OSE WWI Transcriptions from the Archives

31: J. R. H. Tweed – Hembury Fort, Honiton – 22 Apr 1917 Dear Mr Sing,

I must apologise for not having written before to thank you again for your letter of recommendation. It worked. I have been given a Regular Commission in the Indian Army and I am now awaiting embarkation. I appeared before a selection board at the Indian Office where I had great difficulty in persuading the members that I was not educated at Winchester. In fact, I don’t think I convinced the President, who was I believe an old Wykehamist, although I tried to explain the case for about ten minutes. Do you remember the evening in your study at St Edwards filling up the papers of application for the Eastern Telegraph when I was such a state of excitement about a spelling examination that I was to undergo the next day that I could not spell “Doctor” and many simpler words. I don’t think I even told you that having tapped keys and things for six months my father took me away which was a wise decision on his part because I would certainly have been discharged as not likely to become an efficient signaler within the next few days. There are several old St. Edwards boys in the Devons. Sherwell [OSE], Bickley [OSE], Ford [OSE], Cardew [OSE] and Ipston [OSE] among them. Cardew, is I expect you know, a prisoner of war. I feel rather a scrimshanker to go off to India and have other people to do the real fighting in France and I have many happy memories of other more pleasant moments of life both in and behind the trenches. However, they will probably be Mesopotamia when my thirst for battle will quickly be appeased being essentially a man of peace. I will, if I may, write to you again from India, unless a German U Boat cuts short my career and makes writing impossible. Please give my kind regards to Miss Sing. Yours sincerely, J. R. Howard Tweed

104