32 WW1 Letters (82 pages) Sent from: France and Belgium Trenches (including reference to the football match that was supposed to have taken place), Egypt and Salonica 1914-1917; PLUS 14 Boer War letters (41 pages); 1900-1901. In the main, the letters are written to Hilda Prestwich (née Waddington) the vendor’s great aunt. Among them there is a 6 page very poignant letter from the trenches Jan 4th. 1914; sent to Hilda by Arnold, 28th. County of London Battalion, Artists Rifles, British Expeditionary Force, France. In it he writes: 'I was sent out with a party to get rid of the water (in the trenches), all the time bullets were whistling down the stream and over our heads.. that was the way we saw my birthday in. We have been very lucky as to casualties to date: 7 killed, 4 wounded and 1 missing…'. Jan. 5th. 'Our men at this point of the line- Royal Warwicks, forgathered with their Saxon opponents between the trenches and exchanged cigarettes... and arranged not to fire for the remainder of the day…. Another sportsman asked his officer permission to arrange a football match with the enemy between the trenches' but he drew the line at that. 'The trenches at this point vary from 75 to 220 yards apart, they are shallow and half full of water. It is impossible to deepen them because the soil is waterlogged, and the dead are buried all over the place'. The BOER WAR letters are mostly dated 1900, and are from W. C. Prestwich (Carl) to Hilda (Waddington); they were married in 1905. PLUS: a small collection of photographs: Kenya, skiing, shooting, etc. The letters are loose and inserted into two protective folders. NOTE: This Prestwich family are descendants from sir John Prestwich who was supposed to have designed the USA Great Seal (2)
32 WW1 Letters (82 pages) Sent from: France and Belgium Trenches (including reference to the football match that was supposed to have taken place), Egypt and Salonica 1914-1917; PLUS 14 Boer War letters (41 pages); 1900-1901. In the main, the letters are written to Hilda Prestwich (née Waddington) the vendor’s great aunt. Among them there is a 6 page very poignant letter from the trenches Jan 4th. 1914; sent to Hilda by Arnold, 28th. County of London Battalion, Artists Rifles, British Expeditionary Force, France. In it he writes: 'I was sent out with a party to get rid of the water (in the trenches), all the time bullets were whistling down the stream and over our heads.. that was the way we saw my birthday in. We have been very lucky as to casualties to date: 7 killed, 4 wounded and 1 missing…'. Jan. 5th. 'Our men at this point of the line- Royal Warwicks, forgathered with their Saxon opponents between the trenches and exchanged cigarettes... and arranged not to fire for the remainder of the day…. Another sportsman asked his officer permission to arrange a football match with the enemy between the trenches' but he drew the line at that. 'The trenches at this point vary from 75 to 220 yards apart, they are shallow and half full of water. It is impossible to deepen them because the soil is waterlogged, and the dead are buried all over the place'. The BOER WAR letters are mostly dated 1900, and are from W. C. Prestwich (Carl) to Hilda (Waddington); they were married in 1905. PLUS: a small collection of photographs: Kenya, skiing, shooting, etc. The letters are loose and inserted into two protective folders. NOTE: This Prestwich family are descendants from sir John Prestwich who was supposed to have designed the USA Great Seal (2)
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
