Category: Liverpool

WW1 Letters Home - Feb 26, 1917

3/13/2022

Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Advertisement in Brassey's Naval Annual 1915

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 30 yrs old
Dated:  Feb 26 (1917)
Mailed from: HMS Bacchante
Attached to: HMS Bacchante
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Addressed to:  Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument:  Pencil
Writing Paper: 1 sheet 9" x 6" medium weight, smooth, linen-look, folded into 3 page booklet form, with the inside page written across and then down the length like foolscap. The pages are not numbered.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper, 27 yrs old, Noah's wife of 6 yrs
Percy - Percy Roy Draper*, 33 yrs old, Noah's brother, lives in Sask
Ethel - Ethel Maud Draper Rigler*, 36 yrs old, Noah's sister, lives in Sask
George - George Draper*, 37, yrs old, cousin, lives near Battleford, Sask

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
dry dock** See History Note 2
Chatham - city of Noah's previous posting while attached to HMS Pembroke
Liverpool - maritime city in northwest England across from HMS Bacchante
Regina - capital of Saskatchewan, 10 miles west of Noah's farm

Word or Phrase Use:
snapshot - photograph

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below

16 Mess Feb. 26
H.M.S. Bacchante
G.P.O. London, Eng.

Mrs. N.C Draper
Keswick, Ont.
Dear Ethel:-
Well we are in dry dock
and may be here some
time but will be glad
to get to sea altho I
will likely be sea
sick again. HaHa.
Well Ethel I hope you
are all as well as this
leaves me at present
never felt better in
my life. have not
had any mail

since I left Chatham but am
expecting it every day and
looking for the box. HaHa.
Say I think we have a
very fine Captain he said
Sunday morning at prayers
that he did not want any
man to work under him
on Sunday only what was
absolutely necessary.
I was over to Liverpool last
night and had my Photo
taken am to get them tomorrow
night am sending one in
this letter I had taken in
Chatham. it looks like
H--l eh what? have not
received them snapshots
yet. have you sent them
and when.
Well I guess I will get out
tomorrow night to post this.
have not heard anymore

about our leave so dont
know wheather we will
get it or not.
I have not heard from
Percy or Ethel yet so will
have mail from them
soon I expect suppose
George will soon be
going home that would
be a good chance for
you to go if you are
thinking of going. &
if I get to Canada I will
try to get leave & get
out to Regina & see them
all. Well I guess I will
close so Bye Bye Love to All
XXX N.C Draper

History Notes

There are 2 History notes for this letter of February 26, 1917:

History Note 1 - Percy, Ethel, and George

Noah asks Ethel if she's heard from Percy, Ethel, or George yet.

Percy and Ethel are 2 of Noah's living siblings. Percy married Parthena Fisher and live on the section east to Noah and Ethel (NE 29-17-21-W2) at Adams, Saskatchewan.

Ethel Maud married William Rigler and live on the NW part of section 31, beside Noah and Ethel, who live on the NE part of the same section (31-17-21 W2), a half mile west of Percy's land. The Adams CNR siding is also on Noah's land. (See my post on C.N.R. at Adams, Saskatchewan)

A third sibling, Eva Amelia, married Andrew Perrault and live on land that adjoins the town of Grand Coulee, 3.5 miles southeast of Adams as the crow flies.

George Draper is Noah's 1st cousin, brother of Stewart Draper who is often mentioned in Noah's letters. George married Eliza Alberta Hamilton and farmed land in the District of Battleford, Saskatchewan during the time of these letters.

When Noah says that George will be going home soon, he is referring to the fact that George and Eliza are spending the winter months in Ontario with family, just like Ethel is doing while Noah is away. Noah and Ethel did the same for years and Noah is using this as a prod to get her to go back to their own farm in Saskatchewan now that winter is almost over.

Draper sisters (L to R) Sarah Louisa, Eva Amelia, Ethel Maud, and Jennie (sitting), about 1910

History Note 2 - Dry Dock

In this letter, Noah says he is dry dock and might be there for some time, but doesn't say why. Dry docks, also called graving docks, are used when a ship needs to clean or repair the hull. Over time, sea-going vessels suffer a buildup of marine life such as barnacles that can damage the hull if not cleaned off on a regular basis. This can be done in or out of water, but a dry dock makes the job easier. Same for repairs. A dry dock allows the ship to sail into a box-like structure where a door, such as a canal lock, can close behind it creating a seal between the dry dock and the sea water. The dry dock is then drained of water leaving the ship on a support system which stops the vessel from toppling over. The poster at the top of this post shows a drained dry dock system, while the photograph below shows a dry dock on the Birkenhead side of the River Mersey which may even have been the one that repaired the Bacchante in 1917. (More of that in a future letter.)

Graving dock NO 4, Cammell Laird Shipbuilding Yard, 2019. Courtesy of Phil Nash, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 & GFDL

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WW1 Letters Home - Feb 23, 1917

3/6/2022

The Royal Navy on the Home Front, 1914-1918. Stokers shoveling coal into the enormous boilers of a British battleship.

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 30 yrs old
Dated: Feb 23, 1917
Mailed from: Liverpool
Attached to: HMS Bacchante
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Pencil
Writing Paper: 1 sheet 9" x 6" medium weight, smooth, linen-look, folded into 3 page booklet form, with the inside page written across and then down the length like foolscap. The pages are not numbered.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel** - Ethel Isabel Draper, 27 yrs old, (Noah's wife of 5 yrs)
the babies:
- Mildred* - Noah's daughter, 3 yrs old, aka Midge
- J.D.* - Noah's son, James David*, 9 months old aka Jay in early months

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
rod - old English measure of distance equal to 16.5 feet (5.029 metres
mess - dining hall
stokers** see history note below

Word or Phrase Use:

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below

Liverpool Feb. 23/17

Mrs. N.C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont .
My Dear Wife & Babies
Well we are still in
dock & will be heresome
days yet I expect, but
will be glad to get out
to sea.
Hope you are all well
as this leaves me at
present but am looking
for that box hope it
gets here before we leave
for if it dosent there is
no telling when I will

get it. Well it is raining again
to day & was so foggy yesteraday
you could not see 10 rod. Just heard
we are going to get four days
leave hope it is so as I would
like to see Liverpool & mabey
go up to London for a day or
so. Well there is not much to
tell about when I do not get
leave ashore. but expect to
go out to night but can not
be shure untill you hear it
piped at noon. it is just 10.30 am
now so you see we are not
worked to hard. Well Ethel
we are still in messes and I
did not give you my mess no.
it is Mess 15 you had better
put that in the corner of the
envelope as it saves trouble
in sorting the mail on the
ship. there is 18 men to a mess
here but the tables are all in

one room, that is for the
ordinary seaman we
are on the main deck
the stokers are on the
next deck & the officers
in a mess of their own
it seems funny not to
see a woman around
but we are in a place
where they would be in
the way of the men
unless they were cooks
or something, & strong
as a man. Well I guess
I will close for this time
so Bye Bye. Love to all
xxxxxx N.C. Draper

History Notes

There is 1 History note for this letter of February 23, 1917:

History Note - Stokers in WW1

Basically, a stoker was someone who worked in the engine room with the goal of keeping the ship moving. Stokers were extremely important to the running of ship as they shoveled coal into the boilers that created the steam that kept the engines running. Over the years, as stokers became more experienced with the boilers and engine systems, they became the mechanics of the engine room. The stokers had their own deck to eat and sleep, worked their own shifts, and received more pay than the sailors.

In The Battlecruiser HMS Hood: An Illustrated Biography, 1916-1941, printed in 2008, the author, Bruce Taylor, says that stokers didn't have the attachment to naval traditions due to their lack of naval training in seamanship. He states, "Whereas boy seamen joined the Navy at sixteen, the stoker was often recruited in his twenties from the industrial and mining centres of Britain and consequently possessed a very different outlook and mentality."

Royal Navy Stoker Recruitment Poster, 1914.

WW1 Letters Home - Feb 18, 1917

2/25/2022

Ferry Routes Across the River Mersey to Liverpool, 1911.

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 30 yrs old
Dated: Feb 18, 1917
Mailed from: Birkinhead (Birkenhead, England)
Attached to: HMS Bacchante
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 1 sheet 9" x 6" medium weight, smooth, linen-look, folded into a 4-page booklet. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, and he's using a form he's used often before where his first page is the front "cover", then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side - turned the page sideways - and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Draper, 27 yrs old, Noah's wife of 6 yrs

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
ferry** across the River Mersey
Birkenhead - town across the River Mersey from Liverpool, England
Liverpool - maritime city in northwest England
poverty** in Liverpool

Word or Phrase Use:
snapshot - photograph

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below

Birkinhead, Feb. 18./17.

Mrs. N.C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.
My Dear wife & Babies;-
Well am still in Port and
expect to be for some time
but can never tell. I was
ashore yesteraday after-noon
and went over to Liverpool it
is only about 5 minutes by
ferry from here & is some
place I was in the poor
district yesteraday and
it is awful to see the
poverty so plainly to be
seen on every side lots
of children without shoes

and stockings yet they
say it is no worse than
it was in peace time and
I do not see why it should
be as wages are so much
higher. then at night I
went to the theather they
have two performances
a night one at 640 PM & the
other at 9. & I guess they get
full houses at each one.
There is some talk of
us getting a four days
leave here but I do not
know wheather we will
or not if I do I will spend
it in or around Liverpool

Say Ethel I think if I were you
I would go west in the spring
& look after things you could board
your self or fix it any way you
liked so you could get along untill
I get back home.
Well there is funny weather here
foggy one day & cold the next and
I will be glad to see the summer altho
I would be more than supprised to be
near England in April.
Say you should see the clothes we
had issued to us & I had a suit

made to order cost 14 shilling
but it is better stuff than
in the ones we get issued
to us.
Well it is a quite a job to
write here as there is over
1000 men on board & they
all seem to want to talk
at once when a person is
writing. Well I have had
tea & just started to finish
this letter when the bugle
sounded again but guess
I will finish it this time.
Have you sent that Photo
& snapshots yet. I have not
got them anyway. Well I guess
I will close for this time so
ByeBye Love to all.
N.C. Draper.

History Notes

There are 2 History notes for this letter of February 18, 1917:

History Note 1 - Ferry across the River Mersey

In this letter, Noah had time off to explore the Birkenhead area where the HMS Bacchante is docked and used it to take a ferry across the River Mersey to Liverpool. (Yes, I now have the 1965 hit song Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry & The Pacemakers running through my head.)

By the first decade of the 20th century, paddlewheel ferries had been replaced by modern single or twin-screw steamers such as in the following illustration from the book, The Atlantic Ferry by Arthur J. Maginnis, published in 1900 by Whittaker and Co, London.

Illustration of twin-screw steamer, 1900.

We don't know which ferry Noah took to Liverpool, but it may even have been the SS Iris or SS Daffodil which were requisitioned to serve as troop transports in April 1918. They were given the HMS designation to their names, and with their shallow draft, were able to safely skim over mines which floated just beneath the water's surface. They suffered gunfire and shell damage during the naval raid on Zeebrugge in Belgium, and returned to England. After repairs, they were refitted with the furniture and furnishings of their non-military river ferry days.

For their service, King George V renamed the steamers Royal Daffodil and Royal Iris. On May 18, 1918, they returned to River Mersey ferry service where they received a heroes' welcome.

Mersey ferries Daffodil and Iris at Dover in 1918, upon their return from participating in the Zeebrugge Raid in Belgium.

History Note 2 - Poverty in Liverpool

At the start of the 20th century, Liverpool was one of the most industrialized cities in England, and is said to have grown faster than London during the latter decades of the 1800's. For a large part, this was due to the seven miles of docks running alongside Liverpool, with many more across the River Mersey at Birkenhead and Merseyside which ensured the movement of goods manufactured in the area.

The numerous cotton, woollen and textile mills, iron and steel manufacturing plants, potteries, car manufacturing plants, chemlcal plants, not to mention the shipbuilding and repair dry docks, needed workers. People flocked to Liverpool for this purpose. But unlike a steady weekly job that could be counted on, a majority of the employment in Liverpool was casual day labour where men and women spent hours each day just trying to get a job. The work was dangerous with no safety laws in effect, and many lost their lives while trying to make a living. Single parents had no choice but leave their children alone while they worked. Child labour was also used, especially in the textile mills, but often children were left on their own in the streets while their parents strived to make enough money to feed them.

As someone born to a loving family on the rich farmland north of Toronto, Noah wasn't used to the hopeless poverty and neglected children of the Liverpool slums. It seemed so senseless to him.

WW1 Letters Home - Feb 16, 1917

2/20/2022

HMS Bacchante, armoured cruiser, (1901-1920), Courtesy of wikipedia

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 30 yrs old
Dated: Feb 16 (1917)
Mailed from: H.M.S. Bacchante
Attached to: HMS Bacchante
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 1 sheet 9" x 6" medium weight, smooth, linen-look, folded into a 4-page booklet form. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, and he's using a form he's used often before where his first page is the front "cover", then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side - turned the page sideways - and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Draper, 27 yrs old, Noah's wife of 6 yrs
Eva - Evaline Amelia Perrault*, 40 yrs old, one of Noah's sisters (out West)
Mother - Sarah Sophia Deverell* Draper, Noah's widowed mother (out West)
Alice - Alice Alma Prosser*, born June 1915, daughter of Ethel's sister Sadie

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
Bacchante** - HMS Bacchante
Birkenhead - Town across the River Mersey from Liverpool, England
Liverpool - maritime city in northwest England
tobacco**
fruit cake**

Word or Phrase Use:

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below

H.M.S. Bacchante, Feb 16

Mrs. N.C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.
Dear Wife & Babies;-
Well Ethel I am on board
H.M.S. Bacchante at Birkenhead
on draft so you do not want
to be alarmed if you do not
hear from me for 2 or 3 months
or even longer as you can
never tell where we will be
sent. nor yet if you receive
a telegram for if by any
chance I should go to Canada
I would let you know at
once, adress my letters in
future to N.C. Draper R.N.C.V.R.
H M.S.Bacchante, c/o
London, England and they

will be fowarded on to me.
There was about 20 out of
our hut drafted on here &
the rest will soon be sent
some where else, I have been
here 2 days now commisioning
ship & it is some job. I can
tell you.
Well I will be glad to get to
sea again to feed the fish
Ha Ha. there is agreat deal
of confussion connected with
taking on stores & it takes
a couple of days at sea
before things get in proper
working order again,
I got a letter from you
Eva & mother, Wed. before I
left Chatham they were

all well, but I suppose you have heard
from them since the 17th of January.
that was when mine was writen. but
one is glad to get mail even if it is
old, so dont forget to write often, well
I hope Alice is better by this time,
am shure you must be having a fine
time, but you know, Ethel you have
a home of your own, & friends in the
West who will be glad to see you at
any time, dont let expences stand
in the way of your enjoyment of
life, as we only live once and when
we die we will be a long time dead.
Ha. Ha.

to morrow is my after noon out
so will try & see something
of a new town am only about
5 minutes ride out of Liverpool
so will go over there mabey
tomorrow, afternoon, dont think
I will come in untill Sunday
morning at 7 a.m. have never
stayed out overnight yet so
think I will have a change
and get a feed. I hope that box
comes along before we leave
port, but I would not send
anymore tobacco if I were
you. a good rich fruit cake
that will not dry out is as
good as anything. Well I guess
I will close forthis time so
Bye Bye. Love to all. N.C.D..
XXXXX

History Notes

There are 3 History notes for this letter of February 16, 1917:

History Note 1 - HMS Bacchante (see image at top of post)

Noah is finally on board a ship, HMS Bacchante, which is taking on stores before heading out to sea. The Bacchante was built for the Royal Navy and launched on Feb 22, 1901. She was a First Class Armoured Cruiser, Cressy class, which provided naval gunfire support to Anzac troops during the Gallipoli Campaign. She remained in the Mediterranean until late 1916 before returning home to England.

History Note 2 - Fruit Cake

Rationing during wartime meant butter, eggs, and sometimes sugar, were in short supply. Due to their longevity, fruit cakes were often sent to the troops where they would store them in their ditty boxes and treat themselves, and sometimes others, to small portions at a time - a piece of home for comfort.

I searched my cook book collection and in my Five Roses Cook Book, 1915, Lake of the Woods Milling Company Limited, Montreal, found this wartime recipe for Fruit Cake that doesn't use butter or eggs:

History Note 3 - Tobacco

Noah has mentioned Tobacco and specifically Player's Navy Cut Cigarettes, their cost, etc, in WW1 Letters Home - Jan 25, 1917

The Morning Leader, Regina, Saskatchewan, Sep 7, 1911

WW1 Letters Home - Dec 29, 1916

12/29/2016

Sinking of the Linda Blanche out of Liverpool, 1915, Painting by Willy Stower (1864-1931). Courtesy of wikipedia

My previous post showed a map with Noah Draper's presumed route to Chatham, England, according to his letter of Dec 19, 1916 where he wrote that he was headed overseas. Since I read his letters beforehand, I knew he wasn't going straight there, but I didn't want to give out information before Noah himself told us. This letter, dated Dec 29, explains how he arrived in Chatham. Read the History Notes under his letter below for an explanation of how the above image relates to his journey.

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated: Dec. 29, 1916
Mailed from: Chatham, England
Attached to: HMS Pembroke (21 Dec 1916 to 31 Dec 1916)
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 10" x 6.5" medium weight, semi-rough, folded into booklet form. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he's using the same technique he used for most of his previously posted courtship letters to Ethel, where his first page is the outside, then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Noah's wife of 5 yrs, Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper
Percy* - Noah's older brother, lives near Adams, Saskatchewan
mother - Noah's mother, Sarah Sophia Deverell* Draper, widow of David Draper

The babies:
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 6 months old (later called JD)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Keswick - where Noah's family lives (the ones who didn't move west)
- Liverpool** - a huge busy port on the River Mersey (**see map below)
- London** - on the River Thames, the capital of England, and the U.K.
- Royal Naval Barracks Chatham - aka HMS Pembroke
- the N.P. - Naval Police (see Naval Police and Shore Patrol)
- whiffletree and tandem hitches (**see Historical Note #2 below)
- hut - barrack building

Word or Phrase Use:
car - short for street car
navel barracks - Noah's spelling should read naval barracks

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below

Chatham, England
Dec.29. 1916

Mrs. N. C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.
My Dear Wife & all; -
Well I have arrived here
all safe & sound and right
side up & am fealing fine
got here last night after
midnight .left Liverpool about
2 P.M. but could not see much
of the country as it gets dark
about 4 P.M. here now. had
a fine trip over no rough
weather at all they said
although I was sick 1 day

but enjoyed the trip very much.
Say I wrote a long letter
on board (3 pages) but the
N. P. told me it was held up
as I was giving information
which I had no right to
give, but I dont know what
it was so will have to be
careful I guess the letters are
censured from Canada to
so private news is not
private.
Al that came over here
with me are quartered in
one hut. about 50. and we are
quite comfortable. there is
two long tables & three is told
off for cooks for each day I

am cook to day.
Well I have not been out
in the city yet so can not
tell you much about the
place but you never see
a team hitched up as we
hitch them they are all
driven tandem or else
the tugs are hitched right
onto the frame of the tongue
no whiffletrees. but they
draw big loads, of course the
roads here are all good nearly
as good as our paved streets.
Had supper in London last
night was there about 45 min.
but just took the street car

from one station to the other
so did not see much (only Lady
guards) they take the railway
tickets before you get on the car
here & it saves a lot of trouble.
Well I want to write to
Percy & Mother so will have have
to close soon in order to
get my address on this page
it is N.C Draper.
Hut 16 East Camp
Royal Navel Barracks, Chatham,
England.
Will try & send some little presents
next week if the stores are open
when I am out on leave, get out
every other night I guess. Well.
this is all for now. Write soon, love to
you and the kiddies. N.C. Draper

History Notes

There are 2 History notes for this letter...

History Note 1 - Port of Liverpool
In this letter, Noah mentions that he disembarked at Liverpool and left there shortly after 2 pm, crossed the country, stopped in London for supper, and arrived in Chatham after midnight. Historical references mention Troop trains crossing England. I've also found reference to boat trains carrying troops. Boat trains are dedicated trains carrying passengers from a particular place to/from a port.

However, there was one major hurdle before arriving in Liverpool: In February 1914, Germany had announced that the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland, including the English Channel, and the western portion of the North Sea, was a war zone and any ships, be it British, neutral, or merchant, would be fired on and destroyed without warning.

Germany wasn't fooling. In the seven-month period between March and September of 1916, 480 vessels were sunk by German U-boats in that area alone. In case you're wondering, a U-boat stands for undersea boat aka submarine. And that's where the image at the top of this post comes in... you never knew where the U-boats were hiding or if the ship you were traveling on would get fired on by torpedoes. We must never forget the brave captains, sailors, troops, and even passengers who risked everything by running the U-boat gauntlet, and to the ones who lost their lives along the way.

Whatever ship Noah sailed on to get to Liverpool, he would have had to go through U-boat territory, yet he doesn't give Ethel any inkling of the danger.

Upon disembarkation in Liverpool, it seems most troop ships used the Riverside Railway Station to send the troops on their way, and although I couldn't confirm this is the dock where Noah disembarked, considering that I don't know what ship he sailed on, the following shows the station as it appeared around 1914.

ca 1914, Riverside Station and Princes Landing Stage, Liverpool, England

The Port of Liverpool's 7.5 mile/12.1 kilometre dock system is mostly on the eastern shore of the River Mersey, but also contains docks on the west side of the river. See wikipedia for detailed 1909 maps of the dock system.

History Note 2 - Whiffletrees

In this letter, Noah mentions that the British don't use wiffletrees, so here's the definition of a whiffletree and it's other name variants.

Wiffletree, whippletree, swingletree

Four-hitch with a set of whiffletrees. Courtesy of wikipedia

He goes on to say that instead of using a single or set of whiffletrees as pictured above, the British hitch their horses in tandem or right onto the frame of the tongue. Tugs and traces are also regional name variants as you can see by the following diagram.

Harness Diagram. Courtesy of wikipedia

To end this post, here's an image of two ponies being driven in tandem, much as you would see two riders on a tandem bicycle. I wonder if this is what Noah meant.

Ponies Driving in Tandem. Courtesy of Wikipedia

WW1 Letters Home - Feb 26, 1917

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WW1 Letters Home - Feb 23, 1917

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WW1 Letters Home - Feb 18, 1917

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WW1 Letters Home - Feb 16, 1917

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WW1 Letters Home - Dec 29, 1916

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