To the Editor, Amman Valley Chronicle
Sir, — Kindly spare me a space in your most valuable paper, as I have been asked to write to the townspeople of Ammanford on behalf of the local boys who are still doing their bit somewhere in the war area.
So if you will kindly insert the following letter, I shall be greatly obliged.
I may say we are in receipt of several copies of your most valuable paper each mail, and the boys look eagerly forward to their arrival, in order to catch a glimpse of the news from home and surrounding districts. – I am, &c.,
R. O. AMOR. Sergt.
To the Townspeople of Ammanford.
I have been asked by the local boys on several occasions why it is they have received no comforts from their townspeople. My reply was I did not know, but I would write and ask for them. So I am writing on behalf of the boys who left Ammanford in August, 1914, in answer to their country’s call.
The reason why they ask this question is because every time a mail arrives from England, every Company in the Battalion, with the exception of ours, receives comforts from their townspeople. Thus Llanelly, Carmarthen, &c., and they cannot help noticing the occasion, because immediately the other companies receive comforts the news is soon spread, with the result that it gives local boys poor encouragement. I can assure you that they need every bit of encouragement under the circumstances they are at present.
I do not know whether any comforts have been sent out here or not, but to my knowledge we have not received anything since we left Ammanford. So I ask you one and all to do your utmost towards encouraging the boys, as they fully deserve every encouragement available.
I am pleased to say they are all enjoying the best of health, in spite of the intense heat which they are now experiencing, and all send their best wishes to their townspeople.
A speedy and successful victory is their wish. So trusting you will look into this matter, I now conclude. – Yours, &c.,
R. O. AMOR, Sergt.,
B Co., 1/4th Batt. Welsh Regt.,
E. E. Forces, Egypt.
5th October, 1916.
* * *
FROM THE FORGOTTEN LLANDILO BOYS.
To the Editor, Amman Valley Chronicle
Sir, — We, as Llandilo men, humbly beseech you to give us a little space in your valuable paper, which we look for anxiously each mail, and which is handed around to all the boys with much appreciation; and we will be greatly pleased to see the following put in your paper for publication.
We are a few of the Llandilo boys that are left at the present time in the 1/4th Welsh who have seen active service on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and who are still doing their bit, not in dodging the column and on home defence, getting weekend leaves every month, but on he deserts, digging trenches by day in over a hundred degrees of heat, and manning them by night, miles and miles away from civilisation.
Out of a big company leaving Llandilo on mobilisation there are not many left at present with this Battalion, and they have not had an hour’s leave since crossing the seas. We would like to thank the Council and inhabitants of Llandilo for the great kindness they have shewn to the men who are representing the town in this great war.
We beg to remind you that we volunteered for active service, not being compelled like most of the men who get the praise when they are home from Hearston.
We are very sorry to read in the Amman Valley Chronicle of the bad reception given to the wounded and sick men back from Suvla Bay, and the different reception given to men back from France at the same time. We don’t begrudge the reception shewn to them, but why not treat all alike?
The people should not forget that we had to force a landing on Suvla Bay, not walk into the trenches. But it seems to us that you have quite forgotten that we are out here, where we cannot buy even a cigarette, only depend upon the Army issue, which is not near sufficient to keep us from one issue to another.
It’s hard lines to see other towns doing their bit for their boys that are out here, by sending boxes of different things to them regularly; and we wish the Council and inhabitants to remember that practically all of us have been wounded, but were not fortunate enough to be sent home.
We will now close, owing to the shortage of writing material, and our last fag, which we all had a whiff from is just finished.
YOUR UNFORTUNATE LADS.
[Private J. M. Evans. Private A. Griffiths, Private D. R. Lewis, and others].
