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Description: Huntington Church, Kington

Description: Mill Street, Kington

Description: Shobdon Court near Leominster

Description: War time letters from Col Bridgford to his family Col. James Bridgford, his wife Mary and their daughter Geraldine lived at Stansbatch house in Staunton on Arrow, Herefordshire. The documents digitised and transcribed here are a handful of the letters that Colonel Bridgford wrote during his time as an officer in France during WW1 to his daughter. These affectionate letters to Gerry/Gin often describe terrible events and conditions but also cover domestic topics such as socks sent to the front lines and the hunting which he and Gerry enjoyed when at home together. Included are a couple of letters written during the Boer war from Bridgford to his mother which give a fascinating insight into the experience on the ground of the siege at Ladysmith 1900-1901. These letters were left in the cellar of the house at Staunton on Arrow on his death in 1955. The entire collection including Boer war era army memo books can be viewed at Herefordshire Archives and Records Centre (Ref. DK86).

Description: My darling little Gin, I must tell you all about my first visit to the trenches. It really was very interesting, but the trenches were very bad where we were. You have to get into them by night as you cannot get into them by day without being shot at. They keep up continual sniping all night. Every now and then they send up star shell sort of thing which lights up all around and you have to crouch down out of sight until it goes out. It only keeps alight about a minute. The place I was in, they threw a few hand grenades into the German trenches which were quite close. Both sides went on shelling each other all day, and our gunners got some very good ones into the German trenches. We kept telling them on the telephone when the shells were going until they got it quite right. They got one cottage when a German was sniping and smashed it all to pieces, Mr. Sniper and all.

Description: Before I forget, you need not believe a word that you read in the Daily Mail; we get it out here & there is no truth in any of their statements about this part. I am afraid I cannot put quite what I mean. All around the trenches where I was, dead Frenchmen were lying in every direction, and the men keep digging them out of the trenches. They are quite all right, some look as if they were asleep. They have been there 2 months, but the wet has preserved them. A patrol found a room in one house close to a lot of Frenchmen, all dead, some sitting in chairs, some lying on the floor & some kneeling down. I suppose they had been asphixiated by a shell. They also found several bundles of Germans tied up in bundles of fours heads to tails. I expect they had been getting them ready to be cremated. They had fires in buckets all along the trenches and needed them badly. The Jack Johnsons make a huge hole – about half as big as the pond at Frid in the garden. One fell in a neighbouring trench, but did no harm. I forgot to tell you Williams is back and looking very well. A Happy New Year to you little Ginny Cracknut. I was quite forgetting about it. I wish you could have been here for your Christmas dinner. You would have enjoyed it. I must try 2 learn a little French again. I have forgotten such a lot of the words but I get on slowly. They are very good while the little Jack is waiting to try and get the word & they never laugh. I wish they would. One of our men found a Ghurka, hiding in a haystack this morning. He was evidently a deserter, but he never brought him in. Now I must stop darling little Gin. Lots & heaps of love from your ever loving little Jack

Description: I have a spy place in a farm at present when I can see both ours and the German trenches. A hand grenade is a kind of bomb on a stick that you throw into the enemy’s trench if you can. At the present moment we are resting about 10 miles back & I am living in a nice French house with my Head Quarters. We shall move on tomorrow though, so we don’t get much rest. A Happy New Year to you, little Ginny Cracknut. I think I have done it already though. Thanks so much for the socks darling little Gin. I got them this morning in time to put them on & they are awfully comfortable. When I met the General yesterday he said we had done very well. This Light Brigade is a very good one. These nice thick socks are most useful, always. I forgot to tell you the night before last, when we were coming away from the trenches, it was a very dark night & raining hard & so awfully muddy. The poor little Jack fell into a Jack Johnson hole and was swimming about like a hog. It was so beastly & cold & I had such a wretched night after it. Got a bad cold. Going to bed very early to try & get rid of it before tomorrow. Goodbye now darling little Gin. Lots & heaps of love from your ever loving little Jack. I think my cob which is a black one will make quite a good hunter.

Description: What do you think little Gin, this poor little Jack has been out hunting. We had just finished a long march & I thought I heard the hounds & when I got to my billet they were running close by. The little Jack took off his revolver & everything else & went for a hunt. They were only beagles & belonged to a Cavalry Regiment but it was rather nice having hounds again although it was not very fast. We have had such a dreadful time lately. I have lost about 200 at least out of my lovely Regiment in the last few days. A few from shells but mainly all and feet and worn out. We have had an awfully trying time. A Colonel’s job in the trenches is very tedious. He does not stay in the trench for as you say he could on see a few. He is generally in a farm or ruin of a farm or a dug out, behind the Battalion where he generally gets well shelled. It is a central place where he can see them all, and arrange for something to be done if anything goes wrong & can send back and let the General know. Then he has to go paddling about the trenches at night & seeing what can be done or improvements made etc.

Description: I am going to write and ask Corke about hunting during your holidays. You see the meets will be late now & I think you might be able to manage it somehow. Your last letter was a lovely long one little Gin. Please thank them all for drinking my health. It was very good of them to think of it. You might tell Mr. Hewitt I particularly applied for Chas Bailey to come to us, but the Senior Chaplain would not allow it. However I had a letter from him this morning and he is trying to get over to see us. I was in the trenches little Gin for my birthday, it was rather a shame. I think it would be much more useful if people would give lectures on Jorrocks than on Martin Chuzzlewit for such a lot of people are so hopelessly ignorant about it.

Description: My darling little Gin, Ever so many thanks for your lovely present, they have arrived after all, but parcels get so mixed up here I never [??] the good little Gin’s socks. They are just exactly right and most comfortable. I am delighted with them, as they are so useful. You never saw anything like this poor little Jack’s feet, they are simply black stained with mud and die [sic] of the inside of my boots. Jack eaten too much, felt a little bit sick yesterday, but eat some more and felt better again afterwards. I am glad you saw the King and his bunch. I suppose that lot will be coming over before long now & we shall be very glad to see them.

Description: I had my valise put down there & it did look so comfortable & quiet after the trenches. I got to bed about 3 this morning I think. We always have to come out of the trenches after dark & go into them after dark. You cannot move by day. I am very glad to hear they have got [Bay??] back again. I don’t think they can do very well without her. Now little darling little Ginny Cracknut I must stop. I am sending this to Frid. Remember me to all the Kings & Gordon & Rena. Is Gordon coming into the Regiment now. Lots and heaps of love from your ever loving little Jack.

Description: My darling little Gin, I must try and write a few words to you now. We have just come out of the trenches again. The German snipers are very bad. We got one beautifully. He was up a tree sniping & one of Mr. Skinner’s men got him. He came tumbling down all arms & legs just like a great rook I believe. I am glad my Xmas present from Princess Mary arrived all right & I am glad you liked the photo. I wish they were all in it, some of them were away.

Description: The German guns & ours have been very busy the last few days. The noise never ceases. I think I get all your letters little Gin and do so enjoy getting them. I must try and write to Mother this time. I am sitting with my boots off resting in a very clean cottage & writing to you. We shall have a long march tonight in the dark. These nights are awfully dark too. I shall be very sleepy tonight. We slept in the loft of this cottage last night. 6 of us.

Description: I do hope you will see [Sickie??] and Mrs. [Sickie??]. I wish I was at Frid with you and going to have a hunt tomorrow. The trenches are so wet and soggy little Gin that everything gets lost in them. The men can hardly move when they come out. One officer a gunner has disappeared and 2 or 3 men. They go down and die of exhaustion when they get them out. They get absolutely lost some of them in the dark and get left behind.

Description: On the top of that about a foot of earth and then grass again on the top so no one could discern it from an aeroplane or anything of that sort. The opening came out of the bank. It is ever so much better than this poor Jack’s one. We were just finishing ours when the entrance all fell in, the roof was too heavy and we had to build it up again. The worst of it was we found out when we were making the entrance that we had made it over an old farm drain & the stink was horrible, but it has worn off a good bit now. I have not been able to get any good photos lately. I think the Doctor took a lot the other day, but I don’t think any of them have been developed yet. I have found some awfully good things to eat lately, tinned mackerel. It is simply splendid. We take it down to the trenches now. Now I think I must go out for a stroll before lunch to try & get an appetite. I did not get out of my flea bag until about 10 o’clock this morning. I will write to Corke though first before I forget it. Lots & heaps of love, darling little Gin from your ever loving little Jack.

Description: We shall win in the end all right, but it will be a hard struggle and if it ends soon, it will be our politicians who stop it without our getting all we have been fighting for. I would be very happy if it was over and so should we all, but that would not do at all. I hear you have got a bad cold again. I am very sorry. I hope it is better by now. I don’t want this Gin to have its nose cut off. We had early Church last Sunday in a green house. It was Easter Sunday & the Chaplain was very busy. I wonder if you have got the book yet. I do hope it will arrive all right. I suppose you will be at Hereford by the time you get this. I believe your holidays begin on the 9th so I must direct this to Hereford. I am really getting on with my French now & can do a certain amount of talking & can get on quite well in a way. I have just seen Captain Thornycroft. Do you remember a big man that used to come out hunting with the North Shropshire Hounds? Now I must stop little Ginny Cracknut. Lots & heaps & heaps & lots of love from your loving little Jack.

Description: The curious thing about this, I think is, that everyone has got to look so much older. Such a lot of senior officers are going so grey, almost white. Our present General a year or two ago had black hair I believe. I used to see him at Shrewsbury. He was only a Major then. I saw him without a cap yesterday and he has got as grey as can be – almost white. The interpreter has just come in to go for a walk with me to talk French for a bit. I am afraid my French is going off again now. I have not been able to get time to do any lately and I don’t get a chance to speak it down at the trenches. I wish they would give us all a few days leave. It is really about time we got some I think. Now little Ginny Cracknut I must stop. Lots & heaps of love my darling little Gin from your ever loving little Jack.

Description: The German Emperor is not mad at all, he has done magnificently for Germany, and I don’t see why one should call a man mad for that. Of course they do anything that is beastly, but they want to win and will stick at nothing. That makes it all the harder for us. They are awful swines and hate us but they are doing very well for their country and the German Emperor is doing his best. If only England was left more to the King & not so much in the hands of their filthy politicians we should have had an army worth having instead of having to try and make one at the last moment like this. They have been preparing for 40 years and we have been preparing for 8 months. All because our politicians lied like fiends in order to get votes and keep themselves in power. The King being a sailor of course knew all about it, but our King has so little power, he ought to have more.