WWI BEF Letter. Died 1918, Spanish Influenza. Royal Artillery. Wounded In 1917.
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:814470 |
*** Please see my other listings for more Active Service military letters. This is a scarce and interesting original First World War British letter, written in September 1918 by an officer in the Royal Artillery who had previously been a regular army soldier in the 3rd Dragoon Guards Regiment. He fought in the First Battle of Ypres in 1914, and was was Mentioned in Despatches in 1915 (London Gazette 22 June 1915), and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in France during the 19...16 battles at the Somme, as an officer in the Royal Artillery. He was wounded in action by a German sniper in 1917. After recovering from his wound he returned to duty, until he was admitted to a Canadian field hospital in 1918 with Spanish Influenza. He died of influenza on the 7th of November 1918, just four days before the Armistice, at a Canadian Red Cross hospital in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.
*** This excellent original letter was written in September 1918 by 2nd Lieutenant (previously 2225 Corporal) Albert Henry Rodgers, a Regular Army soldier who enlisted in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Dragoon Guards, in 1908, with Regimental Number D/2225. At Hounslow in 1910 Rodgers qualified as a Signaller, and in 1912 he and his regiment sailed to Egypt for duty guarding the Suez Canal.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Cpl. Rodgers and his regiment returned from Egypt to England, and then sailed for France in late October 1914, assigned to the 6th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division. Corporal Rodgers and his division fought, dismounted, as infantry, in the First Battle of Ypres in November 1914. One of the 1914 British soldiers who came to be known as the "Old Contemptibles" Corporal Rodgers was awarded the 1914 Star.
In April 1915 Corporal Rodgers was Mentioned in Despatches, published in the London Gazette 22 June 1915. Corporal Rodgers fought in the 2nd Battle of Ypres in 1915, at Loos, and more. In 1916, after being promoted to sergeant, he was transferred to the Royal Artilery. On 23rd November 1916 he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery. In March 1917 he was assigned to the 30th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, in France.
In July 1917 Lieutenant Rodgers was shot by a German sniper and evacuated to England. His wound healed, but created ongoing problems which prevented his return to the front, so he was assigned light duties. In November 1918 he contracted Spanish Influenza, and on 7 November, just 4 days before the Armistice, he died at the 15th Canadian General Red Cross Hospital at Taplow, Buckinghamshire.
Lieutenant Rodgers wrote this scarce 4 page letter in September 1918, just a couple of months before his death. He wrote the letter to his sister, who had married an American and emigrated to the United States. There is a variety of interesting and emotional content. Lieutenant Rodgers states that the Americans seemed to be doing very well at the front, and he adds that he believed the Germans would soon be finished. He boasts that a ribbon that he was wearing in some photos that he had sent to his sister was the Mons Star, for his service in the 1914 battles:
"The Yanks have been doing some good work, haven't they? I think we have got the Boche pretty well whacked now, all right.
... I'm enclosing a couple of snapshots..., taken outside the officer's mess tent. Would you recognize your handsome brother?... Notice the ribbon of the Mons Medal on the jacket. Some swank, eh?"
There is interesting content throughout this 4 page letter.
A scarce original WWI letter, written by a British officer who was Mentioned in Despatches in 1915, commissioned in 1916, was wounded, and who finally died of Spanish Influenza in the closing days of the war. Buyer pays shipping, $3.00 in Canada, $4.00 to the United States, $5.00 Worldwide. Immediate payment is required for this listing. I accept Paypal only. Thank you.Please Note: Canadian customers will be required to pay applicable GST/HST on all purchases. Please contact me if you have any questions.
*** This excellent original letter was written in September 1918 by 2nd Lieutenant (previously 2225 Corporal) Albert Henry Rodgers, a Regular Army soldier who enlisted in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Dragoon Guards, in 1908, with Regimental Number D/2225. At Hounslow in 1910 Rodgers qualified as a Signaller, and in 1912 he and his regiment sailed to Egypt for duty guarding the Suez Canal.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Cpl. Rodgers and his regiment returned from Egypt to England, and then sailed for France in late October 1914, assigned to the 6th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division. Corporal Rodgers and his division fought, dismounted, as infantry, in the First Battle of Ypres in November 1914. One of the 1914 British soldiers who came to be known as the "Old Contemptibles" Corporal Rodgers was awarded the 1914 Star.
In April 1915 Corporal Rodgers was Mentioned in Despatches, published in the London Gazette 22 June 1915. Corporal Rodgers fought in the 2nd Battle of Ypres in 1915, at Loos, and more. In 1916, after being promoted to sergeant, he was transferred to the Royal Artilery. On 23rd November 1916 he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Artillery. In March 1917 he was assigned to the 30th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, in France.
In July 1917 Lieutenant Rodgers was shot by a German sniper and evacuated to England. His wound healed, but created ongoing problems which prevented his return to the front, so he was assigned light duties. In November 1918 he contracted Spanish Influenza, and on 7 November, just 4 days before the Armistice, he died at the 15th Canadian General Red Cross Hospital at Taplow, Buckinghamshire.
Lieutenant Rodgers wrote this scarce 4 page letter in September 1918, just a couple of months before his death. He wrote the letter to his sister, who had married an American and emigrated to the United States. There is a variety of interesting and emotional content. Lieutenant Rodgers states that the Americans seemed to be doing very well at the front, and he adds that he believed the Germans would soon be finished. He boasts that a ribbon that he was wearing in some photos that he had sent to his sister was the Mons Star, for his service in the 1914 battles:
"The Yanks have been doing some good work, haven't they? I think we have got the Boche pretty well whacked now, all right.
... I'm enclosing a couple of snapshots..., taken outside the officer's mess tent. Would you recognize your handsome brother?... Notice the ribbon of the Mons Medal on the jacket. Some swank, eh?"
There is interesting content throughout this 4 page letter.
A scarce original WWI letter, written by a British officer who was Mentioned in Despatches in 1915, commissioned in 1916, was wounded, and who finally died of Spanish Influenza in the closing days of the war. Buyer pays shipping, $3.00 in Canada, $4.00 to the United States, $5.00 Worldwide. Immediate payment is required for this listing. I accept Paypal only. Thank you.Please Note: Canadian customers will be required to pay applicable GST/HST on all purchases. Please contact me if you have any questions.
