• Anderson brothers - Horace (left) and Albert.

In one of the recent battles around Ypres the two brothers Anderson - Signaller Horace (Royal Field Artillery) and Pte Albert (Cheshire Regiment) - took part and they both sustained wounds, although while those of the latter were slight, the former has been brought to England and is now being treated in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle.

Writing to his parents, who live at 132 North Street, Luton, Signaller Horace said: "I am in good old Blighty once more and, by jove, it is a perfect treat to be out of that lot for a while, and I thank God that I came out with my life.

"The day before I got hit was the hottest time I have had in my life, but I came through all right, and then the next day was not so bad. I was just returning to the battery after being forward and I had got within about two yards of shelter when over came this big one and, of course, I was 'napoo' for a while. But it gave me a nice little Blighty one. I have a gunshot wound in the right leg just below the knee."

He praised the speed with which he was taken to the base hospital and operated upon after sustaining is wound.

His brother's description of the same battle is as follows. "We went up on the 20th [October] and went 'over the top' on the 21st, and I think we can say we have been in one of the biggest battles of this war.

"We had to go through a wood to get to our objective, and the wood was simply swarming with Germans. They were all round us, sniping us, and, what with bullets and shells and things, it was a perfect hell. We took our objective, though, and took a lot of prisoners too. I think the Germans had a lot more casualties than we, although we had a great lot.

"I got slightly wounded in the shoulder with a bullet, but it is nothing serious. I didn't trouble to go to the dressing station with it, and it's getting on very well.

"Well, after we had reached our objective we all felt about 'fed up' - those that were left of us. Our rifles were all muddy, and we could not fire out of them. We had to dig ourselves in and clean the rifles, and we held our position until the afternoon. Then Fritz came over to us and we had to retire as we hadn't enough men to hold out.

"He gave us socks too, for as we were retiring he opened fire on us with machine guns and rifles, and then he gave us a terrific barrage of shell fire. I gave up hope of ever getting out of that lot alive.

"Still, never mind, we still keep living by God's mercy, and I hope I shall still keep safe and get my leave...I'm certain this war cannot last much longer by the way things are going on - the Germans can't stand it, I'm sure."

Signaller Horace Anderson, who is in hospital at Newcastle, worked for hat firm Messrs Kilby & Sons, High Town Road, in pre-war days, but when the call for ammunition came he did his bit at the Davis Gas Stove Co [Diamond Foundry, Dallow Road]. He joined up in April 1916.

[The Luton News: Thursday, November 8th, 1917]