the date and signature of the sender. Sentences
not required may be erased. If anything else is
added the post card will be destroyed.
addressed to the sender of this card.]
I am quite well.
I have been admitted into hospital
sick
wounded
and am going on well.
and hope to be discharged soon.
I am being sent down to the base.
I have received your
Letter follows at first opportunity.
I have received no letter from you
lately
for a long time.
the date and signature of the sender. Sentences
not required may be erased. If anything else is
added the post card will be destroyed.
addressed to the sender of this card.]
I am quite well.
I have been admitted into hospital
sick
wounded
and am going on well.
and hope to be discharged soon.
I am being sent down to the base.
I have received your
Letter follows at first opportunity.
I have received no letter from you
lately
for a long time.
the date and signature of the sender. Sentences
not required may be erased. If anything else is
added the post card will be destroyed.
addressed to the sender of this card.]
I am quite well.
I have been admitted into hospital
sick
wounded
and am going on well.
and hope to be discharged soon.
I am being sent down to the base.
I have received your
Letter follows at first opportunity.
I have received no letter from you
lately
for a long time.
the date and signature of the sender. Sentences
not required may be erased. If anything else is
added the post card will be destroyed.
addressed to the sender of this card.]
I am quite well.
I have been admitted into hospital
sick
wounded
and am going on well.
and hope to be discharged soon.
I am being sent down to the base.
I have received your
Letter follows at first opportunity.
I have received no letter from you
lately
for a long time.
Church Hill
Holywood
Co. Down
16th April 1916
My Dear Mother
I am very sorry I have been such a time in writing but I could not help it. I have been so busy. I think I never did as much work in my life. As I have done this last week. We have got all the cleaning done. We just got done last night, and I am tired. There was a woman in only three days. I did the rest myself. I was down in Holywood last night after I got finished. I met the Croziers. The first thing Sara asked me was I sick. She said I never looked as sick looking. But I am glad to get finished.
I hope you are all well. Had you any word from Johnnie lately. I had none all week. I wrote to him last Sunday. I told him I was going to send him a parcel but I had not time to do it. Would you send him one for Easter? I am sure he will be lonely. I hope we will hear from him soon.
Has Sammy Moffatt been home yet? I forgot to tell you that last week the Lough was full of ships. Mr Trimble said he counted 19. There was German submarines in the Channel. These ships were guarded by a warship. I think the[y] have caught one of the submarines. I wish it was all over. It seems to get worse. Holywood is all darkened now the street lamps are not lit and any that are are covered halfway down. The shopkeepers are not allowed to put lights in their windows. The times are getting worse.
Well, Bangor Rd Church has got settled. Mr Woodburn is to be installed in Bangor Rd on Thursday. First everyone seems to like him. The service is at 12 o’clock on Thursday. I am going to it. There is a social at night.
You wanted to know could I get home for Easter. I would just love to go, but there is no use trying. It would only start a row. I might get later on. I hope you are all well. Write me a long letter soon. I think this is all now. Excuse this scrawl. Any more word from Lizzie? She is a cool one.
Give my best love to all.
I remain
Your loving daughter
Jeannie Adams
Write soon to me.
Church Hill
Holywood
Co. Down
21 April 1916
My Dear Mother
This is just a wee line to say I got your letter alright. I am very sorry I can’t get home for Easter. I would have liked to get, but it can’t be helped now. Yous will be lonely without Johnnie, poor fellow he’ll be lonely too. Mr Hunter told me the other day that the Ulster Division are fighting now. His son’s a sergt. He has never been home yet. I hope God will take care of Johnnie and bring him back safe. I had a PC from him yesterday. It was only a field one.
I hope you are all well. Are your pains better? I hope Annie’s cold is better by now. I have got alright again. I had a very sore pain in my back but it’s away too, I am glad to say.
Well, we have got our new minister settled yesterday. It was very good. I was at the service in the morning and at the social at night. It was all very good and as Mr Woodburn said himself he got a royal welcome. It was very nice. He seems a very nice man. He stood at the church door and shook hands with everyone as they came out, and Mrs Woodburn is Mrs Chambers over the world [?]. Everyone said how like each other they were. They presented Mrs W with a new gown and a little girl all in white presented Mrs W with flowers. I am sending the papers with the installation in it. I will send one with the social if it’s in the paper. It was good.
Do you know that Herron [?] is out of jail? He has got off free. Had you any word from Lizzie lately? I was up in Minnie Crozier’s one evening. She told me to tell you if you would like to come down to Belfast for a change she would be very glad to have you.
I think this is all now. You will not get this till Monday as the post went out early today. I hope you will write me a good long letter soon. I hope Annie and Jimmie are both well.
With best love,
I remain your
Loving daughter
Jeannie Adams
Write soon to me.
Do you remember the coin Johnnie gave me? I got it put on a pin. It’s very nice.
The[re] is rough times in Belfast at present. There is 4 Vickers gun teams left camp today for it. But we will not be going there as there is too many Belfast men in this platoon.
Unknown author, unknown date, sent to someone in the Read family, Searce. Could this be around the time of the Easter Rising? Discuss.
Church Hill
Holywood
Co. Down
27 April 1916
My Dear Annie
Thanks very much for letter and card, which I got alright. I hope you are all quite well. I suppose Easter was very quiet. Well I was at church twice on Sunday. The soldiers were at the morning service. There was a good many. I was thinking of poor Johnnie. He was here this time last year.
I saw Lizzie Crozier and Annie and Sara on Saturday night. They asked me down to Annie’s on Monday so Sara came up for me in the afternoon and we went round the shore. The tide was full in and it was lovely. Leonard [?] Brown was down. He isn’t a bad wee chap at all. I was talking to him a good while. He was telling me all the news about home. He says his father is very ill. He was in a bad way about him. He said he wanted Jimmie and Davie Crozier to come with him. I wish Jimmie had come. They all went up to town about five. They wanted me to go with them but I did not go. I wonder did he get home. Sometimes the Croziers are not bad. They always ask me to go with them if they are for Minnie’s [?] or anywhere.
I think this is near about all as it’s near bedtime. I hope you will write me a good long letter soon. Has Jimmie the potatoes all in yet? The weather has been nice this last few days. Was Thomas Moffat home at Easter? I don’t think any of the Coy got any leave. They might later on. Write soon. Give my love to all.
I remain
Your loving Sister
Jeannie
Write soon
Church Hill
Holywood
Co. Down
27 April 1916
My Dear Mother,
This is just a wee line to say I am well. I hope you got my letter and paper on Monday. Wasn’t the weather very wet for Easter? This last few days has been nice. I hope you are all well. Is your pains gone yet? I hope so. Had you any word from Johnnie lately. I have had none for a long time. I hope he is well. I think they are having a very hard time. I expect you heard all about the fighting in Dublin, wasn’t it dreadful? It’s coming very near us. That was 10,000 soldiers sent from England and a lot from Belfast. I heard there was a bridge blown up so that the train can’t reach Dublin. I hope they won’t start in Belfast. I know 3 girls that went to Dublin on Monday, and they have not arrived home yet. I am glad there is no one belonging to us in it. They say there is a lot killed and wounded. I think youse are fairly safe out there. I wish it was all over. What does the Crawlies [?] say about it? Are they for it? The volunteers around here have all been called up.
We have got our new minister settled. He seems very nice. He was preaching on Sunday night himself and the church was packed. I never saw so many people in it before, and everyone seemed to like him. He has had a wedding and a funeral. He is only there a week today. He is to start visiting soon.
Had you any word from Lizzie lately? How is she getting on? It was very good of you sending me the wee card. I thank you all for it. If you get any word from Johnnie will you write soon and let me know.
Gordon Copeland was telling me he was up at Tullyhappy on Tuesday. He says when he was coming back at night he had to wait at Goraghwood from 7.30 till 9 o’clock before he could get a train. Maybe it was just as well I was not home. If you don’t hear from Johnnie don be too annoyed because there is very few boats running. They may not be abile to get the mails [sic] across.
I think this is all now. I wll send you a paper. Write me a good long letter soon. Give my best love to all. I remain your loving daughter,
Jeannie
Write soon to me.
Somewhere in France, British Exped Force
29.04.16
My Dear Mother
I am so sorry that I have been so long in writing to you, but I was waiting on getting the parcel that you said in your letter you were sending got to me. So I only got it last night. That is something like 10 days it took it coming, and it only takes a letter 4 days. So you will understand why I was so long in writing. Well to start with I must thank you for what you sent to me in your parcel. You are so awful good to me. I do not know how I will ever repay you. All in the parcel was all right. There was nothing gone astray. You must have spent some time in packing it.
Well we have got Easter over such as it was. You would not have known that it was Easter. Only the Germans kept quiet all day on Sunday but they gave us a few shells on Monday, which our fellows paid back in dead earnest. But its just the same every day. I wonder how far the end off. There is not many out here would care it was all over tomorrow. The weather is still keeping good it is like summer today and I hope it continues for the wet weather is not very pleasant. I suppose the people at home are busy putting in the crop. Have you got the garden in yet. You can put my share in I will be home before they are dug. Well I must thank you again for your parcel which we enjoyed very much as it was a change from the loaf bread and I think I must now draw to a close as I must write to Annie tonight but I will not be long in writing to you again.
I remain
Your Loving Son
John Adams