Search The Archive

Search form

Collection Search
Date: March 12th 1917
To
Mother – (Mary Davis)
From
Worth Davis
Letter

Seaford
12/3/17 – 2 A.M.

My Dear Mother,

Well I have no mail as yet so suppose it must have been lost on that blooming boat and just my luck to have your parcel go too, but hope not.

I expected to go up to Eastbourne, I think I told you, last Friday but as Corp. Andrews did not get his pass, I did not go either. We just went back and went to bed.

Sat. aft., I went over to the lines again to see the boys and Rodney and I went down town and had tea down there. Just as I came on duty last night (Sat.) at 6.30, the Germans bombarded New Haven, a couple of miles down the coast. The shells bursting were quite visible from here, but I was not quick enough to see them. I saw the lights from the hill, playing on the water tho. We do not and likely will not know what happened. I heard an attack was made on Eastbourne at the same time but am not sure about it. New Haven is a very important harbour as most of the munitions go from there. I believe it is almost impossible for the attacking ships to tell when they get the right place, so for this reason it will not likely be published.

Yesterday (Sunday) morning about eleven, Money and Gaskel came in and wakened me, and we had quite a long chat. Then they came back at three and I went down town with them. It started a miserable drizzle tho and we did not have a very pleasant time. Had tea down town and on the way back, met Sgt. Lester Jackson. We had a good talk and then he came up with me and stayed till about 8.30.

I think I told you, we (the night staff) were sleeping in the top flat of Southlands’ mumps isolation hospital, but we have had to move out. All the others who were there went to the barrack room but the night staff has been given a room in the top floor of Raven’s Croft, so we are in the main building now.

Friday night they sent two sisters from Eastbourne, to look after Hornblower, one of my pneumonias. He has developed some sort of heart trouble and is quite sick. I thought one sister would be on days and the other nights, but instead, both are on days, then at night they still leave me on alone. It is a very funny idea but of course I get along all right.

I will stay on nights as long as they want to keep me here, then I will not be put in isolation, nor will I have to do night work, when I get back to Eastbourne. Of course, they may take the notion to put me on days or isolation when my month on nights is up.

Am enclosing more pictures of what our girls are doing. 

Lovingly,
Worth.

 

Original Scans

Original Scans