Letters from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his family, March - December 1916

Letters relating to the First World War service of Lieutenant Charles Edwin Gatliff, 13th Field Artillery Brigade, 5 March - 31 December 1916.

This file contains letters written by Gatliff to family members during the period 5 March - 31 December 1916. Gatliff details his duties and experiences on observation posts, gun pits and wagon lines as a battery captain, forward observation officer, mail censor and in a role managing stores and equipment. His writes about the prevalence of the mumps, Camel Corps, Russian invasion of Armenia, the beauty of the French countryside and deserted villages. He refers to successful raids, casualties in his unit, attending artillery school, recreational activities including tennis and Pierrot troupes, cold weather, snow and frozen mud, and landscapes pitted with shell craters.

Gatliff also outlines his experiences behind the lines in French villages including pet cats and living "pretty well" with farmhouse eggs and good food. In this broader context he writes about subjects as diverse as French farming methods, court martial processes and German equipment and strategy. Many letters carry news of his brothers Frank [Frank Edward Gatliff] and Hal [Vivian Harold Gatliff] including a birthday dinner for the former "right in the firing line". The last letter describes Christmas rations and recounts several incidents involving an officer being pulled out of a muddy shell hole with ropes, and a rider, blown off his horse, landing on his feet unhurt and running away.

This file contains:

Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, No. 4 Auxiliary Hospital, Abbassia, Egypt, 5 March 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 9 July 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 19 July 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 20-21 July 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his mother and father, France, 24 July 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 10 August 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 23 August 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 26 August 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 28 August 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 4 September 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 8 September 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 10 September 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 12 September 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 13 October 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 19 October 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Armentieres], France, 23 October 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Armentieres], France, 26 October 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Armentieres], France, 28 October 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Armentieres], France, 5 November 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Montauban], France, 20 November 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Montauban], France, 24 November 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 27 November 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 30 November 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, Naours, France, 3 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 5 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 8 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 10 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 13 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to Jack [brother John Lionel Gatliff], France, 16 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, [Naours], France, 20 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 27 December 1916;
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 28 December 1916; and
Letter from Charles Edwin Gatliff to his father and mother, France, 31 December 1916.