Transcript of letters from Arthur Thomas to his family, 1915-1918

Thomas, Arthur G (Corporal, 6th Bn d.1918)

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Places	Africa: Egypt, Cairo Africa: Egypt, Suez Canal Europe: France Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Bapaume Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Delville Wood Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Pozieres Area, Mouquet Farm
Accession Number	RCDIG0001095
Collection number	3DRL/2206
Collection type	Digitised Collection
Record type	File
Item count	1
Object type	Letter, Typescript
Physical description	138 Image/s captured
Maker	Thomas, Arthur G
Place made	At sea, Belgium, Egypt, France, United Kingdom: England, Western Front
Date made	1915-1918
Conflict	First World War, 1914-1918

Description

Letters relating to the First World War service of 3470 Corporal Arthur Thomas, 6th Battalion. These letters, written between 15 October 1915 and 7 June 1918, were transcribed into one document by the family of Thomas. In these letters Thomas covers: embarkation day including what he called the therapeutic effects of a good troopship voyage; his experiences in Egypt which originally involved extensive trench digging; his transferal to France in March 1916; receiving letters from his family at home; his attempts to dissuade his brother George from enlisting; his love for his dog Scotty; detailed accounts of the fighting in and around Pozieres in July/August 1916; the conditions around Bapaume and Flers, in the constant rain and cold of the winter; the incident which he managed to intercept an Australian patrol who was lost in the night and were retiring towards the German trenches by mistake; his time in England in June 1917 to train Australian reinforcements; his return to France in 1918 to discover how much of his battery had been killed during in Ypres in 1917; his reluctance to fighting on the front line. These letter outline his initial positive thinking to his disillusion with the war which stems from the large scale losses of infantrymen.

Thomas' last letter details his excitement about his upcoming leave to see his family but he was killed by an artillery shell near Strazeele the next day.