Letter · 27 Sep 1916 · The Somme, France
Night work
Eric died on the 7th of October 1916 during the Battle of Somme.
Extracts from this letter
"My dearest Mother, I have been here now for five days & so I am now getting quite use to the H.E and shrapnel fire."
"A party of us were sent up from the Base after being three days in France, to the Divisional H.Q and from there two days after I was sent up with a party of 110 men to act as a carrying party to the Front Line. However as the roads were in a terrible state we did not arrive at our destination till 1 am! As we were late another party had been sent up and so we did their work the next day."
"That night I was posted to the Hawke's Bay Coy of the 1st Wellington Brigade, and was sent with a party of 50 men to dig a communication trench to only a few hundred yards begin the front line. We were continually shelled but suffered no casualties although we were there from 1 am to 5.30 am."
