I found this old postcard in a copy of Orations on the French War, by William Pitt. The postcard is from Fred, writing from Sarsden in Oxfordshire, to his friend J.H. Taylor in Palfrey in the West Midlands. On the front is a very dull scene of the village of Crich in Derbyshire. On the back, this note: Dear old Jack, I am still here. Dont know when I am going away. Am bound for Wormwood Scrubs when I leave here. Comrade Lincox(?) has his D.C.M, on Monday at North Fields(?) four miles away from here. Drop a line by return, let me know how things are going, put your address on the (???) for fear I should be gone. Have just heard from four of the boys at Worcester Norton Barracks. Cheers, cheerio, Fred. (Edit, with input from Craig) The postmark seems to be September 16, 1916 or 1918. If 1916, that was a Saturday, which matches the text. The writer notes it was about 4 PM. I first assumed Wormwood Scrubs was the famous prison in London, and it might indeed be so. However, Wormwood was also the site of a Naval Air Service centre in the First World War. The RAF had an armoured car branch(!) which trained there, according to Wikipedia. I suspect Crich may have been the site of a basic training camp, unless Fred was in line to be an officer. The D.C.M. received by Comrade Lincox(?) refers to the Distinguished Conduct Medal, awarded to enlisted men and NCOs for outstanding bravery. That suggests the writer is also an enlisted man. So. A little snapshot in time. Im tagging Alex and Doug for military history interest, my mom (Lynda) because she gave me the book, and Simon as a Brit who might have some insight into my interpretation of the text.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:30:39 +0000
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