Letters From The Front

Newton and Earlestown Guardian
9th April 1915

Private Bert Abey writes home to his parents at Patterson street, as follows :-

"I have again been amongst shell fire; it was quite an exciting time for me. The Germans were shelling the town, and it being a lovely day, I was out in the yard in my shirt-sleeves, when one came whizzing over. It dropped near a church, sending bits of shell and dirt, flying all over the place, and a small piece of shell skimmed past my arm, just grazing it. It only just marked it, and didn't even fetch blood. I have got the piece. Several more shells came over, but I was nowhere near; I was well under cover.

"On Wednesday they were shelling the town again, and I was ordered to take some notes to our dressing station, which is on the way to the firing line. It is not safe to go anywhere near in the daytime, but I was ordered, so I had to go and trust to luck. So off I went on the bike, and when I got on the high road I put extra speed on, and got there all right. I had to come back by the same road, and I had a champion view of the firing line. I was on the hill, whilst the firing line lay in the valley, so that I could see both the German and our lines. I wasn't riding very fast at the time, and all at once two bullets whizzed past me. I must have been seen, and was being sniped at. So off I went as fast as I could go along that road-and the roads up there are all broken up by the shells-but I didn't care about the road, nor about the bike-all I wanted was to get round the corner. And I had no sooner got round than a shell dropped in the field about twenty yards away. That made me go all the faster, and though the sweat was pouring from me, I got back quite safely, and had a good laugh at the way I came down that hill."