Letters written from serving soldiers to Lt. Col. Leonard Messel of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
throughout the First World War

A REQUEST FOLLOWING A BROADCAST ON BBC RADIO 4 ON REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY 2001

Many people will know the magnificent gardens at Nymans in Sussex, formerly the home of the Messel family and now administered by the National Trust. Much of the garden's glory was created by Leonard Messel during the 20s and 30s, but during the First World War Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Messel was responsible for raising and training the 4th Reserve Battalion of the The Buffs (the Royal East Kent Regiment). Barred by his German ancestry from serving overseas, he nevertheless continued to correspond with a huge number of soldiers of all ranks who served with and under him, amassing nearly 500 letters written between 1915 and 1919 which are now in the possession of his granddaughter Victoria Messel. Although he was a shy man, these letters show the deep respect and affection in which he was held and his sense of responsibility not only towards the men serving abroad but also to their families at home - a welcome contrast to the often unquestioned opinion that all senior officers at the time were callous and indifferent to the massive suffering so many endured.

Unfortunately, the letters survive only in carbon copies, though these carefully retain all the spelling and grammatical idiosyncracies of the originals; and, sadly, no copies at all remain of any of the Colonel's letters TO any of these correspondents.

Are any of the names on the following list familiar to you? Have you any letters from the Colonel in your family archives?

If so, please contact Richard Hills, who is the editor of the Messel letters, by e-mail at rhills@wyenet.co.uk

* indicates an incompleted dated or undated letter

A..... John
Allan, J.A.
Allen, Lance Corporal J.W.
Anderson, Major Francis W.
Angell, Jack
Anon.
A.O.B.
Atkins, Rowland C.
Austin, Edwin

B

Banks, Cpl.
The Barb
Barber, Cecil B.
Barber, S.W.B.
Barber, W.A.
Bass, B.
Bateman, G.C.
Beally, S.S.
Betts, Cpl. A.
Billes, Pte.
Blanch, J.L.
Bowler, Captain Jno.
Boyd, M.
Brackpool, A.F.
Brookman, John
Brown, C.
"Bunny"
Bush (Ashton Siddle)

C

Carlos, Ernest S.
Chainery, Sgt. J.
Chaloet, Pte. Henri
Chandler, Pte. F.W.
Chater, E.C.
Child, 2nd Lt. Pagden
Clarke, Eric
Clarke, J.A.
Cockayne, Marcus
Colven, 2nd Lt. Arthur F.
Cooper, John A.
Court, Clement F.
Cowell, A. Vaughan

D

Dack, Robt. G.
Dallas, D.
Darrs, L.J.G.
Daw, 2nd Lt. R.S.
Deacon, Pte. R.W.C.
Deeley, Cpl. W.
D'Elboux, R.H.
Dixon, Pte. F.
Dodson, T.
Dunfee, Vickers
Dyer, L.C.
Dyer, Mabel

E

Ede, Pte. T.
Elliott, Lance Corporal W.
Emery, Major J.E.
Emery, T.V.

F

Falk, O.F.
Fergusson, J.A.
Fisher, Pte. W.
Fleuret, F. Stuart
Flood, Pte. J.H.
Foster-Sutton, A.G.
Foster-Sutton, Stafford
Foster-Sutton, T.W.
Furner, L/C H.

G

Gardner, Gerard P.
Goode, Walter
Goodall, Sgt. A.V.
Greig, Cuthbert (alias "Horace")

H

Harding, Arthur
Harrabin, 2nd Lt. Maurice P.
Hart, H.R.
Hickson, Charles
Hobbs, V.W.J.
Hogben, Sgt. G.S.
Holland, Pte. R.G.
Hood, J.H.
"Horace" (see Cuthbert Grieg)
Hussey, H.W.
Hymers, Pte. A.

I

Iles, W.R.H.
Impett, Pte. A.B.

J

Jack, Douglas P.
James, Chas. Lister
Jameson, Major J. Kay
Jarrett, A.T.
Jarrett, Pte. L.
Jemmett, Charles
Johnson, Pte. J.
Jones, Gwynne M.
Jones, H. Lavender

K

King, Cecil H.
King, Edward A.
Kingsland, Charles P.
Kirkpatrick, H.F.

L

Leak, R.
Lebauble, Pte. C.
Lester, Lieut. Dudley E.
Lloyd, T.O.
Lovewell, Sgt. Louis V.
Lowes, J. Geoffrey
Lowinski, T.E.

M

Manning, Capt. W.
McCarthy, A.W.
McDermott, W.K.
McKenzie, R.W.
Marchant, 2nd Lt. S.H.
Masham, C.H.B.
Mason, Geo. Harding
Millar
Mills, 2nd. Lt. Norman E.
Mitchell, 2nd Lieutenant Frank
Mitchell, Sergeant G.H.
Moon, Pte. George
Moore, George
Moore, Sgt. L.B.

N

Neve, 2nd Lt. Walter N.
Newman, Daisy
Newport, Pte. Cecil A.
Nichols, Raymond
Norman, H.C.
Nye, S.H.

O

Oliver, Mr. and Mrs. J.
Osborne (Osbourne), Archibald

P

Paige, J.S.
Pain, Sydney P.
Parnis, W.
Paterson, Edmund O.
Perney, F.
Peters, 2nd Lt. A. Stanley
Peters, Gervase
Phenton, Private J.R. (T R?)
Plutt, D.C.
Pool, D.H.
Purchase, 2nd Lieutenant B.J.W.
Purchase, Mrs. B.J.

R

R.W......S.B.
Reid, A. Howard
Reid, Lester
Riding, C.
Rigden, J.W.
Riordan, Pte. Cornelius
Rodmell, Geo. E.
Ruddock, Tom
Russell, 2nd Lieutenant Bernard

S
Saleman, C.W.
Sales, W.
Sandbach, Arthur C.W.
Saunders, Sgt. A.E.
Scillitoe, Pte. A.H.
Scillitoe, Harriet
Scillitoe, Joseph
Seale, H.
Sharland, Herbert N.
Sherrey, Arthur O.
Sherwood, Cpl. John
Siddle, Ashton (see Bush)
Sitzler, Pte. G.F.
Smith, Robert
Sparks, John N.
Squire, Wallace
Stevens, Gordon E.W.
Stones, A.
Stoves, H.T.
Strange, Pte. L.A.
Sturgess, W.
Sword, W.D.

T

Tarn, Norman A.
Taylor, J.V.
Townson, B.A.
Tupper, H.

V

Vallintine, J.J.

W

Wale, Norman G.
Waller, Leslie
Wallis, 2nd Lt. Ernest A.
Warren, Raymond
Wells, C.McKenzie
Westley, Francis
Wice, Roy
Wilkinson, M. Grant
Williams, Chas.
Witts, C.A.
Witts, Captain C.S.F.
Wood, C. Alan H.
Woodthorpe, L.
Wotton, Tom