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.
[postcard to Mrs John Adams, Kingsmill, White Cross, Co. Armagh, Ireland]
[possibly postmarked Aug 12 1914 – fits with history of Royal Inniskillings]
Dear Aunt just a PC to let you know I am at Lough Swilly, hoping all is well, if you be writing my address so far is 7388 Pte T Davidson, D Company, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, [Pubble????] Camp, Co. Donegal.
[Postcard showing: A Cosy Corner. “How fair the rural scene”]
[Addressed to Mrs J Adams, Lisadian]
[Postmarked Belfast 23 Sept 1914]
We got here alright. Minnie met us in the station & took us home with her. We are stopping with her tonight. Tell A & J I will write later.
J. C. [?]
[on the way to enlist]
[Postcard showing Fountains Abbey]
[Addressed to Mrs J Adams, Lisadian]
[Postmarked, Belfast 23 Sept 1914]
We arrived here safe and was padded all right. We are stopping with Minnie tonight and going to Camp in the morning. Will write later.
J.A.
[on his way to enlist]
From John Adams’ personal note
Enlisted on the 24th Sept 1914 for Royal Irish Fusiliers, Clandeboye, Co. Down.
The 9th (Service) Battalion (County Armagh) was formed in Belfast in September 1914 from the Armagh, Monaghan and Cavan Volunteers. Came under orders of 108th Brigade in 36th (Ulster) Division.
C Company
7 Batt RIF
Clandyboye Camp
Co. Down
Sept 1914
[probably 27th Sept 1914 – first Sunday after John Adams enlisted 24 Sept. Very possibly his first letter home of WW1]
Dear Mother
Just a line hoping it will find you all in good health as it leaves us in the same at present. I think this is the first Sunday that I have ever been away from home all day and it’s very hard to say when I may be back for we are going to get the shift from here as soon as we get our uniform and I do not know when we may get home.
There is an awful lot of UV here and youse need not be afraid of so long as they are on the top of the earth. I wish you would hear them singing at night all the Orange songs of the day. We had Sir E Carson and the wife here yesterday and they inspected our lines. It is a wonderful life this we have to things here that we would not like to do at home. It is a queer change when Jimmie and I could not lie together 16 of us lying together here. Every man has to lie on his side and you can not turn to right or left but you need not think by telling you this that I do not like [it] for I fairly enjoy it.
And there is a lot here that we know. We see S Moffat every day and S Crozier boy [?] too. As soon as he heard that we were here he come to see us. And he sent a PC to Jennie in Hollywood [sic] as I did not know the address. We have a sergeant stopping in the tent with us and he is great fun. You might not care what you said to him as long as you were not on parade. But it is very hard to watch the Officers all for they are still knocking about.
You may excuse this scribble as we are writing on the grass so it is not very level. But if we were in the Barracks we would be al right. They were saying around here that we are for Portsmouth [?] and from that to Egypt but it might be some time to that yet.
I hope you will get this before you write as I sent the wrong address. But if you have it does not matter. You can tell all round there that I was asking for them. I hope Mrs McCombe is better now. You may tell Jimmie [that] they are starting a Number in the North Antrims. We had a great Church Parade today. I think this is all. Remember me to all at home.
I remain
Your loving son
J Adams
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.
Postmarked: 21 Oct 1914 Bangor, Co. Down
Dear Mother
I received your letter alright. I am sorr J has the cold. I am very afraid he would not stick this long. We are just in from a route march to Helen’s Bay and it has rained the whole way home. You need not think because I don’t write often that I have forgotten you but sometimes I have nothing to write about. We may put in a pass for Sunday week if we get away. Both our [arms?] are better and we are in the best of health. I think this is all now.
I remain your son
J. A.
Postcard shows painting of soldier and elderly mother as soldier bids farewell to her to join his comrades. “Duty and Honour Bid us Part”.
Postmark: Clandeboye Camp, date unknown
[faint postmark and location suggests early – possibly October 1914]
Dear Mother
Just a line to say that if all goes well you may expect us home on Sat. We are going home by Loughgilly with Sam Porter. He is getting George to meet us with the car, but it might be late when we are home and will have to go away again on Sunday night. But it will be better than nothing. I think this is all to we meet again. I remain your loving son,
John Adams
Postcard shows:
“Helen’s Tower, Clandeboye, Co. Down
Built by the late Marquis of Duferin, in memory of his mother, in the year 1850.
Helen’s Tower, here I stand
Dominant over sea and land
Son’s love built me, and I hold
Mother’s love engraved in gold.
Love is in and out of time,
I am mortal stone and time;
Would my granite girth were strong
As either love to last as long!
I should wear my crown entire
To and thro’ the Doomsday fire
And be found of angel eyes
In earth’s recurring Paradise.
-Alfred Tennyson”
A view of Helen’s Tower, which flies a large flag with horizontal stripes (blue, white red, from top to bottom). [no such flag appears on http://www.flags.net/search.php]
[From personal note]
Nov 1914
At Victoria Barracks, Belfast
William McKnight was John Adams’ cousin, and served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was killed near Ploegsteert Wood on 14/11/14. This was a quiet day in the area, and we have no further details of his death.
He has no known grave, but is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial.
William McKnight was from Drumhoney townland near Whitecross, not far from Lisadian.
Spend Xmas Day loading Hay for Horses in France at Belfast Docks.
From personal notes by John Adams
[YMCA paper]
[to Mrs J Adams, Lisadian]
7388 Lce Cpl T Davidson
Roy. Innis. Fusrs.
Caserne Traupel [Traupel Barracks]
Rouen
France
31.12.14
Dear Aunt
Just a few lines in answer to your kind and welcome letter, which I received alright and was pleased to see by it that youse are all enjoying good health. As for myself I am still enjoying the usual health and you know it has always been good, thank God for it. I am also pleased to hear of John getting home for a few days although it might be a while before he comes out here, and perhaps he may not have to come at all, but if he does I might see him somewhere. You might let me know what Regiment he belongs to and the date he expects to come out on.
I suppose he is the only one from about there that he knows, coming out. I am sorry to hear of W McKnight but as you say I must have been in the hospital for was talking to him the day before I got wounded and he was in good spirits and healthy. We were talking about you and all the people I knew around that way. I was asking him if he knew John and James. I will try and find out all about him although it will be difficult as those who were beside him might be away themselves. If you see them you might give them my heart-felt sympathy hoping they will soon get over their sad bereavement.
And as you say it was a dull Xmas. We will live with God’s help to enjoy a better one next year. I have not much more to say at present. Hoping this finds youse all in good health, I will close by bidding youse all good bye to I hear from you. Wishing youse all a prosperous New Year 1915.
From your ever loving nephew
T Davidson
[William McKnight was John Adams’s cousin, killed in 1914 – reference: History of Kingsmills Presbyterian Church. He is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial near Ypres.]
7388 L/Cpl T.H. Davidson was discharged from the 2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on termination of his engagement on 6 November 1915, at the age of 32.
Thomas H Davidson was Mary Adams’ nephew who grew up in Tullylish near Gilford, Co. Down. He enlisted in the 2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1902, serving in South Africa (1903), Egypt (1903-05), Crete (1907-08) and Malta (1908-09). He returned back to the UK in 1909, and was transferred to the Army Reserve.
On outbreak of war, he was mobilized at Omagh (the Inniskillings’ depot) on 6 August 1914, and sent to camp at Lough Swilly where he was posted to 3rd Battalion on 19th August. He disembarked in France with the 2nd Battalion as part of the B.E.F. on 27 August 1914 when he was appointed as L/Cpl. He was wounded in France on 7 November 1914. He remained in France until 31 October 1915.
Thomas Davidson joined the 2nd “Skins” the day after the Battle of Le Cateau when the battalion were fast retreating from the advancing Germans. The battalion were then involved in the Battles of the Marne, the Aisne and Messines 1914. In 1915 they were actively involved in the Battle of Festubert in May and the Battle of Loos in September. Davidson was likely to have been involved in most of these engagements.
He was posted back to the Depot on 1 November 1915 before being “discharged on termination of his first period of engagement” on 6 November 1915. He had served for 13 years.
Notes
Up until the introduction of conscription by the passing of the Military Service Act of 1916, a man who had served under a Regular or Territorial engagement and who reached the normal expiry of that engagement could and would be discharged from the army. This even applied to experienced men who were serving in the trenches at the time. The man was known as “time expired”. (thanks to the Long Long Trail for this information).