Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1915 - Part 9

Epsom.
Surrey
Dear Bess
Since I wrote to you last time
I have had my furlough and a
right royal time I have had to.
After leaving Manchester we were sent
to Harefield near London and from
there I got my furlough and went
back to Manchester for a weeks
then divided the other week between 
Chester Broughton & Liverpool
& spent a lovely time sight seeing
Chester is an old walled city
and it is kept in good repair
and even the old dungeons are
still to be seen
the cathredal is
the best building of its kind in
England & it dates back into the
Roman times and is still in good
repair
When my furlough was up
I reported to our office in

London to be sent to Weymouth but
the doctor would not pass me as fit
for service yet so I have been sent
back to the hospital but that does
not hurt as she place is just like
a home to us We can do almost
any thing we like but have to
be in bed by 10-15 so we have
plenty of time to see the country
People rend their cars and
take us out for drives and to
tea and that passes the day
alright. I had a few more teeth
out & he did pull hard to shift
them.
I will now close Hoping you
& all are well as I am
at present
I remain
your loving Brother
George
I am writing to the young boys that have
written to me from Warrick

Epsom
Surrey
29/8/15
Dear
Lena I received your ever welcome
letter this morning with about six
others from home. It was the first
letter I received from you since goodness 
knows when I have never
received any from Bess though I
have been told that she has
written pretty often Het sent me
some papers and I sent them
along to Alex McIntosh of Ellam
He is at Weymouth where I will
be shortly. I have not seen many
of the Warrark Chaps. Stan Booley
& Jack Stewart are here. They asked
at home if I knew a Thompson
that used to work at Palmers
There are three out of the 14th here
by that name. I am about
tired of this place, and longing
to see other parts of it.
I am 

sending a photo with this letter of the
place where we landed. It was taken
on Thursday and it was very
dif ferent to the photo. I have not
heard from Les yet. I have had
ots only one letter from him
since leaving Egypt, so I do
not know how he is. The L.H
have been cut about very badly
but no names have been published 
yet. There has been lovely
sunny weather for about a couple
of weeks and all the crops
have been harvested. By the
time you receive this note there
will be no leaves on the trees
for the roads are strewn already
you want to be here for nuts
and all kinds of berries growing
wild.
All the chaps that were
cracked up to be so brave at the
landing are too afraid to go
back again for a lot have
applied for and received staff
jobs. We keep telling them they
have cold feet and they do
not like it I was offered a 

3
Job to be corporal of the military
police but would not have it for
I came to do my bit, and a
few days of fighting were nothing
to what is to come. If you do
take it, you have it for a month
and then sent back again. I go
a letter from Gilmour Naismith
and will answer it when I
have finished this and then
I am going to write to Les.
I have not much to say so I
will close praying & hoping to see
you all again but it will not
be this year or something will
have to happen
I will ring off
I remain 
Your loving Brother
George
Diphtheria has broken out in the
ward that I am in and some
have been sent to other hospital
The doctor has had my friend
under supervision for over a weeks
& he is not decided yet. I do not
want to get it 

Epsom
Surrey
30/8/15
Dear Bess.
Het wrote to me
and told me that you had
written pretty often but that
I never received any letters
from you but never give
up for I am may get
them before long. I have
had a lot from home
lately and one from
Gilmour Naismith. I have
answered his. His is the
only letter I got from the
boys of Warrack who
have been writing to you me.
I heard a couple of day 

2
ago that Bert Glasson has
been killed. He had gained
a commission. I got a let
Warrack paper (the post) this
morning and I read it &
am sending it to Alex
Mc Intosh of Ellam who
is at Weymouth, where
will be soon, alls well
I am about right as rain
and in no hurry to leave
England though it is
getting pretty cold and
the trees are loosing,
their leaves.
I have been
in the hospital a couple
of weeks with a bad throat
but at is about better now 

3
Diphtheria has broken out in
the Convalescent Camp where
I am and the mate that
I have had since landing
in England is down with
it. I have been in many
parts of England & hope to
see a lot more before
I leave. I am sending, a
snapshot photo in a letter
to Lena for it is the
first letter she has
written to me since I
left Egypt She says she
likes her new job.
I have not
heard from Les but
know that he has left 

Egypt.
The mail is closing in a
few minutes so I have to
close 
Hoping to see you all again
in the near future but I
do not think it will be
this year
Goodbye
dear Bess
George 

Epsom
Surrey
9/9/15
Dear Mother,
I have had no letters this week, for
I had so many last week, but I got one
from Les. It was dated 17th August but he
could not say much as the letter had to
be censored. It followed me all over
England. He wrote it while in the
trenches.
Last Tuesday I went to London
with a party and we went to the
principal places. We went to the Houses
of Parliament, Museum, Picture Gallery,
Buckingham Palace & Hyde Park, and many
other places. Just before we came home
we drove in motor cars to where
the Zept. did their damage in the
East End when a bomb drops, it
makes a hole you can put a fair
sized house in. One bomb dropped
right on top of a house and knocked 
houses down all around. There
was not a whole window left in
for hundreds of yards around