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Dear Father/ The bearer, Coy. Sergt Maj.
Hall is my Coy. Sergt Major. At least he is
C.S.M of 'A' Coy. and a rattling good
man. He can give you all the
Battalion gossip. He will probably tell
you he is having a lovely time now
that he is temporarily rid of me as a
Coy. Cmdr. He will also probably tell
you that your son is a terribly
hard man. He smokes. Your affectionate son Wm. Montgomery 16/11/16
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Harford H Montgomery Esq C/O Messrs Wm Montgomery & Son 2 Wellington Place Belfast Written diagonally Wm. Montgomery
A letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery (1856-1933).
The letter was hand delivered by his Company Sergeant, Major Hall, who is on leave.
William jokes that Hall is delighted to be away from him as he is such a tough commanding
officer. This letter is part of a large collection that William, a Captain with the
9th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, wrote to his parents, Harford Hugh and Sara
Montgomery, throughout the war. The Montgomery family lived in Malone Park, one of
the wealthiest suburbs of Belfast city. His first letter is dated 3 December 1914.
Captain Montgomery was a decorated soldier. He was awarded both the Victoria and the
15 Star medals and was promoted to the rank of Major. His father owned a fire assessor
business.