Betty Johnson of London to Hugh Walter Dickson in Rosemont Kansas 1917

15 Birley Rd
Whetstone Middlsex, No. 20
Nov. 29, 1917

My Dear Uncle Walter,

I am sorry I have been so long in answering your very welcome and interesting letter First of all Jack returned to Canada on the 25th or August this year to be discharged owing to wounds. He has had four wounds, been passed. The last time wounded was in the capture of Courcelette and advancing when a German jumped out of a shed hole and shot him at close range through the right shoulder and fractured the shoulder blade. He was in the hospital nearly a year and cannot lift the right arm from the shoulder. The wound wouldn't heal. He brought the Hun's helmet home that shot him which I have here with many other trophies.The matron of the hospital where he stayed asked me if I had heard about his triumphal entry into Shrewsbury when wounded and I said, "No, I hadn't." Apparently he was perched on the top of a Red Cross car wearing the helmet and looking very dilapidated when everyone cheered him. Large numbers of people meet the Red Cross trains and welcome the men in many ways. A French custom seen every day at Charing Cross now is to pelt flowers into the cars at the men. It is very impressive and pathetic.

Jack is in Montreal. He spoke of coming down to see you and of taking trip to New York, but he will wire you before he comes. His chum killed the German and his hat was the only thing Jack said was worth saving. This was about the time of the Somme attack and Jack was in the Hospital in France at Rouen. At that time Alice's husband "Jack Thacker" had to take draft of men from England to Rouen, and as he had several hours to spare before returning he sat on a seat outside the General Hospital here little dreaming Jack was inside.

About 14 days before Jack was wounded I had a field card from Bert saying, "I am wounded and in the Hospital." I felt thankful one of them was out of it as I had been worrying very much. The Somme push was just starting. About three hours later I received the following wire: "On His Majesty's Service." "Regret to inform you A. V. Dickson 10222 is seriously wounded at 22 General Hospital Commiers France. He may be visited and should you be unable to bear expenses you will be sent out at public expense. Wire whether you wish to go and whether able to bear expense or not at once." I received my passports and papers within 24 hours and about eight hours afterward was by his bed. I went on a troop ship. We were sending 3,000 men a day at that time and I had a Y.M.C.A. car to meet at Boulogue (an ordinary passport takes 3 days). He had been shot through the head by a sniper and was blind. The bullet passed under the shrapnel proof helmet in behind his ear and out at the temple. He was shot from behind while stooping to pick up his rifle, being very tall his head was above the trench. He was in an American hospital, the whole staff was from New York and they were all extremely nice and kind to me. I stayed in a Y.M.C.A. Hut behind the lines and close to the hospital for 8 days when I returned home. His temperature caused the greatest anxiety. A second operation performed while I was there and at which 14 surgeons were present, removed some pressure from the brain and restored his sight. He has recovered; however, but is deaf in one ear has attacks of giddiness. He is acting instructor at a military school now in the north of England. Since I was in France this hospital has been bombarded by enemy aircraft, and some of the staff killed.

My husband was in the battle of the Somme and did not get wounded. He held a wood with the remnants of 4 regiments for 48 hours and until reinforcements came for which he was afterward mentioned in Dispatches by Sir Douglas Haig in the New Year Honors. He has a much safer post now and it is in the Royal Engineers. He was transferred owing to ill health, but has entirely recovered now. He has met a number of the American staff and likes them immensely. He had a terrible tale to tell of his experiences in the Somme attack. He was a Town Major for a short time at Amines. A sort of Lard mayor but military representative and is responsible for the town. He nearly went quite crazy and said he would rather be a "town crier." Every complaint is made to the Town Major. If the military want 3,000 bullets at five minutes notice, if the dustbins are not emptied, if soldiers have misbehaved in billets or stolen a chicken, they all come to the poor Town Major. Charlie is in Egypt and has had injuries three times, he has just returned to his unit fit again and the last time was only back 8 weeks before being taken ill again. Alice's husband is in the Royal Garrison Artillery and is in France. Being a heavy gun he is about eight miles behind the front lines. He is Captain (acting Major) and said when he was home a few weeks ago that in September alone he sent 600 tons of shells over the Hun lines. I'd like to write 2 pages on how I hate Germans but the paper is too precious.

The food question here is very serious and people are eating anything on bread. Alice has just written she hasn't been able to get any butter for three weeks. I have been for weeks without sugar sometimes. I did get one-fourth pound of butter yesterday but do not know when I shall get any more. Also I believe the country is being skinned of cattle to feed the armies; so I do not know where we should be if it wasn't for America's help. I usually see my husband twice a year and he was home last, two months ago. I hadn't seen him then for seven months. We had an air raid nearly every night whilst he was home and he said it was worse here than behind the lines in France. After about five nights of little sleep the children were all looking worn out. I know when the guns close to me are firing, enemy air craft is pretty near. It isn't until these guns fire that Newton wakes up, generally I sit in the safest corner of the house in a corner where middle walls meet. Open stairways and near glass or doorways are very unsafe. I listen for the nearer guns to fire; and can tell if the firing gets nearer, which course they are taking. I can tell if they are driven off, because the guns gradually die away. When they are close I can hear the engines overhead and the perpetual firing makes a dreadful noise. The shells screech as they pass over the house mingled with a noise like rattling stones on corrugated iron which really is the small pieces of shrapnel rattling down the roof. The warnings have made an immense improvement as every one with common sense takes cover. I was out in the west end once when a warning as given, and I sheltered in a theater I was passing as the first gun fired. Since we have decided taking reprisal it has been much better in fact we have only had the once which were brought down by the French. The bombs have nearly all been dropped in poor quarters where I believe the panic is great partly owing to the large number of aliens. We had a day raid once when the boys at Newton's school were placed in the basement. It was only a tiny preparatory school, but one boy fainted and another was taken ill.

The shoulder strap is of a German of 111 regiment removed after he was killed in the Somme. I have a number of different regiments, --- regimental, l always marked --- the shoulder. I wonder if you will be kind enough to allow cousin Bertha to read my letter I owe her one; and am very sorry I have not answered but hope she will forgive me. It will save me writing two long letters. I work very hard and get little time for letter writing. This is about the 6th letter I have started to you. I spent Christmas with Alice, we shall both be alone. I only wish now that some of our boys had joined the navy instead. I hope Walter meets Jack in America. Newton is simply mad to join the navy. He wants to go to Osborne but my husband thinks it is no career for a man as the pay is so bad. I will send some snapshots a little later. I have some recent ones but none printed.

With much love. Believe me.
Yours very affectionately,
Betty Johnson 

Original Letter and more at Past Voices

J. H. Emory 1877

A letter written by a young man named J. H. Emory who traveled to Britain to apply for a position of Tutor with one of Britain’s Royals, Princess Helena.

The letter is a lengthy 12-pages and is dated June 5, 1877 which constitutes three 9" x 7" sheets folded.

The letter does not identify the Duchess by name. However, although I'm not positive, I believe the letter is referring to Princess Helena (known also as "Lenchen"), daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The letter gives a physical description of the Duchess—and I believe it is, Helena, to which the writer is referring. In any event, the letter is an interesting, and fascinating description of a young man’s first visit with Victorian era Royalty.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's fifth child and third daughter, was born on May 25, 1846 at Buckingham Palace, one day after Queen Victoria’s 27th birthday. She was named Helena, but for all her life she would be called Lenchen. Helena grew up as a shineless, dutiful and reserved girl. She had a tendency towards fat (which was severely criticized by Queen Victoria although she herself was fat) and was a bit of a tomboy, showing abilities for the less feminine activities like swimming or racing. As Helena grew into womanhood, Queen Victoria began to worry about her future.

Helena’s rather full-figure was compensated by wavy brown hair, a little straight nose and lovely amber eyes. She played the piano, had a distinct gift for drawing and painting in watercolors and had a clear, though not strong soprano voice. She was loyal to her friends. In 1866, Duchess Helena paid a visit to Germany with the Queen. There Helena met for the first time the man who would be her husband, Prince Christian of Schleswig Holstein Sonderburg Augustenburg.

Princess Helena married the Prince and together they had two sons, Christian Victor and Albert, and two daughters, Helena Victoria, and Marie Louise.

THE LETTER

"Kensington—June 5, 1877

My Dearest Mother—

I am sure you will be anxious to hear about my interview with the Duchess. I was told to be at Mr. Bullock’s at 4:45 yesterday afternoon. And I was very glad to get a cup of tea then, and to cool a little for it was a humid day. I also wanted to learn how to address the Duchess and how to comport myself in her presence. Mr. Bullock told me that I must call her ‘Your Royal Highness’ or ‘Madame’. I was not to sit in her presence without invitation. I was not to offer any remark or start any subject without being addressed.

I found that saved me the difficulty of taking a prominent part in the proceedings. When we got to the ‘Teck’ apartments, we found the Duchess was out, so we were shown into the Council Room. Here was a large print of Queen Victoria holding her first council…and we were in the very room in which it happened. Probably such an important ceremony has not taken place since.

There were large windows opening into the gardens and here we saw some of the children playing. We went out and I was introduced to one of the three governesses and the younger boy who is only 7, though he looks 10, and the little Princess who is the eldest. I think she is 10. In a few minutes the footman came out to say that the Duchess had returned. She is a ponderous woman with light wavy hair and a pleasant, good-humored expression. In spite of her enormous fat, she was full of life and activity. She shook hands with Mr. Bullock and bowed to me and motioned us each to a chair. She began at once by saying she believed Mr. Bullock had explained to me what was required, but that she understood that I could not give quite so much as three afternoons in the week. I then explained that I could be at liberty, thanks to Ackland’s kindness. On Monday’s at 3, on Wednesdays at 4, and on Saturdays at 3. This she seemed to think would do.

She asked me if my father was a clergyman. She asked about the school, and how long I had been there and how many masters and how many boys there were. She told me that she wished her boys to begin Latin and to read aloud, and I was to take them in these and any other subjects, I thought fit. She thought it desirable that they should work from 3 to 3 to 5 with me and then I was to play or walk with them for a couple of hours and have tea, leaving at 7.
Then she told me a good deal about them—that the eldest had been very ill during the Winter and therefore he was not to be pressed, and the younger was rather the sharpest of the two and she gave me a long anecdote about this recollecting the circumstances of the madness of Charles VI.

All this conversation she conducted with a good deal of Royal dignity, but with a great deal of life and a little action. I sat with my hat on my knees trying to make up little speeches with ‘your royal highness’ in them, but I never got the chance. She ended by deciding that I was to come unless I heard to the contrary, on Monday next.

When we got up, I found that I had to get out of the room without turning my back, as I had secreted my umbrella behind the door and wished to regain possession of it, I was much exercised in this operation. We had not mentioned a word about terms, but when I got back to Bullock’s he told me that he thought Ackland’s suggestion of 3 guineas a week would not be thought too much.

Everything else I suppose I may considered settled….closing….
Your very loving son, J. H. Emory.