Letter from Major Richard G. Hutchinson to to his brother, Lt. Col. Coote R. Hely-Hutchinson 29 July 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Richard G. Hely-Hutchinson

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Letter from Major Richard G. Hutchinson (Dick) 2nd Battalion, Royal (City of London) Fusiliers, to his brother Coote R. Hely-Hutchinson. Lt. Col., 7th Battalion, Royal (City of London) Fusiliers, Reserve Battalion. Coote Hely-Hutchinson was possibly in Devon when this letter was received where he was training new recruits in marksmanship. Dick writes that his unit has been pulled out of the line after a series of strenuous days. He describe a successful attack recently made in his sector of the line, numerous engagements between German and British patrols in no man's land. He sends thanks to his father for sending him on cigars and brandy, 'The perfect rest after just getting out is something you can cannot understand if you have not experienced it.'The two Hely-Hutchinson brothers, from Seafield in Donabate, Co. Dublin, born 1870 (Coote) and 1871 (Dick) respectively, joined the same regiment in the 1890s. The older brother was on reserve and based in the Phoenix Park, while the younger brother was a career British Army soldier and had various postings in India, Malta, and in Ireland. Dick was in Kinsale when war broke out, and travelled directly to France from there. He served with distinction in France and Flanders, was wounded three times, mentioned in dispatches, and awarded a D.S.O. Coote was called up from Reserve, and spent the war teaching new recruits how to shoot in various training camps across England. He was awarded a military O.B.E. in 1919. Dick wrote many letters, which as an officer arrived uncensored, to his father, mother and sister Cissy, living in Seafield, as well as to his wife Alice (née Cunningham), who spent the war with their daughter Pamela, in a terraced house in Foxrock.

 Fingal Local Studies and Archives Hely-Hutchinson Collection, Fingal County Council's Archives Service https://letters1916.ie/item/596 English Richard G. Hely-Hutchinson 1916-07-29 Lt. Col. Coote R. Hely-Hutchinson Devon Male World War I (1914-1918)

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 1/6/12 July 26th 1916 B.E.F. My dear Cooty, I am fit & well but slightly fatigue, we came out of the line yesterday morning. After 16 days severe fighting; so of course we are what you call slightly depleted. We went into the line on the 8th & did an attack on the 14th, a real good one, everything went A1, & it was a great success. I went down the night before to see where I would dig in before the attack & the place where we had to go to was alive with bursting shells, so I was a little nervous as to how many I would lose before I got dug in. On the evening of the 13th, we went down & there was hardly a shell bursting & we got dug in without losing a man, which put all their tails up, we had a lot of fatiguing work previous to the attack, making forward dumps of string etc. a very trying time for the men & officers, but they did A1 & their discipline was real good & the Brigadier complimented us on the good job of work we had done. The attack was most successful; our bombardment was terrific, & the 1st line trench of the Germans was completely blotted out, the prisoners said they had only been in the trenches half an hour & when it commenced, they were held by the Fusiliers of the Prussian friend; we also captured a village, & a German General with his staff. We came in waves, & moved up & dug in just behind the German 1st line, but were not required to go into the fight. On the 19th we were back just behind, & next day I was sent up to take over, a rather famous wood & village attached to another Bn. We had rather rough passage going in, as we managed to get in the way of some shells, there was quite a lot knocking about. I took over from 4 B so it was a difficult relief, but we got through. My H. Q. was an enormously deep dry and cozy, about 40 ft. under ground. We had a very strenuous time there as we had practically to dig the line, & there was a bit of scrapping between patrols. Most of the fighting is really done now between the guns, the Hun has undoubtedly amassed a great number of guns along the point, & we have an enormous number too. We were very glad to come out & got out safely, just as we were starting a shell burst almost at our feet & that was the only one near us. We got out about 5 a.m. & I came on after two hours rest, & we have pitched up about 5 miles behind the line. We don’t quite know what we are going to do yet, but I hope we are going back for a rest & a refit. After sixteen days you lose so many specialists, that the wheels of your organisation begin to creak a bit, & we want a real rest very badly. Good luck to you all at home. I saw Pinney this morning, & asked after Bob B.C., he said he was a splendid chap, & doing very well. Pinney commands the 3rd Div., a Bantam lot. Give my love to Julia, I had a letter from the old man, & he has sent me 50 cigars & some Brandy is on the way. The perfect rest after just getting out is something you can cannot understand if you have not experienced it. Yours, Dick photograph photograph Richard G. Hely-Hutchinson Letter from Major Richard G. Hutchinson to to his brother, Lt. Col. Coote R. Hely-Hutchinson 29 July 1916 Devon Letter from Major Richard G. Hutchinson to to his brother, Lt. Col. Coote R. Hely-Hutchinson 29 July 1916