After reading up on WWI at Wikipedia and trying to sort out every county involved and who was on which side (Italy’s role is particularly complex), I came across this blog. It’s told from the point of view of Englishman Harry Lamin’s actual letters as a soldier during the war.
Here’s one of his letters:
37/74 M Coy 15 Hut
10th Training Reserves
Rugeley Staffs
February 7th 1917
Dear Kate
I was very pleased to receive your letter. The weather here is very cold and we don’t get much fire. We have been vaccinated this week well last Monday but we have to do all drills just the same. Ethel says Annie’s cold is much better. I can’t get a shut of mine but I am lucky to keep as well as I do. We have four blankets a piece and a bag of straw about 6in. from the floor on three planks to lie on. There are 29 in our hut and there only suppose to have twenty. I think it will be another five or six weeks before I get a pass I am ready for one anytime. Ethel says Connie and Willie are alright he will soon be a year old now and have two letters from Jack he seems to be getting all right. We don’t get too much to eat, bread and jam dripping we have to do the cleaning in turns but the cooking is done at the cookhouse. I have not got any fatter yet I don’t suppose I shall do
Will write soon
With Love
from Harry
What a fascinating idea! I haven’t read much of it yet, but it’s got me thinking about some ideas to do for our upcoming world wars project.
Check it out by clicking here. His full diary is posted at the companion site, which you can link to from the main page (on the left-hand side).
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