RND Hood Bn WWI

[Tony Walker]

I am having difficulty sorting out the cover attached + letter from the Egerton correspondence

The envelope is addressed by Mark Egerton to his mother Lady Egerton and has an FPO dated 5 OC 15, but the number is not readable.  Checking FPO's used by the RND, there are only three which appear to have been in use in October 1915, namely NL1 and NL2 and DNL.  Additionally the censor no. on the cover is 2665, perhaps not clear on the copy but OK in the original.  On the information I have, this number has not been shown as used by the RND.

The letter was sent by Mark Egerton from Mudros (see last line of his address on letter)[attach id=6557]RND Hood Bn 4096.jpg[/attach] .  His father at the time was in charge down at Devonport, where the envelope is addressed to.  The letter contains just family matters.

Here I am diligently embarking on writing up my material, but being thwarted by a lack of information, so any help with the above will be most welcome

Tony

[Michael Dobbs]

Tony

I cannot help much but I think the postmark (having blown it up) is N.L.1

Mike

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hello Tony

Where did you find this little gem?  Certainly looks like FPO N.L 1

I have a number of covers with contents from this correspondence will see where he was around this time.

Would appreciate a copy of the letter please. He was quite 'Bitter and twisted' by this time as he'd lost his position in the 'pecking order' for promotions due to being wounded early in the campaign.

Chris

[Tony Walker]

Thanks Mike, I thought it might be N.L.1 as it would make sense, but it's not really clear, so an objective opinion from another distinguished source is a great help.....

Thanks Chris.  I'll scan the letter to you

Cheers
Tony

[Chris Grimshaw]

Hello Tony

You might like a group photo which includes Egerton.

Source : 'The Hood Battalion' by Leonard Sellers.

Chris

[Alan Baker]

Some famous names listed, incl Asquith (PM's son), Rupert Brooke...

[Nick Colley]

Also Bernard Freyberg, later Lt. General, 1st Baron Freyberg, VC, GCMG, KCB, KBE, DSO and 3 bars, 7th Governor General of New Zealand. He commanded the NZ Expeditionary Force during WW2 in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy.

Anyway, enough gratuitous pedantry :-)

chrs
N

[Alan Baker]

There is a copy of this picture in "The Lost Olympian of the Somme" edited by Jon Cooksey and Graham McKechnie. An excellent read about Frederick Kelly, an Olympic rowing gold medallist and a member of the RN Hood Battalion.

According to the text, Kelly is pictured fifth from the left on the middle row, named in the picture posted as Browne.

Kelly lost his life on the Somme in November 1916. The book is extracts from his diary