Unidentified Birdwood connections
The writers to Birdwood in this blog do not appear to be Australians and are not easily identified. In some cases, it may be due to the difficulty in reading the hand writing. Please contact Charis May via PubandDig@awm.gov.au if you are able to assist with their identities.
Other blogs relating to Birdwood correspondence can be found here : Australian military Birdwood connections and Australian Birdwood connections
W Bax
This is possibly an officer with British forces. The letter was composed 12 January 1916 from the Grand Hotel Cannes and mentions Boyle and Probyn.
W Lawton
Lawton (or Lauton) appears to have served with the navy – most likely the Royal Navy. The printed letter head, HMS Lord Nelson, Flagship 2nd and 3rd Fleets, has been crossed out and HMS “Iliad” or “Iriad” has been written. As there was no ship with this name in the navy at that time, this may have been a nickname, especially as it in quotation marks. He was responding to a letter of congratulations from Birdwood on receiving a decoration.
Benjamin B Moore
There is very little to identify which Benjamin Moore this is. In each of his two letters he writes a middle name that starts with ‘B’, but is indecipherable. He is appears to be good friends with Birdwood family. The first letter was written to Birdwood in November 1916 from 31 rue de Valois in Paris. He talks about visiting London at the end of November to see Major O’Connor and to visit hospitals in London and up north. The second letter was written to Lady Birdwood October 1918 from 6 rue Foncault in Paris congratulating Birdwood on his achievements and his desire to see the family again.
C V L Paith
There is very little to identify this person other than he wrote to Birdwood in November 1916 from the Splendide Hotel in Marseille, France. While the writing is a little hard to read, Paith is the most likely surname.