These letters were presented to the Library in 2007 by Anne Crookshank, the author’s daughter. There are 48 items; some of his handwritten letters were copied by his family, to distribute to others to read, and so this series is made up of an amalgam of originals and copies. In one or two instances the original and the copy are present. Most of the letters were written to the author’s mother, and a small number written to ‘Pa’, Livy and Mary, one assumes these last two are his sisters. Crookshank rarely dated his letters and the recipient frequently added the date ‘1819’ when ‘1918′ was probably intended. There are among the collection mechanical copies of extracts from letters from a Mr Murray and ‘Crichton’ giving accounts of events during one of which Henry Crookshank received a serious gunshot wound to his leg. There are also two songs, which have not been reproduced.
Henry Crookshank
so I expect we’ll have him playing tennis soon.
but haven’t yet found anybody.
except the last couple of days
this winter and today everything is lovely and fresh.
with the initials of the Khedive as a watermark.
We have a fair amount of work sandbagging.
cigarettes this writing paper chewing gum etc.
however I am holding up well.
so we’ve broke the back of the summer now.
& I have had time for a couple of strolls.
but I don’t know if there is any truth in it.
not pink like our own.
which look as if we were going to get deluges.
when I spotted a small & shallow bay simply black with fry.
& I think is inclined to fall.
& I hope our job won’t last much longer.
also bridge with my C.O. who is a shocking bad player.
and to have had extremely few casualties.
I mistook one for an aeroplane.
when we crumpled up the Turkish left and the next day too.
& it made us very anxious.
& the next division kept the ball rolling.
by the Turks on our division at any rate.
but I know the infantry was magnificent.
but I am expecting them any day now.
except for the dust & flies which are very bad.
and haven’t had it off day or night since.
but they can only do one thing.
but successful as far as I can make out.
and all the villages are empty and in ruins.
on the officers under them every few months.
having got my detachement job finished.
who looks as if he would leave me in the mud all night.
along a wonderful wide military road.
as the ground between Tibradden and Foxrock mountains.
how they ever stuck it, I can’t imagine.
culminating in a terrific night of rain and wind.
and most of the mens bivvies were either blown away or flooded.
of a big mail in about two day’s time.
are now a good bit closer to Jerusalem.
My Section wants to start a concert party and I was rash enough to encourage the scheme.
is in great form also the pelicans who are having great fun now.
lovely when the crops come up.
It is just hot enough to sketch.
it looked quite like the sea with dust devils blowing over it instead of squalls.
dishes and things the only loot I have got out of the war yet.
and can laugh at a wetting.
I feel like having somebody’s blood.
and we hope that he will shine every day from now till next November.
with a peculiar shaped girder.
as we are going to have gorgeous weather for a bit now.
higher than I have ever been before I should think.
with tennis golf and shooting.
but hope that the war here may cease by midsummer.
as I cant find my writing pad.
that is about all.
in the Engineering School.
as I hear the censor is holding up all letters at present.
we go but with the fighting that is going on now it may be delayed a bit.
where the country is a bit dull and hot.
which is plastered all round with pictures of British big guns.
and want to get it back if they have been doing so.
I only hope there won’t be any trouble enforcing either.
belonging to Mademoiselle Jeanne.
except wander round the local forest which is a fine place.
except a few of the streets which have avenues of tall trees.
and then turned inland towards night.
all looking at its very best close to Versailles.
so dont worry if I dont write for some time.
fun lately than anytime since I was home last.
has got his leave through.
for the strawberries yet always Bosche permitting.
and have now got nearly fifty.
about Kingstown.
The lecturer was one of these experts who hurl gas and burning oil about the place.
forgetting all about gas lectures and other worries.
even if I’ve forgotten how to play tennis.
but it is a tedious and thankless business.
but would be horribly uncomfortable if you had to sit many hours in them.
Best love to all.
whenever a distant bomb went off.
but they tried English once.
he is perfectly marvellous.
which was a bad business.
mostly about 4 ft thick.
I wish I had my gun.
as there seem to be three times the number of RES required.
I suppose the house must be near the River Anner.
that he couldnt carry them.
through the train breaking down.
when I find out whats happening here.
and all fighting has stopped.
to celebrate the first night of peace.
for which I have been provided with a mouldy arithmetic book.
trekking back with their belongings.
who shoot one another at sight.
though I have been very virtuous about reading.
about six inches above the knee.