Percy HUSTWICK

06 August 1915

ADDINGHAM LADS HAVE RESPONDED WELL TO THE CALL

In a letter to a friend at Addingham, Private Percy Hustwick, of the Signalling Section 1st 6th West Yorkshire Regiment, serving at the Front says:– “I have not yet received your parcel, but will let you know as soon as I do. We do not receive parcels when we are in the trenches, only one day per week, but as we shall be going out of the trenches in a day or two for a short rest, we shall receive many parcels that have been kept back. I came across Ted Hudson (meaning an Addingham man at the Front) the other day. We had quite a long chat together. I also had my dinner with him. I am writing this in our ‘dug-out’. I have just come off my spell of duty on the telephone. There are three of us and we take it in turns. We have been lucky in getting a decent ‘dug-out’. We have had a lot of rain while we have been in these trenches, and that has made it uncomfortable. Sometimes we have been up to our knees in mud and water, but it dries pretty quickly when we get a bit of sunshine. The Germans send us all kinds of their ‘Kulture’ – ‘Black Maria’s’, ‘coal-boxes’, aerial torpedoes, trench mortars and gas shells. The gas shells are not as bad as the asphyxiating gases which they send over like a cloud, but they have got to have the wind in their favour. The gas shells make your eyes smart and fetches the water out of them like coming out of a tap, and makes a chap wriggle on the ground in pain, like a snake, if it gets right on him. Addingham lads seem to have responded well to the call.”

17 September 1915

LETTERS FROM ADDINGHAM MEN

The following letters amongst others have been received by Mr. Flint, expressing appreciation of the kindness of the people at home in sending them a few extra comforts:–

Private P. Hustwick writes:– “Thanks for parcel. We are still out of the trenches having our rest. We are having plenty of sport, cricket and football, and we had some good games too. We also have a concert party called ‘The Tykes.’ They are very good. It is so very quiet here. I can almost imagine myself camped in some wood near old Addingham.”

22 October 1915

ADDINGHAM SOLDIERS LETTERS

Mr. Flint has received the following letters:–

Private Hustwick writes:– “Thanks for the parcel. I have been having a rather pleasanter time of it, as I have been attached to the Brigade Headquarters as a cyclist orderly. The headquarters are about a mile behind the trenches, and I have had to go up every day with orders. I ride about 300 yards off the reserve trenches; then I have to walk up to the battalion headquarters. I have had one or two narrow squeaks from shell fire while I have been on my way to the trenches. One night I was on my way up, and was just going to turn a corner when they dropped two high explosive shells in the hedge side. I was on the cycle in the middle of the road, but was blown off and rolled to the other side of the road. I could hear pieces dropping all around me, but nothing but a bit of earth struck me. When I thought all the pieces had finished dropping I got up and got on the cycle, but had only got about 20 yards when they sent a shrapnel shell, and it burst about 20 yards on my left in a field. I can tell you I did not let any moss grow on the tyres. They shelled that corner every five minutes for an hour, but as luck would have it none dropped right in the middle of the road."

11 February 1916

ADDINGHAM

SOLDIER’S LETTERS – Mr. Flint has received the following letter:– P. Hustwick writes: “We are out at rest at present in a well-known town. The boys are enjoying themselves, I can tell you. There are plenty of amusements, as it is a good-sized town. There are concerts at the Y.M.C.A. every night, and last night we were entertained by Miss Lena Ashwell’s concert party, and we had a very nice evening. I expect it won’t be long before we are back in the line again.”

28 July 1916

HUSTWICK – In France, Pte. Percy Hustwick, of the 6th West Yorks., formerly of Addingham, now of Broughton, near Skipton, aged 28.

28 July 1916

CRAVEN CASUALTIES IN THE GREAT ADVANCE

Pte. Percy Hustwick, youngest son of Mr. Joe Hustwick, who resides at Broughton, near Skipton, has been killed in action.

28 July 1916

ADDINGHAM SOLDIERS’ LETERS

Mr. Flint has received the following letters in acknowledgment of parcels:–

Corpl. Horace Hustwick, brother of Percy Hustwick, writes:– “Thanks for parcel. Glad to hear you are all well at Addingham except for those unlucky chaps who have been wounded, etc. Addingham is only a small village, but it has done a good share of this war. All I can wish them is the best of luck in the future. No one seems sure about Wilf Holmes (reported missing), and I sincerely hope it is not true for the sake of his wife and family. If I can find out anything at all about him I will let you know right away. There have been big things in France, and we are in the thick of it, and I can assure you it was just like ____ let loose. Troops have never been known to advance under such an artillery fire and machine gun fire before, and those who have got through all right are very lucky indeed. I am sure I have only God to thank for it. It wouldn’t do to mention all the sights, but they were awful. But we have come through with high honours, and the General was so pleased with us that he sent each soldier a nice message, and he has written to Bradford about us, and we have also had congratulations from the King. They have taken us back for a while now to recuperate and get reinforced. I have not heard of our Percy and George Strickland yet, but I hope they are both well. I saw Ellis Kettlewell today, and he said, ‘I see you have been one of the lucky ones, Horace’, and I said ‘Yes, very lucky, and I have thanked God many times for it’. I don’t know how I have got through. I expected going up any minute, but never mind, we must look on the bright side of things and keep smiling, you know, for the sake of old England.”

04 August 1916

ADDINGHAM SOLDIERS’ LETTERS

Trumpeter John Oldfield, who is at the Auxiliary Military Hospital, Bromborough, Cheshire, writes:– “Thanks for your letter and postal order. It will be most useful to me. But we don’t get out very much. We cannot go out without one of the nurses with us. I heard last week about Keighley, but I was surprised to hear about Richardson and Percy Hustwick. I have met him a time or two at Ypres, in Belgium. He used to give us an occasional call there and have a chat about the dear old land and home. I feel very sorry to hear that our little village is losing so many of the good old boys. We don’t seem to miss them as we shall do when all this is over and we get home and there are so many absent faces.”

25 August 1916

ADDINGHAM SOLDIERS’ LETTERS

Mr. Flint has received the following letters in acknowledgement of parcels:–

Sergt. Horace Hustwick writes:– “Thanks for letter expressing the sympathy of yourself and the Addingham people regarding the death of my brother Percy. We all thought the world of him, and I am pleased you all thought so well of him, too. He was a brave lad, and he died a noble death. Convey my thanks to all the Addingham people. There is no doubt you all did your best for him. If it was God’s will we cannot help it, and we shall have to bear it as best we can. There is no doubt it has been a hard blow to us, and myself especially, being left amongst it all, but with God’s help I shall bear it through and continue to do my best for my King and Country, and I pray every day that I may do so and be spared to come back to you all for the sake of my wife and family. Give my best wishes to all the wounded, and my sympathy to Mrs. Wilfred Holmes. It is a bad job for her; it does look as though he has been killed. I am pleased to inform you that I have been promoted to sergeant.”