The Last Battle: Letters May 1916 to Dec 1917
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About this ebook
This fifth volume of Letters by John Seymour Lindsay takes us from the end of May 1916 to December 1917. From Bienvilliers to the presentation of his Distinguished Conduct Medal and Commission in the field, to the hell of the Battle of Gommecourt, hospitalisation, further training, heavy shelling resulting in his injury at Leuze Wood and final recuperation at Osborne House, Isle of Wight.
Paul Middleton
Retired now, but worked in publishing for 30 years at Reader's Digest and Times Books. Call myself an Independent Publishing Professional interested in social history and our extensive family archives. Have co-published 3 books on Bedford and currently working on family projects on First World War and 20th century art of a grandfather. Lucky to live in a sub-tropical valley in southern Spain.
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The Last Battle - Paul Middleton
The Last Battle - Letters May 1916 to Dec 1917
Paul Middleton
Published by Paul Middleton at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Paul Middleton
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All images in this book are Copyright Philippa Middleton and are part of the Lindsay Family Archive.
Facts about this book
This copy of The Last Battle - Letters May 1916 to Dec 1917
contains 62 letters.
(Note: some electronic versions of this book indicate a small number of pages - this is because pages with images are not counted!)
Lt John Seymour Lindsay DCM London Rifle Brigade.
Foreword
John Seymour Lindsay DCM (JSL) left a fine record for us to read. He wrote hundreds of letters to Mildred his fiancée then wife, and Frank his brother, describing his experiences and feelings, sometimes candidly but more often hiding the reality. I have shown every letter with a full transcription.
This Fifth Volume of Letters takes us from the end of May 1916 to December 1917, from Bienvilliers to the presentation of JSL's DCM and Commission in the field, the hell of the Battle of Gommecourt, hospitalisation, injury at Leuze Wood and final recuperation at Osborne House.
The letters passed through the military Censor so it takes us some time to decipher where he actually was, but in hindsight and with some important clues it is possible to trace his career. He experienced devastating losses of his friends, he showed great bravery and privation, but above all what shines through is his enduring love of art. Maybe this saved his sanity. Among the platitudes of comments on the weather and his physical state, his letters continually refer to his sketching of colleagues, the trenches and the nearby villages.
Read his entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, which can be found at the end of this book. Here you will be convinced that he was a true hero and polymath.
Paul Middleton 2013
Chronology
FIRST WORLD WAR
Sept 1914 Private No.1006 5th London Rifle Brigade 2nd Battalion
16 Dec 1914 Served in France Theatre of War
Jan 1915 to Jul 16 1915 1st Battalion
12 Mar 1915 No.3 General Hospital, Le Treport.
12 Mar 1915 Transferred to Convalescent Depot
May 1915 Second Battle of Ypres
26 May 1915 Transferred to Base Depot Rouen
16 Jun 1915 Licence granted and married Mildred Ethel Williams (died 1948)
at Holy Cross, St Pancras, London
Aug to Nov 1915 Cassel, Caestre and Poperinghe
11 Mar 1916 DCM awarded to L/Cpl John Seymour Lindsay for action on 3 May 1915
July 1916 Battle of Gommecourt
19 Jul 1916 Sgt gazetted with direct commission as 2nd Lieut at Bienvillers
Sept 1916 wounded and invalided home and then served with 3rd Battalion