Correspondence between Field Marshal Lord William Birdwood and Lady Janetta Birdwood, 1915 - Part 20

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
RCDIG0000050
Difficulty:
4

Page 1 / 11

Entrusigaon for the wary in wich hodd K. Lad reeppiell firs & for all his hindress, & ods full of hope of getting another comsand in dne course, but it is rather hard to see what he Can get - unless he were to go to east Africa - and of course he couldnt well come & seeve in my Army Corps. I do think though that he might well have come here wher Sir Ian Went & in he his place for I quite think he would have been the very beet man for it - he has so much experience. Pon Sir Ian had to leave here the very day a new house had neen got reardy for him &he was to have changed his Head Bartey from one to the othe side of the Iland. my servant dexcital it as a huge place efeet sure Id feal lost in it as a mitter of fack it is eve 2 wooden evens, but very nicely trange that. I should esturated wull be compotable enough. It is he reenpying it as the first C. in.-C - and prond I am to be doing so. I shall be quite happy though to return to my homble dugout at Anzac. Ito horribly cold here relish leaving Corwallis just at present & I dont at all permenently for the shore! For some extrandinary ceason thei have made no firc dace in the Chisl's Starters, to
2 intention being to marin it by a stove which hasit & hear Caresany Gonl. Monro will have one. Tot arrived! I some are expected any day Che of the hindshipmen on board "Cornwallis, is I found a Son of Col. Malleson's The got a V.C. at the landing at Cape Helles on 26th nt. Such a fine looking boy he Af is & he has & truck me as a fine seilor too in the way he hs handed his p. wo or three times when iquet boat to harible he has landed me or taken me aboard inth rough weather we have teen having here lately - its been blowing a storn -day after day, & its often doubtund & a boat can be got alongside the ship at all or not I hewvent liked to ark the boy about his nother - he told me he hadnt seer his Father for several years - and I hoticed he o the protine stys halies the other day purtlishes that o A whots of the Leront M.. M. As his heton”
Do fon remember that Comnical fellow who hild after to saord we henspaper cuttings - he was a telepapist with us on hord ks Staff in Pretoria. He sent me a cutting o that picture of me suming which he had morked Four whoto taken by Mrs. Pantehi I have just heard that Genl. Monro arrives 27th & 28th where t tnzoe oll go farck Dain ed evrry to see that po little Davidson. Houston athe cg must mean 56th is missing in Lance, which I almost to a cerkinty that he is dead - anrd Captein Gun remember what a real whitehead of 50th, Do the man to be killed in reckless fellow he was - jot his first charge for nothing but bullets or bayonets wunl Ever have stopped him. Anotha death I am so sovry about it from old Si a.Her. He was suct a deal single minded & simple old fellow & I fear it witt suppose she will & ust leave her very londy. go home for good, but with house India now. lea
Munt take Wophanty as ther ave ont hepe t o old. Sir Jame Walke some settling up Dgir . out aguin to help look after the bent will has t 9 6ot. So Iam aferentely all right agiin now little one. - dout you think I in not - and after a wecks I in glond to say it has now cleared beastly weate. up & we ae having a lovely day Tomsnon Faw going all round to French position te time being they come trenches - ao C-in.C. under me. so I may just as well see something o go there however. I I as of them. Whens dejenner important thing in their enes is the to a sort of Secondan & which is most elaborate. great part i dea yon see their trenches. o flicans & I dout fanch ae of their troops her To show that I have been very much good. in. Ces A only fo a oort hine.
in bust jer on taking Qne foling Con of over my oun little laint. All my live 5ab to yon alwat. o mes goin very loving. Wif DOMheD Mceabs 1151 3376 310 Sath [6]
AU Lindenelles thmy. 12 Non. 15. Ily owun dailing fomny fame &t last twis letters fromson. the ones Hon sent by Sir Ian by Klings Messenager and doted 12nd & 25th Noventh. I have had othing from mon save the one dssed 31st. oclobes belween them. So goodness kows new many of them may not have gone wring o bear bot. Go menton too havig at lust got one from me. wiither just before I was to meet Lodt - but you do not say if uon have got my others onsuning all the qnestions yon wanted to Knon about - Chirs & 500. your inpertments - the Sunter Bauk Paw book. the L 52 I arked uon about bring credited to any aceount a thome shel has thes been done]. t pllase tefl me if yon have ever got my letters telling yon all about these things - fo I have how withers abboust most of them. at Want 3 times think! I I avent nst got the Diany for 1916- Letts. No. 35 Indion & Colnial Rough Divng" - Has it been sent met. for Iam much hoping to get it during ths neat for tnight i I aw having a horiter anxious time of it Force I have noo with ever to go through again. It dves seem bonry that I who am the one pesson to have been opposed to the present poliey an selected as the maw to camy it out. for I nust hate it- and it has suck possitilities of terible disartor and hone of gtory or victory!. However that is neital here or there- I am given the jot & I am going to see it through as weltes & pesitly cai & hope I have m o
u Me se Mam arrangements & taken all the plecanhovs & car. Indeed I am confident of doing it successfulty as far as is tromanly possibly fickle- & most relentless eneny to but I have the wont. most contend with hi the weather. We are enturely dependent on it. It avoured us landing & I peay God it. way do so again now. &fter that fearful stor & blizgard one realises what the weather cam be like here and a continuous stor for 3or & days would pust us earfut jsttarly. All this last welk it has hew all right os in most have been getting aman men. guins Ammunition & stores as fast as I can atd have chacked atmost everything & got away all the men hard ths been possible but the regline an enomous amounts of lesters & barges which have to be collected from all over the place these oe not all reacy yet - just a foin more days fine weather & I am all right. Annd then I have anothee enenng in the moon Sdt- hurry on nowr like anything to avord it when almost full to put it off till the fall moon was & haftte cenit. Then I but I suidey davent trust the weather holding out & must take advantage of every fine moment I ean - Non see what a feerful guinble it is- aust on top ff all thas. I am qute dependent onthe provision by the Navy of all the pecessary sim all craft. which may get scattered on broken up by storms. But I can not helf feeling confislent that all with go well. Whet with hap hen in the fature I I went an Ider - not can I say where I will be o fotright hence on what troops I autt have with me I have just bean glending a day with the French General here a vewy nice littll fellom called. Brulard. It is such a nuisance not fering at te to talk French as of course I have to make all eots of arrangements with me. He & his troops are now wieetly under me & we are the best of forend. They to evemytting. so ber diffecently to me, and strike us as
AUs 9 Memt main hae t a lot of thei Arrangement Elvery Cadaet to mane. Cm. witth ours & then certail Mtn hem ts though are much belter Red them seton excallently. They gave me a most hom deifut deiin at Sedel Bahr Fort whenever I go over there to see them a fot days before I got coung letters I had one from Capt. Polley telling tn non had been lunching there. Both Le & Col. Wigeam said very nice things about foin gouthful looks which I must heep as a srop I im so flat too that gon met for Ian there &o to madee Whn co very somy for him. To cont book wopee him as a very big men. As he is really shallow by nature. artitic if. won like it too but I dont know that he could Even concutrats forelf sey deply in tamlie thmge out. marbe borove & I certairly wo hom vm horch. I arme glad to say he tells me he has purt on a Htore in weight since he has been attome, & he can welt afford to purt anther. I dost th to borsea to ft all the time out tere. He toe save shal nice things about gon. Churthes Sards was all right & Very & hut myy metrage for wht lon till me about the design of the card sounds Capital. Win so Stast now had arranged evenything sevalle for the New Lealanders. Bns Idont Know how non are going to got cardls to all the men athome, for there & eem to be several thousands - there. Fon so semy to near yon are & leeping so badly again little one after all woe sushing about in town - not that I have heard much a that as I expect yon told me about it in gon latters which have not turned up one wail at all ewents I om pearty sure must have been Rnomarine. I do hope o amin & bunk
f Melyy ce e at Thurtty hit put ton all right though I suppose the house will be very full again for -Christunas. Ped. Horse most h a wonderful place for the men it had not har of it before. I must say people have been most extrandinary ford in the way they have pronided such places I in so glad not were alte to see Cort. Walke, but aon dont say now he was. I have heard nothing of him since he got home, so have too i dea if he is likely to be right soe & abte to come out & eevin us again or not. What did he say about it. I with he & make have that Peacock gets his latter But the Division is just on the move with all this change before us that. I shant be able to make sure of anothing getting to anyone frre gust a short time. I see 1ath. Shes th fold boed won scactly whor shad ahearly done about yoin serving on her Committle - & that goun name was what they really wanted. Only very from are wanted to am suct. Things - large commiltees do nothing - one working member querally does every thing, but I hippose that at the wlant time while I am with the Australians I eanit new came in neat useful in sac a tame the diff is of any gent vate in imagine that Mrs. ste. Comnnittes working line. Dors she over talk of her thother his &thes nother 1 I exfect not - tim fellow is a reel & ost Iim in the way that & feel atsslately Certain would die for me. at any mment & rist anyt te woy of Certon deatis for me - but he ..
M y Mua eft ut rean unistcated at not to bed & amy lea fame - & his hime Commonest. I have heard. 1sth Gon can tell Laty. Chesterfield that Dalway's do all. I possity camforthenf. R.C.A. as bots here & is Leypt I haive found thew doing so much real govel work for the men & their are deserving of evering cosiduation shelp. I offter wonder bom they marage then go. Ss well as they do. Coking to think about it Dam with stall sae that the letter I wote won about as having been repetuned by the Auitian saat- marmne off messing was dated- from Lord Nelson- I rather think I ment have posted that one at Mudros- by the previous week a if the one wit with not have got was sent from here on my retum from Mudros about 27th Noventer heaving my. Anzac position & trenches is for me atmost like leaving a child a Iwas quite, henst baaken whor going round them again a fain day's ago to see all they had bem doing nvinch then dhaved me with so. much pride to meet m wishes in the way of making themselves our brepible against heavy shell fire How they had brantiful great under ground. Chambers ding. 20 wen the carth with several shefts lading down to cord so thaltter an was quite pime with several entrences fot couldnt he Cuest in the wvent o on laree shelt boeock up one or more. They had noidea that they were trot to shick to them o I am sire they with feet doterribly whern they food they have to- leave. I. am issuig them the beotorde. I. can on the suffect. t5e I was going rount. all ui old haunts - & bounrd then of I had Araeseely discovered whd
wereeeereereflcleeehcce wlccecoulaeceueecellee lae ce ceee ee sing wiild to shot from as they got on to the place with thei Artillen & had simfly blown it to pieces. However Seimg i the mlan time- had been invaliled for rtemationn & after having got just on 2.30 Turks. They are Carcless fellows Suall with gomng round that day I had a hite mader i my leg by a bit of a bouh, but buckity it was through my thick leater Gaiters, so did noharm she enclosed latter from Dorty toight with amurse tevn I te went the leach iden who the camahe hame 2. 2. Wink the must he. Amentire stranger - what ruo id there ave io the world - but it was very kind of her to have thonghst of witine - I had a letter the other day from 1th Monts Butter asking me about hoere men she wanted me to let here. Sdbre trown little- laint, & alt mys touk to b the childien over hom very toring veed Will Senu Geeres 15 3376 31t Satt [7]

enthusiasm for the way in which Lord K. had received him
& for all his kindness, & was full of hope of getting another
command in due course, but it is rather hard to see what he
can get - unless he were to go to East Africa - and of course
he couldn't well come & serve in my Army Corps. I do think
though that he might well have come here when Sir Ian
went & in  xx his place, for I quite think he would have
been the very best man for it - he has so much experience.
Poor Sir Ian had to leave here the very day a new horse had
been got ready for him and he was to have changed his Head
Quarter from one to the other side of the Island.  My servant described
it as a "huge place" & felt sure I'd feel lost in it!  As a
matter of fact it is only 2 wooden rooms, but very nicely
situated will be comfortable enough. It is strange that I should
be occupying it as the first C- in-C - and proud I am
to be doing so. I shall be quite happy though to return to
my humble dugout at Anzac. It's horribly cold here
just at present & I don't at all relish leaving "Cornwallis"
permanently for the shore! For some extraordinary reason
they have made no fireplace in the Chief's quarters, the 

 

2)
intention being to warm it by a stove which hasn't
yet arrived!  I daresay Genl. Monro will have one, & I hear
some are expected any day.
One of the midshipmen on board "Cornwallis", is I find a
son of Col. Malleson's & he got a V.C. at the landing at
Cape Helles on 25th April.  Such a fine looking boy he
is & he has struck me as a fine sailor too, in the way
he has handled his piquet boat two or three times when
he has landed me or taken me aboard in this horrible
rough weather we have been having here lately - it's been
blowing a storm day after day, & it's often doubtful if
a boat can be got alongside the ship at all or not.
I haven't liked to ask the boy about his Mother - he told me
he hadn't seen his Father for several years - and I noticed
that one of the picture days papers the other day published 
a photo of the present Mrs M - as his Mother!!

 

Do you remember that comical fellow who used often to send 
me newspaper cuttings - he was a telegraphist with on Lord K's 
staff in Pretoria. He sent me a cutting of that picture of me
swimming which he had marked "From photo taken by Mrs Pankhurst"
I have just heard that Genl. Monro arrives 27th or 28th when
I'll go back to Anzac.
I am very sorry to see that poor little Davidson-Houston of the
58th is missing in France, which I fear must mean  
almost to a certainty that he is dead - and Captain
Whitehead of 56th - do you remember what a real 
reckless fellow he was - just the man to be killed in
his first charge, for nothing but bullets or bayonets would
ever have stopped him. Another death I am so sorry
about is poor old Sir a. [[Ken?]]. He was such a dear
single minded & simple old fellow & I fear it will  
must leave her very lonely. I suppose she will 
leave India now & go home for good,  but with house

 

property as they have out there it must take 
some settling up. I fancy old Sir James Walker 
will have to go out again to help look after the bank 
a bit. 
I am absolutely all right again now little one, so 
 don't you think I in not - and after a week's
beastly weather I'm glad to say it has now cleared  
up & we are having a lovely day. 
Tomorrow I am going all round the French position 
& trenches - as C -in C for the time being they come 
under me, & I may just as well see something 
of them. When you go there however, I hear the 
important thing in their eyes is the dējeuner 
which is most elaborate, & as a sort of secondary 
idea you see their trenches! A great part 
of their troops here are Africans & I don't fancy 
very much good. To show that I have been 
a C -in C even if only for a short time, I

 

enclose a copy of my first order on taking  
over! 
Goodbye my own little lamb - All my love 
to you always 
Ever your very loving old 
Will 
  
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Dardanelles Army
12 Nov. 15.
My own darling Jenny Jane -
At last two letters from you. the ones you sent by Sir Ian
by Kings Messenger and dated 22nd & 25th November. I have had
nothing from you since the one dated 31st. October between them. So
goodness knows how many of them may not have gone wrong & been
lost. You mention two having at least got one from me, written just
before I was to meet Lord K - but you do not say if you have
got my others answering all the questions you wanted to know
about - Chris's  £500 - your investments - the Simla Bank
Pass book - the  £52 I asked you about being credited to our
account at home etc. (has this been done?]. Do please tell me if you
have ever got my letters telling you all about these things - for
I have now written about most of them, at least 3 times I
think! I haven't yet got the Diary for 1916- "Letts. No. 35
Indian & Colonial Rough Diary" - Has it been sent yet, for I am
much hoping to get it during the next fortnight.
I am having a horribly anxious time of it [[?]] I have no
wish ever to go through again. It does seem wrong that I
who am the one person to have been opposed to the present
policy am selected as the man to carry it out, for I
just hate it- and it has such possibilities of terrible
disaster and none of glory or victory! However, that is neither
here or there- I am given the job & I am going to see it
through as well as I possibly can & I hope I have made all the 

 

arrangements & taken all the precautions I can. Indeed I am
confident of doing it successfully as far as is humanly possible,
but I have the worst, most fickle & most relentless enemy to
contend with-viz- hot weather. We are entirely dependent on it. It
favoured us landing & I pray God it may do so again now. After
that fearful storm & blizzard one realises what the weather can be
like here, and a continuous storm for 3 or 4  days would put us
in most fearful jeopardy. All this last week it has been all right of
have been getting away men, guns, ammunition & stores as fast as I
can & I'd have checked almost everything & got away all the men
had this been possible, but they require an enormous amount of
lighters & barges which have to be collected from all over the place
those are not all ready yet - just a few more days fine weather &
I am all right. And then I have another enemy in the moon!
I'd hurry on now like anything to avoid it when almost full
but I can't. Then I'd like to put it off till the full moon was again gone,
but I simply daren't  trust the weather holding out & must
take advantage of every fine moment I can - You see what a fearful
gamble it is, and on top of all this. I am quite dependent on the
provision by the Navy of all the necessary small  craft, which may
get scattered or broken up by storms. But I can not help
feeling confident that all will go well. What will happen  in
the future I haven't an idea - nor can I say where I will be
a fortnight hence!  or what troops I will have with me.
I have just been spending a day with the French General here,
a very nice little fellow called Bruelard. It is such a nuisance
not being able to talk French as of course I have to make all
sorts of arrangements with me. He & his troops are now
directly under me & we are the best of friends. They
to everything so very differently to me, and strike us as 

 

2)   very casual in many ways.  a lot of their arrangements 
though are much better than ours & they certainly know how to 
feed themselves excellently! They give me a most wonderful dejeneur
at Sed-el Bahr Fort whenever I go over there to see them!
A few days before I got your letters I had one from Capt. Pollen
telling me you had been lunching there. Both he & Col. Wigram
said very nice things about your youthful looks which I must
keep as a swop!!  I'm so glad too that you met Sir Ian there-
as he is a dear & I'm so very sorry for him. I can't look upon  
him as a very big man, as he is really shallow by nature-
artistic if you like it too,  but I don't know that he could
ever concentrate himself very deeply in thinking things out. I
may be wrong and I certainly like him very much. I am glad to
say he tells me he has put on a stone in weight since he has
been at home, & he can well afford to put another. I don't think
he was ever too fit all the time out here. He too said such
nice things about you.
Very glad my message for the Christmas cards was all right, &
what you tell me about the design of the card sounds
capital, &I'm so glad you had arranged everything equally
for the New Zealanders. But I don't know how you are
going to get cards to all the men at home, for there seems to
be several thousands there.
I am so sorry to hear you are & sleeping so badly again
little one after all your rushing about in town - not that
I have heard much of that as I expect you told me
about it in your letters which have not turned up.
one mail at all events I am nearly sure must have been
sunk by a submarine. I do hope a quiet time again

 

at Thurlby will put you all right, though I suppose the
house will be very full again for Christmas.
Peel House must be a wonderful place for the men & I had not heard
of it before. I must say people have been most extraordinary good
in the way they have provided such places.
I'm so glad you were able to see Genl. Walker, but you don't
say how he was! I have heard nothing of him since he got
home, so have no idea if he is likely to be right soon & able
to come out & rejoin us again or not. What did he say
about it?
I will try & make sure that Peacock gets his letter But the
Division is just on the move with all this change before us
that I shan't be able to make sure of anything getting to
anyone for just a short time.
I see Lady Chesterfield tried with exactly what I had [[?]] [[early]]
done about your serving on her committee - & that your name 
was what they really wanted!. Only very few are wanted
to run such things - large committees do nothing - one
working member generally does everything, but I suppose that 
at the present time while I am with the Australians
your name is used useful in such a thing. I can't 
imagine that Mrs Cliff is of any great value in the 
committee working line! Does she ever talk of her step mother, 
my A.D.C's mother! I expect not - my fellow is a real 
good man in his way that I feel absolutely certain 
he would die for me at any moment & risk anything 
in the way, of certain death for me - but he is so

 

3)   uneducated as not to be of any f real value - & his accent 
is the worst & commonest I have heard! 
You can tell Lady Chesterfield that I always do all I possibly 
can for the Y.M.C.A., as both here & in Egypt, I have found 
them doing so much real good work for the men and they are 
deserving of every consideration & help.  I often wonder how they 
manage things so well as they do. 
Coming to think about it I am not at all sure that the letter 
I wrote you about as having been captured by the Austrian sub 
-marine off Messina was dated from "Lord Nelson" - I rather think 
I must have posted that one at Mudros in the previous week. If 
so the one you will not have got was sent from here on my 
return from Mudros about 27th November. 
Leaving my Anzac position & trenches, is for me almost like leaving 
a child & I was quite heart broken when going  round them again 
a few days ago to see all they had been doing & which they 
showed me with so much pride to meet my wishes in the 
way of making themselves impenetrable against heavy shell fire. 
There they had beautiful [[?]] underground chambers dug 20ft 
under the earth, with several shafts leading down to each 
so that the air was quite fine, with several entrances you  
couldn't be buried in the event of a large shell blowing  
up one in there. They had no idea that they were not to 
stick to them & I am sure they will feel it terribly when 
they find they have to leave. I am issuing them the 
best order I can on the subject. 
I was going round all my old haunts & found that the  
Turks had evidently discovered where my pet sniper

 

Sing used to shoot from, as they got on to his place with 
their artillery & had simply blown it to pieces! However Sing 
in the mean time had been invalided for rheumatism, after 
having got just on 230 Turks. They are careless fellows 
&when going round that day I had a small hole made in my 
leg by a bit of a bomb, but luckily it was through my 
thick leather gaiters, so did no harm. 
Ive enclosed letter from "Dolly Wight" will amuse you!  
I haven't the least idea who she can be, have I? : I 
think she must be an entire stranger - What rum 'uns 
there are in the world - But it was very kind of her to 
have thought of writing - I had a letter the other 
day from Mrs Monty Butter asking me about some  
man she wanted me to send home. 
Goodbye my own little lamb &all my love to 
you &the children. 
Ever your very loving old, 
Will

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