12/September 1914

 

Mr E. Smith, 28 Dolday, has 3 sons in the forces. Charles is in 5th Battalion Worcestershires and youngest son Ernest in the Territorial Battalion.

Eldest son Edward fighting in the 2nd Battalion. Edward, wounded and in hospital in Sheffield, wrote to his sister:

"We have had a very rough time of it in Belgium. We have seen plenty of life and shells.

"We have come under fire in a village just before Mons. We had orders to fix bayonets but not to fire as there were Germans in the village and we were to charge them.

"But our brigade came up and there was no one there. But on a ridge just beyond there was a great line of big guns.  So we built up some head cover and waited till dawn.

"Then they started. There were shells dropping all round us. The first wounded was a poor chap named Richardson.

"About a quarter of an hour after one of our chaps was standing against a wall, reading a message, when a shell hit the wall between his legs.

"Another chap had 10 bullets in him. We were lying there and could not see anything to fire at till they came closer and then we got our own back with interest."