hard to keep this letter short – alas! alack! alack!

PS   Hoping Basil poor chap is better.

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(1)  S(unda)Y. (2) Bertie’s parents had come down by train for the day only. Vernon Evans’ parents stayed until Mon 22nd Feb. Alan Machin‘s parents, and no doubt a good many others from Walsall, also came to say goodbye to their sons. (3) Family Doctor  & Friend, whose Church Warden duties kept him in Walsall on Sundays.

(4) Hymns Ancient & Modern. 1915 version. First a line from the Hymn ‘O Jesus I have promised’. J.E.Bode. 1816-1874; then ‘Eternal Father strong to save‘. W. Whiting. 1860; and 277  ‘Nearer my God to thee’. Sarah Flower Adams. 1841.

NAMES * Info. pending on Major A.L. Raimes. 

NEXT POST: 21ST FEB.1915.  FAREWELL POSTCARDS to Ida & Basil Hibbett.