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Great War Letter


Guest TheBotanical

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Guest TheBotanical

I wasn't sure where to post this but wondered if people would find the following interesting.

It's a letter to my great-great Gandmother informing her that her son had been KIA in the first World War, (he fought in the Sheffield Batallion). His wife gave birth to my Grand-Father the same year. The author of the letter was KIA the following year. I like the fact that it is hand-written and not the usual typed letter. Apparrantly the author - (Corporal Lacey) and my Great-Grandfather were close friends. The letter reads;

May 23/5/17

Dear Madame, just a few lines to you hoping they will find you quite well as it leaves me at present. Well Madame I am very sorry to tell you that your son Leslie has got killed. He suffered know pain I was with him when the shell burst. I was very lucky to get out of it the same shell killed one more and wounded four. Madame I hope you do not take it to hard. I miss him a lot as he was my pal out here and we used to sleep together when we was out of the trenches. All the boys liked hime he was brave and he died like a hero. L/Cpl J. R. Lacey 14221 B. Coy 12th. JL. 7 Plattoon. B.E.F France. Well Madame I hope you will excuse me for opening this letter I am sending back I found it to get the address and so that I could write and let you know. Well Madame I will now close my short and sad letter. From L/Cpl J. R. Lacey.

For some reason I can't upload the original image :unsure:

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I wasn't sure where to post this but wondered if people would find the following interesting.

It's a letter to my great-great Gandmother informing her that her son had been KIA in the first World War, (he fought in the Sheffield Batallion). His wife gave birth to my Grand-Father the same year. The author of the letter was KIA the following year. I like the fact that it is hand-written and not the usual typed letter. Apparrantly the author - (Corporal Lacey) and my Great-Grandfather were close friends. The letter reads;

May 23/5/17

Dear Madame, just a few lines to you hoping they will find you quite well as it leaves me at present. Well Madame I am very sorry to tell you that your son Leslie has got killed. He suffered know pain I was with him when the shell burst. I was very lucky to get out of it the same shell killed one more and wounded four. Madame I hope you do not take it to hard. I miss him a lot as he was my pal out here and we used to sleep together when we was out of the trenches. All the boys liked hime he was brave and he died like a hero. L/Cpl J. R. Lacey 14221 B. Coy 12th. JL. 7 Plattoon. B.E.F France. Well Madame I hope you will excuse me for opening this letter I am sending back I found it to get the address and so that I could write and let you know. Well Madame I will now close my short and sad letter. From L/Cpl J. R. Lacey.

For some reason I can't upload the original image :unsure:

Thank you for sharing that - moving stuff!

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Guest Flatlander

A most interesting post – thank you for sharing the letter.

That John Richard Lacey was to die from wounds a year later makes it all the more poignant.

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Guest TheBotanical

Most interesting and moving, Thank you very much.

If you wish email the image to Sheffieldhistorry@gmail.com and a grown up (Stuart) will sort it out.

Not sure what you mean by a "grown up". I'm almost 40! lol But yes, I will email it tomorrow.

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Not sure what you mean by a "grown up". I'm almost 40! lol But yes, I will email it tomorrow.

I think Richard was referring to the rest of the Admin team, rather than you ;-) !

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Didn't mean to offend, the none-grown-up person, I was refering to is, of course, me, since I'm always in need of help for something or other.

My apologies for any confusion I may have caused. My mind is elsewhere at present.

Not sure what you mean by a "grown up". I'm almost 40! lol But yes, I will email it tomorrow.

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Guest TheBotanical

Didn't mean to offend, the none-grown-up person, I was refering to is, of course, me, since I'm always in need of help for something or other.

My apologies for any confusion I may have caused. My mind is elsewhere at present.

No offence taken. I completely understand your circumstances Richard. I hope you are keeping well. I sent the image last night.

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Letter image, as discussed.

I was going to do it, :) but been up a Swiss mountain all day.

ps don't tell daveh I logged on whilst on holiday lol

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I was going to do it, :) but been up a Swiss mountain all day.

ps don't tell daveh I logged on whilst on holiday lol

I 'eard that, pardon!

Must be that thin, high altitude mountain air that has gone to your head amking you daft enough to want to log on whilst on holiday.

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Fascinating, thank you.

When you say “His wife gave birth to my Grand-Father the same year”, was that before Leslie was killed. Did he ever see his new son?

And the letter from Corporal Lacey suggests that a letter from your Great-Great-Grandmother had been sent but not received (and now returned). That’s additionally sad.

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Guest TheBotanical

Fascinating, thank you.

When you say “His wife gave birth to my Grand-Father the same year”, was that before Leslie was killed. Did he ever see his new son?

And the letter from Corporal Lacey suggests that a letter from your Great-Great-Grandmother had been sent but not received (and now returned). That’s additionally sad.

No, he never saw his new son who was also named after him. The family soon split into two and I was recently contacted by a cousin who showed me the letter. Unitl then, two sides of the family had lived in Sheffield for eighty years without knowing the existence of the other.

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