This series of articles features postcards sent by Edgar Pedley, serving in the Signals Corps during World War One. The postcards were sent from both the theatre of war and from stations in England whilst training or on leave. They were sent home to his friend Arthur Storr and Arthur's wife, Fanny, with whom Edgar lived as a lodger.
Click each of the photographs below to read the articles.
I made a bit of a boo boo yesterday with my entry in the Edgar Pedley series. These two postcards featured here should have come first. So apologies to those of you following Edgar's time in the Signals Corps during World War One. This marks the last of my entries about Edgar unless Hayley Easthope, whose collection the postcards come from, can find any more.
I said in yesterday's entry that Edgar had had some leave at the end of the war, but it was obviously not for a while as these postcards prove that he was first sent into Germany as part of the occupying force. They were posted on the 19th January 1919 and postmarked by an anonymous Field Post Office, but both the postcards depict the German city of Köln or, as we would call it in English, Cologne. French actually - Cologne was what the French called it when it became part of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte.
Britain kept an occupying force in the city from the end of the war until 1926 and Edgar seems to have been a part of the British Army of the Rhine. I don't have his full message this time. He is once again writing home to his friends Arthur and Fanny Storr in Shropshire with whom he lodged. He sent the message in three parts, each on a separate postcard, numbering the parts in the corner. I have only parts two and three.
Edgar congratulates Arthur on his own homecoming. We know that Arthur had been wounded and he must have been demobilised from the army at the end of 1918. Edgar's own circumstances are telling on him a little as can be gleaned from the tone of his message.
2/ ...you've no idea what a treat it is to get such nice things to eat. Well Arthur I'm very pleased to hear that you are safely back at home, whatever does it feel like to be a free man again? I wonder how much...
3/ ...longer I have to do. I'm afraid now that I am in this quarter I shall be some time eh, what do you think? I'm more fed up now than ever I've been. Do you think troops in Germany will be released with the others(?) Well I suppose I must grin and bear it, but it's hard lines, one leave in 2 years isn't it? Well Cheerio Arthur, must close now, will let you have a letter soon. Hope you are all keeping quite well. Kindest Regards to all at 22 (the house number) Yours etc. Ped
Post Script
Alfred Edgar Pedley was born in 1892. As we have already seen due to my mistake with the order of these entries, he must have been sent home on leave temporarily sometime between January and April 1919 as the last postcard in my possession has him about to board ship in Folkestone on May 19, 1919 heading back to Germany.
The postcards have come from the collection of Hayley Easthope, a friend I met through a common interest in the singer Billy Fury. Fanny Storr was her great aunt, being the sister of Hayley's grandmother. Arthur Storr died in the early 1950s and at some point afterwards Edgar and Fanny were married together. Without any more information I'm not making any assumptions about this fact other than to point out the following:
In the 1950s a single man lodging with a single woman would be bound to cause gossip and a little scandal. The likelihood is that their marriage was one primarily of convenience to avoid scandal and to allow Edgar to carry on living at what he would obviously regard as home, but it was also a marriage between two people who had been long-standing friends. Yet in Edgar's postcards he addresses them to Arthur and Mrs Storr and never takes the liberty of using Fanny's given name.
Edgar would by then have been in his sixties. Being sixty in 1950 was not quite like being sixty in 2015. Life expectancy was not as long as it is now and in photographs of the time, people of middle age in the 1950s can look a lot older to our modern eyes. Edgar died in 1966 aged 74. He was one of those brave men who risked everything to keep their country safe and as such I salute him.
Rest In Peace, Edgar Pedley.
I mentioned that it was a while since we caught up with the exploits of Edgar Pedley who served in the Signals Corps through the First World War.
Edgar's missives home, or at least those that are still in existence because it's quite likely some were lost or went to other branches of the family, are few. From the time he left for war in 1916 there is a single postcard from 1916, one from 1917 and then right up to May 1918 which is the last we heard from him (in this entry published on the blog in November 2014).
Edgar survived the war and enjoyed a spot of leave from the Army back home in Shropshire where he lodged with Arthur and Fanny Storr. It is now the 19th of May 1919 and Edgar has been mobilised again as we can read in his postcard, posted from Folkestone.
Folkestone, Saturday.
Dear A & Mrs Storr
Arrived here 10:30am, beautiful day, sea front crowded, orchestra playing (what a nice send off!) Had to wait at Crewe last night from 7:15pm to 11:40pm, just what I'd expected, Expect to sail about 2:30 this afternoon. Cheerio
Date unknown: Edgar Pedley (right) enjoying a picnic with Fanny and Arthur Storr.
Regular readers may remember my series on this blog following the exploits of Edgar Pedley who served in the Signals Corps in World War One. We last heard from him way back in November 2014 when I featured a postcard that he sent back home to his friends Arthur and Mrs Storr, whom he lodged with.
There's a gap in his messages, or at least in the ones I have, but he will return as, whilst he survived the war, the army has not yet finished with him, and after a spot of leave he will be returning to mainland Europe.
In the meantime, here are a few postcards from the First World War that some other soldier brought back as souvenirs. These haven't been written on apart from some brief comments in pencil. I bought these from a stall in an antiques warehouse.
The first three are part of a French series, presumably a large one as this is number 304 in the series. It show the ruined church of Pervyse in Belgium where the Germans reached at the end of October 1914 at the close of the two-month long Battle of the Yser. The Belgians had put up a strong resistance and the land behind the German advance was deliberately flooded. Two sluiceworkers, Karel Cogge and Hendrik Geeraert became national heroes of Belgium for the part they played in the flooding. Once the Germans realised that water was rising behind them they withdrew south, leaving a sliver of unoccupied Belgium.
Written on the back of the postcard in faded pencil is the laconic comment: "This was once a decent church".
The gap left following the destruction of a group of houses at Pargny-sur-Saulx during the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. The Germans had been pushed back from the brink of initial success. After the Battle of Mons the British and French armies had retreated almost to Paris before the tide was turned and for the first time motorised units, in the form of 600 taxi cabs transported 5 soldiers each from Paris to the battle front. To comply with city regulations their meters were running and the French Treasury paid a total of 70,012 francs... The battle ended with both armies trying to push back the northern flank of their opponents, starting what is now called the "Race for the Sea" and effectively forming hundreds of miles of opposing armies and setting the scene for the ensuing trench warfare.
Written in pencil on the back of the postcard is: "Another decent mess (somebody's home)"
From the same battle, this postcard shows the village of Heiltz-le-Maurupt. The card is labelled "Boche Kulture - Magasin pillé et incendié" ("Hun Culture - a store pillaged and burned") Both Boche and Hun were terms for German. On the rear in pencil is written "Good work by Germhun artillery" (underlining as per the original writer's pencil work).
This postcard is from a different series, probably produced for sale to British soldiers as both the caption on the front and longer description on the rear are printed in english. On the front: "Arras. The Cathedral Interior, showing the Bishop's Throne." On the rear: "Arras. - The interior of the cathedral, renowned for the beauty of its architecture, now reduced to a heap of ruins by German artillery."
A short postcard from Private Edgar Pedley of the 59th Signal Corps. Stamped "Active Service" he writes back home to his landlady (Edgar was lodging with Arthur and Fanny Storr when he left for the war).
The postcard is a picture view of St Omer's church of St Denis, the martyr of Paris, who had his head chopped off in Montmarte, picked it up and walked six miles before dying, preaching all the way. He is (perhaps unsurprisingly) the patron saint of headaches...
Anyway, I digress. Edgar has made it through to May 1918 and writes perhaps a little hastily: "I am quite well, letter follows at first opportunity."
A. Edgar Pedley, proudly wearing his medal ribbons in later life. Postcard and photo from the Hayley Easthope Collection.
The last we heard from Edgar Pedley of the 59th Signal Corps, it was 1916 and he was about to leave for France.
It's now 18 March 1917. Edgar is on Active Service and the postcard he sends is simply postmarked "Field Post Office". A crimson stamp mark attests that his comments have been passed by the Field Censor.
The postcard is one of a French series "La Grand Guerre Européene" ("The Great European War") - even at this stage it was becoming known as "The Great War"... We don't know where the postcard was sent from - the postcard looks as though it once gave the location away, but this has been rubbed or scraped until the name has been obliterated so that if it came into the hands of the enemy they would not be able to tell where Allied troops were stationed.
The remaining caption reads: Intériur de la Sncrerie (sic) - Interior of the Sugar house
Either the U of "sucrerie" was placed upside down by mistake or every U had been lost to war damage and the N inserted as most people (French speakers at least...) would know what was meant. Edgar filled every available space on the back of the postcard yet without giving away any secrets - no mention of his unit or place names, or his rank. In a short sentence right at the top of the postcard he writes: "Read page 3, column 4 Mail Mar 17th" Obviously significant in some way, but I've not been able to find a copy to see. It's possible that this message could have been added later. I can't imagine that Edgar would have managed to read the paper from France only the day after it was published.
There is another postscript added towards the top of the card but in the order that I suspect Edgar wrote his card, he says:
Mar 18th 17
Just a pc to say still going on alright. Parcel not yet to hand, I wonder if somebody's doing it on me, they will have a good time but expect it will turn up eventually, will let you know on receipt. A pal and I have just come a cycle ride to a small village about 4 miles, a terrible place now, but nevertheless possesses a YMCA (in an old barn). Thank you for papers received last night, 17th. Kindest regards to all AEP.
The postscript at the top reads: Thanks for letters of Sunday just received, sorry to hear of Arthur's condition, shall be glad to hear how he's going on.
Postcard from the Hayley Easthope Collection.
Another of the postcards from the Hayley Easthope Collection today. A while ago I featured a postcard sent by her great-uncle, Edgar Pedley who served in the 59th Signal Corps in World War One. At the time he sent this postcard in 1916 he was about to set off on his way to France.
The postcard is one of the Daily Mail "Battle Pictures", of which some 20+ series were produced, each series having 8 views. This is No.8 of series 1 and shows a prisoner of war camp. The caption reads: "Thirsty German prisoners in their barbed wire cage".
On the back of the card the subject is expanded on thus: "The first desire of German prisoners brought to camp is to quench their thirst, and the picture shows how they rush to the water tanks."
Anyone wanting to object to the comma used before an "and" should contact the Daily Mail not me... In the first place before complaining you may want to check whether any of the editorial staff from 1916 are still there...
The stamp has been removed, taking with it the postmark so we can't be sure of the exact date. It was an early start for them. Either Edgar didn't have much time to write or the thoughts of what was to come perhaps made him a little reticent. He wrote: "Fovant Friday 5:30am. Just starting en route for France. Au revoir. A E Pedley"
Fovant is in Wiltshire to the west of Salisbury.
Met up with several friends at the Shrewsbury charity gig, but one in particular - Hayley Easthope - has given me lots of postcards in the past and presented me with a bunch of World War One era postcards as we got together. I'll show them over several articles as there are a few different subjects - a collection of views of Amiens, a comic postcard booklet collection about the Mannequin Pis in Brussels and a handful with messages from the War and just after.
I'll start with this one though. The original is very faded and I expect was taken by a local photographer and hastily produced due to the topicality of the subject matter. Unfortunately the stamp has been removed which robs the card of its dated postmark, but it was removed without enough time or water as the stamp has ripped and the fragment remaining is a green halfpenny stamp of King George V, whose reign began in 1910.
The postcard was written in pencil which has also faded badly, but by scanning it and playing about with tone, contrast and brightness I think I've managed to decipher the tiny writing - the sender managed to fit quite a sizeable message on his card. Plenty of value for a ha'penny which in today's money is just £0.0020833 - only just over a fifth of today's penny.
I suspect the writer was training in the army as "leave" is mentioned and quite possibly was on placement working on a farm from a comment about working hours. They signed with a bit of a squiggle which I'm afraid I can't make out.
The card reads:
This is one of the victims of our storm. Two old people were sitting at the table when this fell down but marvellously escaped. Am at this place now, a little village called Essendon about 4 miles from Hatfield. This is the very first chance I've had to write since last, they work in country from morn till night.
Very many thanks for parcel duly rec'd awfully sorry couldn't come last weekend they stopped leave on Sat morning owing to the telegraph breakdown. I don't know yet if I shall be able to come this weekend, will write letter as soon as possible. Kind regards...
By the time the photographer reached the scene to take his photograph the fallen tree has been chopped and sawn into several parts, but it is possible to get a good idea of the size of it and the damage it did to the house that it fell on. The old couple at their table had a lucky escape indeed!
Post Script: Hayley has messaged me to say - The sender was Edgar Pedley my dad's uncle. He served in the signals. (which explains why leave was cancelled due to the broken telegraph! - John) I have a photo of him in uniform.
