1 June 1919 53rd Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Army of the Rhine

Bill writes to his mother in Teeswater from Cologne, Germany where he has joined the British Army of the Rhine. The Occupation of the Rhineland by British, French, Belgian and American Forces began after the Armistice of November 11, 1918. He describes interactions with the Germans and his work in setting up classes for his soldiers in practical skills which they might use upon returning home.

 

 

 

 

 

 



January 22, 1919 Royal Artillery Mess, Athlone, Ireland

The war is officially over and Bill writes to his older sister Mae about receiving Christmas parcels and his leave to London with his younger brother Harold. Only 8 pages of his letter survive.

 

 

September 15, 1918 Royal Artillery Mess, Athlone, Ireland

Bill writes to his older sister Mae Skilling about his hopes of getting by the medical board to another commission although he has been a Signalling Officer here in Ireland for only less than 6 months. He describes his trip to Dublin with another officer named Stewart.

 

August 4, 1918 The Methodist Manse, Ballinasloe, Ireland

Bill writes to his mother in Teeswater from the Methodist Manse at Ballinasloe, where he is filling in for the minister and preaching several sermons. It is the 4th anniversary of England’s declaration of war on Germany. Bill hopes to become a Methodist minister when the war is over.