A collection of WWI letters from '50362 Private William Hook...

Estimate

£80 - £120

A collection of WWI letters from '50362 Private William Hooker, 11th Btn. Royal Fusiliers' to a Miss E Gill, Seaton, Devon, dating between September 1917 to March 1917: together with three WWI commemorative mugs. An interesting personal account of the First Word War in which conditions in the trenches are referred to, in particular the problems with rats and insects. On the 17th February 1917 Private Hooker was wounded during an offensive in a region described as 'Desire Ravine'. In a letter written from a Hospital in Northamptonshire dated march 1917 Hooker recalls the event. ' On Feb 15 we had orders to go over the top on the 17th so naturally I was rather excited about it, in fact everyone was dear. Well the time came and we started from our dug outs at 2.30am to get into position. The mud was terrible as a sudden thaw set in the previous day. We could only go over the duck boards very slowly. We went down 'Desire Ravine' and could see in front that Fritz sending up his SOS signal, that is lights sent up so his artillery will put up a barrage. We got down the ravine alright and then had to go up a narrow gully. as bad luck would have it, Fritz somehow or other knew we were going over & we had to go through the barrage to get into position. You have no idea what that means. That was where we came to grief. there were 18 in our platoon before the shell burst. Afterwards there were two that were alright, some killed & some wounded. I was blown in the air & knocked against the gull. That was all I remembered...' Note - This action may possibly have been the First Phase of the Battle of Vimy Ridge before the Battle of Arras, April 1917.