On this day in 1918 - Fascinating Collection of World War One Letters donated to Cheney's Rumble Museum
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Article / Posted on 21 Nov 2024
Cheney's Rumble Museum is excited to have received a large, well-preserved collection of World War One letters and other documents. The letters are all addressed to a Miss Mackintosh, who helped run a scheme sending food parcels to British prisoners in Germany from low income families. Some letters are from the prisoners themselves thanking her, and others from their parents. They have lots of interesting and very moving details.
The donation also included detailed lists of what was in the parcels, a recipe, a piece of music for a 'War Prayer', and a couple of photographs of soldiers.
Our Sixth Formers are currently helping to scan all the contents and we're looking forward to using these fascinating primary sources in lessons.
See the letter below, from this day in November 1918 referring to the 'good news' of the captives coming home, the writer of the letter not having seen one of their two sons in four years as they were both enlisted at the start of the war in 1914. The writer then goes on to apologise for their hand writing because they are writing the letter in bed, with seven out of nine in the house suffering with influenza. Indeed a good reminder 106 years later to not forget the flu vaccine which students will be having on Monday and Tuesday next week!
To read the letter in order, start at the right hand side of the first letter image, then left hand side of the second image, then the right, then the left of the first letter and finally page 5 at the end.
