Letter from John Lynn to George Hackney, 26 September 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from John Lynn to George Hackney, 26 September 1916

1 Telegrams 'Sabbath, Belfast'
Telephone:Belfast 1323 from The Sabbath School Society for Ireland BIBLE AND BOOK DEPOT Fisherwick Place, BELFAST. agency for colportage J.L. J LYNN, MANAGER 26th September, 1916 My dear George, A few days ago I heard that you had got the length
of Sheffield, and that you are now in hospital suffering from shell-
shock. The last communication of yours that I saw was one
you had written to Mr. Russell, and I think you were then in France. I hope, now that you have got back to Blighty, your
health is improving, and I don't suppose you have any objections to
being a little nearer your native land. As a result of your trying
experiences, I hope you will not be permanently injured. When you get well enough I suppose you will be allowed
home for a while. We should all like very much to see you on your
return. I wrote the Rev. Sam McKenzie when I heard you were in
a Sheffield hospital. You will, no doubt, remember him. I think he
was a student when you were here. He is a native of Bangor. I had
a post-card from him saying he had called on you. I suppose a visit
from every anyone whom you know is acceptable at any time. All the staff here were sorry to know that you were
unwell, but we all hope you will soon be quite fit and able to got about
as usual. 2 I sometimes see your sister, but I have not been
speaking to her for some time, The last time I saw here she
said your mother was very much as usual. I am sure your home
people will be glad if you get home even for a short time. With kindest regards from all the staff,
and trusting your health will soon be fully recovered, I am,
Very faithfully yours, John Lynn 3 BIBLE
AND
BOOK DEPOT,
AGENCY
FOR
COLPORTAGE
THE SABBATH SCHOOL SOCIETY FOR IRELAND
BELFAST 4 No. 14815, Lepl. George Hackney, Ward 31, Warcliffe War Hospital, SHEFFIELD.

A letter John Lynn to George Hackney (1889-1977). In the letter, Lynn hopes that George is recovering speedily from the shell-shock he suffered in the trenches. He hopes that George will be able to visit home soon 'for a while', and mentions a recent visit to George by a mutual acquaintance, a Reverend Sam McKenzie. He says that all the staff in the Depot wish George the best. He refers also to the health of George's mother, stating she is 'very much as usual'.This letter is from the papers of George Naphthali Hackney , a Lance Corporal from Clifton, Belfast. Before his time in the army, he worked as a book-keeper for a florist. He was the youngest in a Presbyterian family of six, with three older sisters. In 2014, his collection of photographs taken in the trenches were made available to the public in an Ulster Museum exhibition, and his life and photography became the subject of a BBC documentary, 'The Man who Shot the Great War'. In 1916 he was injured and spent some time in Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield. The author of the letter, John Lynn, was the manager of the Bible and Book Depot of The Sabbath School Society for Ireland, a Presbyterian Sunday School. The Depot was an Agency for Colportage, i.e. the distribution of religious texts.

Open image in new tab

How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__0728.html)