WW1 - Edward Malloy

Edward Malloy was born in Renton in 1897. He enlisted for active service on 12th December 1914 at 18 years of age and saw active service in France before being demobbed in 1919.

We have an original letter that he sent to his wife while serving in the trenches. You can view the original copy of this letter by clicking this link.

The transcript is shown below.

Bear in mind that the battle of Loos that he mentions is cited on Wikipedia as "...one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of new army or "Kitchener's Army" units."

The image to the right shows Private Malloy in his army uniform.

11 October 1915

Dear Wife just a few lines to let you know I received your kind and welcome letter and was glad to hear you are all so well as I am still in the very best of health myself. I am sorry Dear Meg that you are so worried about me. You will have to try and content yourself for I am getting along not so bad at all. I know it is very hard to feel contented for I am feeling very lonely myself at times but I have faith that God will spare me to come back to you safe and sound although I know you would welcome me an be glad to have me home no matter what condition I was in but after what I have been through and seen I know God is listening to your prayers and our children's prayers.

How any one of us lived to come out of such a battle God only knows. They were lying dead in heaps both British and Germans and anywhere you looked you were looking at wounded and dead men and animals. If I live for a thousand years I never forget the our fight for the German trenches in the village of Loos and hill 70ty but thank God the Germans knows something now about Britain's contemptible little army for we did not spare them.

I think it will be a long time before we have to meet them again. We are getting a good rest now. There is no word here yet of either Grant or McKenzie I am afraid for their chance. I hope Nellie Melvin got my letter for I wrote thanking her and Mark and her father for their kindness. I hope the boys are still healthy and the terrible pair also Jeannie, Susan, Maggie and above all yourself.

I have no more word yet about the pass only what I have told you but there is great hopes of getting one so I am writing so much this weather that I have given you all the news I know but I must thank you for the watch. I have had it mended and wearing it now on my wrist it is doing well and is the only watch in our billet and the other men are glad that I have it or we would not know how the time was going. Goodnight.

Demob Certificate

Protection Certificate and Certificate of Identity
(Required by demobbed soldiers when applying for employment etc.)

Demobilisation Account

NOTE: This is a very interesting article and we would welcome any material that you have of a similar nature that you think would be of interest to visitors to this website (bearing in mind that it should have local interest).