Sgt. Sam Avery said...Hello Harry:
Just a line to let you know we've arrived at Neufchateau and look to be here for the winter. The French are instructing us. We use a full-sized trench system to work out problems of defense and attack, and we show the French a thing or two about how N.E. boys use the rifle to good advantage. The British have set up a school at Bazoilles to teach us how to come to grips with the Boche using just bayonets and our hands. Some stuff, what? Stop by for a read if you get the chance. Regards, Sam
November 01, 2008
G. Tingey said..."31 casualties" does NOT refer to the number of DEAD. It refers to "Killed, Wounded, and missing (in action)" Please remember this. It still applies, incidentally.
November 01, 2008
Jacky said...Sorry but I have just tried to access the History Today site but it does not seem to be available. I'm trying to find out if there are any remembrance services being held in or near Timisoara in Romania this year.... Could you possibly help please Derry, or anyone for that matter?
Thanks in anticipation.
October 31, 2008
Apologies Jackie and Derry - and anyone else who was in difficulties here. Somehow, I managed to put in a "@" instead of a "." in the web address. Click here for a valid link to "History Today."
historytoday said...Hello, and well done on this blog
Its an excellent concept and certainly one of the best First World War sites I've come across so far. On our blog we have a new World War I section with complete listings of remembrance events happening across Europe from November onwards, if you are interested
Derry Nairn History Today Magazine
historytodaymagazine.blogspot.com
October 30, 2008
Anonymous said...In some ways, I think we here & now are more tense about this particular upcoming week: his real family just see more of the same on the horizon, with a constant level of associated worry; we, his '2008 family' if you will, know the war is coming to an end, and we're worrying more right now on that account, not wanting to see our Harry lost in the final stretch.
Hang in there, Harry! We're all praying you make it home safely!
October 30, 2008
Anonymous said...Only 31 is perhaps a relative comment given the scale and previous statistics in this war. Take a trip to Flanders sometime and be very glad you live now and not then.
So glad to see a letter following the standard issue postcard.
October 29, 2008
Cecilia in Michigan said... We tend to think of 31 casualties as a large number, but in a war where tens of thousands of men could be obilterated in one battle, that's not a bad number. According to Wikipedia, there were only 374 British troops lost. The Allies lost 5800 men, as opposed to Austrians, who lost 100,000 men. Today, Oct. 29, the Austro-Hungarians are asking the Italians for an armistice, according to Wiki.
October 29, 2008
Of course, the number of casualties is irrelevant if one of them is your husband, father, brother, lover. The trap of working by numbers can be horrific. Haig and his Generals would accept 100,000 casualties, calculating that they would still have 400,000 men left as a functioning army. Never a thought to the pain, anguish, grief and despair attached to each and every casualty. BL
Anonymous said...After reading the battalions diary, it seems as if the combat was much more fluid than the more static combat of earlier in the campaign. Was this typical of things towards the end of WW1?
October 30, 2008
Italy was totally different theatre of war to Flanders. Harry makes it clear how, despite the weather, conditions are so much better. In this phase of the fighting, the allied troops are moving forward rapidly, taking ground from the Austrians. BL
Anonymous said...A couple days before this there was a work detail of 400 men. So the battalion's actual strength was at least that high. The diary says "only 31 casualties", which would indicate the author at least considered them light.
October 28, 2008
Robert said...For the book it might be interesting to includes snippets of news from the newspapers to get a better idea of what Harry was reading from home - and about what folks back home thought about the war.
Best, Robert
October 28, 2008
Dino said...and now we're quite near to the end.
Harry, stay clean, there's only few days, and it will be over.
Dino, an Italian very proud of english that fought a mad war for us
October 28, 2008
Rocco said...-Especially as the war progressed, it was rare indeed for a Battalion to be at full establishment. It was not unknown at times for Battalions with a nominal strength of over a 1000 men to go into fighting with perhaps only 200. (The Long Long Trail).
- If this was the average situation, 150 prisoners and 31 casualties indicate that the 29th oct. was a very hard day.
- it seems to me that Harry is hiding the truth to tranquillise his family
October 28, 2008
Jacky said...I only stumbled across Harry's blog 2 weeks ago and after frantically catching up on 17th October have been checking every day for more news from him (internet down here in Romania yesterday for some reason). This card has made me go cold; just imagine how he felt being allowed only to send that and, as you say, probably realising it means something serious is about to happen. Only a few days left - please, please let him get home safely from this horrible mess. Jacky.
October 27, 2008
Jono said...Jackie,
There is some narrative on the very latest military situation in Phase 5 description with slide illustration as at today, 27th, and more to follow.....
Click on JW Overview of the Italian Campaign in menu bar on left..... hope it helps JW
October 27, 2008
Anonymous said...Today is dead the last soldier of the IWW; he's name was Delfino Borroni.
For everyone can read italian here is the article http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_ottobre_26/borroni_morto_1dc9ba5e-a3a0-11dd-8d2c-00144f02aabc.shtml
and here a touching video http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=9kfvQO47B_U
October 27, 2008
Sgt. Sam Avery said...Hello Harry:Landed in Le Havre the other day, now on the way to someplace called Neufchateau. Should arrive in a couple of days. Stop by for a read when you get the chance. Also, take a look at some film footage from the boys in Neufchateau.
Regards, Sam
October 26, 2008
David McGovern said...The fact that signature and date are the only things allowed to be added, suggests that the card was used by the army to prevent soldiers letting slip information that might risk an imminent action.
It may have been standard procedure when on short notice to move.
October 26, 2008
Rocco said...The 10th Army (Italian- British) began the attack on October 24th at Grave di Papadopoli (see Google earth) -north east of Catena where the Btn is reported on October 27th. On the night of 26th the 7th British Div.-Gen.T.H. Shoubridge- could install half a dozen bridges over the Grave to cross the Piave river. As Harry is dating his postcard on Oct. 27th, we can expect, I argue, that in a short time he'll cross the river running ahead to Vittorio Veneto
October 26, 2008
Jackie said..Can someone tell me what battles are ahead for Harry? I'm getting worried for his safety. Thanks.
October 26, 2008
Andrew said...holding my breath..let this not be the last bit of correspondence. good luck Harry.
October 26, 2008
G. Tingey said...The Battle of Vittorio (Veneto) has already started, and had been in progress for 3 (THREE) days, when Harry sent that postcard. He is at least 10km back behind the then lines, which were advancing over the Piave river.
October 26, 2008
erathwomen said...And here I've been thinking that Harry is so close to being out of it. This is an odd card but I suppose he didn't have time to write a letter but wanted to let them know he was alive.
October 26, 2008
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