Correspondence between Field Marshal Lord William Birdwood and Lady Janetta Birdwood, 1915 - Part 17

Churchill's brother, who is Sir Ian's Camp Commandant &

who was with me for a short time in S. Africa - & is

I should say a much better fellow than his brother W.

always cheery ready to help. But it all seems a regular

pic-nic - one lives in tents with no fear of shells & walk about

anywhere with no idea of bullets. I am dining with Admiral 

de Robeck on his flagship "Triad" - he is such an awfully 

nice fellow & I am always glad to see him. I have brought 

Angebey here with me as even though he has lately been on

a hospital ship I felt he wanted a change next - as he says 

he has never really got out of having grown to 6.3 1/2 & looks so

very difficult. He is a particularly nice fellow & I like

him much. He was telling me yesterday about his matrimonial 
troubles at the bottom of which apparently is his mother in

law and though he is quite prepared to live with his wife again

it is only on condition that her mother does not come into the

house! He tells me that the dirt alone of the 'Souls' is awful

& that- he doesn't suppose the Duchess has had her hair properly

brushed out for years !! He was telling me too about

Princess Patricia -the old King apparently once wrote

to his brother giving them his blessing and saying she would

have to ditch the Royal rank on marriage. When his brother

had to write to say there was nothing in it & that there 

was no engagement. Enormous riches must have their

drawbacks some can see how he has been pushed

3) for his - and he is so nice about it. The amount of

money, such they have was rather brought home to me when

we were discussing the "Triad" which the Admiralty recently

bought, for the Admiral here for £80,000- she was an American

millionaires yacht. & Angelsey said he had only pd £55,000

for his, which was a much better one!

Genl. Peyton came over to see me the other day as did

Maher. The former told me he had heard how Cole was very

bad from his wound & at one time was not expected to live. It

is however so impossible to hear anything authentic regarding

the wounded once they leave here, that one can believe nothing.

Poor Gurney Sheppard - Aileen Clives husband- was killed - you

might write to her if you haven't done so. Skeen I hear has

been landed at Malta & I fear he has enteric there.  I

have tried to find out, & if he is to be away a long time

I am to have Col. McMunn sent me in his place, but I

much hope this may not be necessary.

I was rather pleased at getting a very nice wire

of happy returns of the day from the General Head Quarters

here on my birthday, which Gnl. Braithwaite had

apparently happened to look up in the birthday army list!

I see some of the papers have been publishing rather

good accounts of all our fighting here in August-

& the doings of "Anzac". We shall have to go down

to France I fancy geographically as well as historically.

When my Army Corps was first formed, I was asked to

settle on a telegraphic code word &  selected "Anzac"

Then after we had landed here I was asked what I

wished the little bay in beach to be called, as all

the different beaches are constantly to be referred

to in order & I selected "Anzac Cove", & as such I see it

now marked in maps & as part of this peninsula is

referred to as "Anzac". & as such will have to figure in

future maps!

I am wondering so much if you have ever got all my

letters - as in your last of 22^nd Aug, I see that there are

several things you haven't heard of & about which I have

written. Did you ever get my letter about the flower

seeds? I mean the original one I wrote a long time

ago asking you to send some to Isabel Vaughan-Hughes?

And did you get one telling you all about old Col Ryan?

He is such a dear kind old man & I hope you may

perhaps see more of him- if you are in London again be sure

to ask him to tea or something if he is still there. He

told me he expected to return to my staff but I understand 

there is no chance of his being strong enough

ever to be able to do that or to stand the knocking about,

though he will probably be all right in Egypt.

I have been most awfully sorry to hear of poor old

4)   Genl. Broome's death. He had been over to Australia

on some [[?warrant]] duty work & died at Colombo of

heart on his way back- I fancy he had been bad for a

long time - he was such a dear nice fellow.

Just got a letter from Nancy of 29th- While your last is 22nd-

but one can never tell what happens to them- I have

letters from Bob & Edie of 9th July & 20th August arriving

the same day, & some which have taken exactly two months

to reach me here from Egypt - only 3 days journey! I

forget if I sent you a copy of Sir Ian's special order

about the fighting of my Army Corps last month - I don't

think I did, but I sent them some time ago to Nancy & Chris

& enclose one for you now - your father will like to see it.

I don't think I am any thinner now little one. I was-

but have got fatter again - I take lunch if I am in, but

with so much to be seen I am generally out as once one

starts off round the trenches it is impossible to get back

under several hours & I am sure it is much the best thing

for me too. Certainly if I didn't go round every day, talking

to the men & finding out if things were all right on my

own, I shouldn't be able to gain their confidence to anything

like this extent. I hope I have done - and I now have four

Divisions in place of two - 2 Australian. 1 mixed

Australian & New Zealand and 1 Territorial - who are

absolute children beside the Australians. I'm sorry you

weren't able to see little Gabriel when he was over, as

he would have been interesting & I don't suppose he will be back

again for some time. I have been seeing something of the

Italian military attache here & he seems quite optimistic.

I am so sorry to hear of poor Wally's wound, as though not serious

it is probably most painful & anything on the jaw must be bad.

I hope he will be right again soon. I'm sure you will have

been quite sorry to leave Hansfield & all the Australians who

seem to have appreciated you so much & I'm so glad you

were always able to see so much of them.

Your letter came just right - or as near as possible - 2 days only

after my birthday & I was so glad to get it little one. The

short bread & air pillow will be most welcome & you

couldn't possibly have thought of anything I would so much

have liked to have - they should turn up ere long.

I'm afraid I don't see much chance of a move on

from here yet awhile, but it is not easy to foresee the

situation for anytime ahead.

Goodbye my own little sweetheart - All my love to you

Ever your very loving old.

Will.

 

[Stamp: DONATED RECORDS LIST

3376

3rd Series (15)]

Mediteranean Expdy Force.

30 Sept 15

My own darling little wife.

28 today!! Just think of it - 30th September

your birthday and 28. I am sure you don't feel older

or look it - and it is all that, that counts for age - not

actual years- & I have never known anyone remain such a real

kid as you do. I am glad too to say I feel quite youthful

again after having been rather old for a bit! You will I

fancy be spending your birthday at Thurlby & Kates quietly

with I fancy only your father & Judith there, as I imagine the

others will all be away. Here we are having a quiet day of

it too - or rather it has begun so, for one can never tell to what

a state of "hate" the Turkish guns (which are all manned by

Germans) may or may not work up to by the evening - Some days

they are quiet - often they fire away a lot. I fancy it depends a

good deal on how much ammunition they have in hand- The day

before yesterday they put in over 200 rounds at one Battery of mine

just above my headquarters in an hour or so, but did very little

harm. Yesterday they got a shell right into Walker's dugout while

he was there, wrecking the whole place & burying him, but luckily 

he was untouched! Another of my Generals - an Australian

called Ryrie got a 75 gun shrapnel bullet in his throat.

It just missed the artery & is still in his throat, but

he is little the worse & it will be removed today.

A very nice fellow a Capt. Lloyd is going home today & may

take this with him. If you are in town & he writes to 

arrange a meeting I hope you will see him. He was

with Genl. Maxwell's staff all the time I was in Egypt

when I saw a lot of him & he has always been fearfully

keen on being on my staff instead of on Sir Ian's where

he is. He is not a soldier - but a Warwickshire Yeoman &

an M.P. - though he looks a boy & a subaltern! He has

for a long time taken a great interest in Turkish affairs

& speaking that language fairly well is used in intelligence

& interpreting, and now goes home to see the war & foreign

offices on such matters. He is I fancy a fairly rich

man as his people are Lloyd's Bank. His wife was

a maid of honor to Queen Alexandra & is consequently

a great friend of dear old Sir Dightons & struck

me as such a very nice woman when I saw her in

Egypt for a short time- She only came there just

before we left. I only tell you all this about

him in case he arranges a meeting & he is such

a very nice fellow. I'd like you to see him

& he would give you latest news about me.

2) He is an able fellow too & gets on quite the

right lines as regards political & intelligence

matters here & I hope his visit home (it is only to be

a very short one I believe) may do some real good in

one or two matters which have been neglected.

If you are in town soon, I want you to go & see a

Brig-Gen McCay 10 Carlton Horse Terrace. He is one

of my Australian, Brigadiers who did very well in all our

early work here, Col. got hit in his  leg - came back &

his leg went again, so he had to be told off & was operated

on in Malta & is now in hospital recovering. When

well enough he will go back to Australia before rejoining

me here. I'd much like you to go & see him, but

unless you are in town soon I fancy he will have

been sent off back to Australia. If by any chance he

has left. Carlton Ho. Terrace, Sir George Reid's office would

be able to give out his address. He is a lawyer by trade.

A nonplus fellow & member of the Australian Parliamente

pronounces his name Mackie.

You may like to see the enclosed form poor Lady Bridges

to whom I wrote on her husband's death- she

must be a nice woman. I have just got a letter 

of yours dated 15th Oct, but there are evidently

others of previous dates to which you refer. You don't mention

Lord K's speech in the House of Lords about me & my staff

& Australians. Have you seen it? I haven't seen the papers

yet - but Mrs Wagstaff sent him an extract of it which

seemed very nice & I must say it is a great thing. As

such things are not often said for nothing in Parliament.

I must try & get hold of it later & you might keep a

cutting of it, if you can find it. It should be about

15th Sept. Percy I imagine may have been in this

last big advance which seems to have been very successful 

but about which we have as yet no details.

Goodbye my own little lamb. I close this advice 

as George Lloyd may be able to take it

with him I fancy he will go with the King's

messenger very fast. I'll be thinking of you so

much all day of your birthday & with all

my love to you. Ever your very loving old.

Will.

[Stamp: DONATED RECORDS LIST

3376 

3rd Series (15)]

M.E.F.

6 Oct 15-

My own little girl.

There is certainly something still very extraordinary

with these posts. I got just a very short note of yours dated 15

Sept saying you had written me earlier in the week. The only

letter before that was of the 4th - so you are sure to have written

in the interval, but nothing has come. It may still do so

a week hence! and in the mean time I have just been very

glad to get yours of 20th. I am glad Chris spent a few

days at Packwood as the Bradshaws are so very nice & it is

nice to think that he remembers them so kindly & is still

glad to go there & be with them- it is a good trait. I

am sure he is a dear good boy. I was writing to Mr

Rintoul lately. Chris could I fancy go up for Sandhurst

next July, but if he is still very young & unfussed. I am

not at all sure that it would not be better for

him to wait six months longer at Clifton & go up

the following December. It is too early to decide

now, as it must partially depend on how the

war goes on, but I am not at all sure that

this would not be best for him in the long

run - I fancy J has selected an excellent

place in Sherbourne- It is a school they love