Fred 112
70 Cpl F Horsnell
Corporals Room
Brigade School of Signalling
Landguard
Felixstowe
Suffolk
16th July 1918
My Dear M & F,
Ever so many thanks for your most welcome letter received this morning. Glad you are all keeping quite well. I am glad you are all going down home. I am sure you will all have a good time. I know Dora will do all she can for you.
I wish I could get home but it's no use of me thinking of that, as it's not been long since I had a leave.
I expect Dora will take you to Brighton, it's nice down there now. Tell Father to bring his bathing knickers so he can have a swim in the sea.
Wait till after the war and we all get grown off and settled down. I'll see you and Father gets a holiday then.
I received a letter from Mercy yesterday, poor girl I think she wants to go with you. I am going to see if I can send her 10s [shillings] towards it, but if she cannot manage it, I will call for her next time I have leave and take her home with me.
I hope Father will be able to get the bird. I know Dora wants one, little Gladys will go nearly mad if you can manage to get a little kitten.
Glad the pigs are doing well. I don't expect you do feel like going in the fields now. I should chuck it altogether if I was you.
I expect Dora will be coming down here as soon as you have been down to Shoreham. Perhaps come back with you. I know she won’t stop at home while she has the chance to come where I am.
So Arthur is going strong with his courting. Very nice too. I expect it'll soon be coming off. I expect I shall have to be best man.
If Dora comes down here before I get a leave, when it does come my turn for leave, we will come home as it's not so very far from Felixstowe to Hatfield.
Well I think this is nearly all for the present. Tell little Frank his brother Ped will come home and see him some day.
Now I will close with fondest love to all. Au revoir and God bless you all.
From ever your loving son,
Fred
xxx
For little Frank from his brother Ped
xxx
Fred 113
70 Cpl F Horsnell
Hut W3
Brigade School of Signalling
Landguard
Felixstowe
Suffolk
[not dated; July 1918]
My Dear Brother,
Many thanks for your letter received this morning.
Your luck must be in to get a week’s leave. Have you had a medical board yet or what category are you? I am down here patiently waiting for my results to come through from Dunstable.
Well Jim when is the wedding coming off? Let's know in good time. What do you want for a present? As you remark it is a bit minty (?) to be on the shelf again, but Dora is only waiting for Mother and them to go down and then she is coming down here.
I might be getting a leave about the end of next month or beginning of September.
Well Jim I tried the spuds when I was down home, they were quite nice considering I haven't been home since we planted them. The carrots come up alright and I pulled some, just nice little ones to cook. Dora I think wrote to you last week but if you came away on Friday I don't suppose you received it.
Well I haven't much news to tell you. I hope your lady love is quite well, also yourself. Give my love to Aunt Jinnie and all of them. I hope Mother, Father and all at home are keeping well. The grub down here is no bon at all.
Now I will close with fondest love to all at home.
From your loving brother,
Fred
xxx
Fred 114 [part letter only]
[not dated; July 1918]
[My Dear Brother,]
… go to London. I received a letter from Dora yesterday morning, she said that she will find room for Lizzie, I tell her to stick some of you up the copper hole.
I wonder what you will think of my home. It's a nice comfortable little home. I don't know how you have been getting on for rain, but we get some every day, it's been raining all day long.
What do you think of the munition strikers? Every one of them wants hanging, as soon as the boys begin to get a move in France, these ________ start striking at home. They want sending in the front line and let us go and take their places. I could make munitions alright.
Well I think this is nearly all for the present. So I will close with fondest love to all.
From ever your loving brother,
Fred
xxx
PS
Please let me have Arthur's address.
For Frank from his brother Ped
xxx