Letter from John Pollock to George Hackney, 30 August 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from John Pollock to George Hackney, 30 August 1916

1 ST. ENOCH'S CHURCH
Rev. JOHN POLLOCK
MINISTER
(Presbterian Chaplain
to the Forces)
7 ,GLANDORE PARK BELFAST 30.8.16 My dear George, Since leaving home three
weeks ago I have had no heart to write
to anyone, so that you are not an exception.
We feel that there is now
nothing but the very faintest likelihood
of our dear boy turning up, and the
suspense has give place to a sense of
bitter bereavement. At the same
time we do not forget that we gave
Paul for the noblest of causes, and
he most enthusiastically gave himself.
The purest war is, on our part, 'for
the defence of the gospel'. the protection,
advancement, and consolidation
of the kingdom of God. That being
so, I had rather have my son's
body in an unmarked grace, having
done his duty, than sitting beside
me here, having shirked it. I never
honoured you and your comrades at
the front so much as I do now. And
God will richly reward you. There is
no heresy in that conviction! 2 Accept of our united thanks for your
great kindness. Your letter was just
like you. Though it was not answered
promptly, it was acted upon without
delay. Mr. Smith and Elsie called
each of them on part of your list.
The addresses were all visited,
but no definite information was gained.
From information received through
my notice in the press, we have
reason to believe that Paul was
so seriously wounded by shrapnel
that he must have died before he
could be attended to, and not more
than fifty yards from our lines, but
away from the Y.C.V. position. His
body has not been found, the entire
ground having been ploughed up by
explosives. Of course we still
cling to the hope that his may be
one of the wonderful cases of reappearance
after long suspense. Mother was bearing up wonderfully
when I saw her last, which was very
shortly before leaving home. May you
be spared to see her, and she to see
you! With united affectionate regards, Ever yours John Pollock 3 POSTMARK WEYMOUTH 11.45 AM 30 AUG 16 Corporal George Hackney, B Company, 8 Platoon, 14th Irish Rifles, 19 Ward, 35 General Hospital 4 Army Post
B
10
16

This letter is from the papers of George Naphthali Hackney (c. 1889-1977), 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 a Hospital in Calais, France, and in Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield.Reverend John Pollock (1852-1935) was Minister of St. Enoch's Church in North Belfast, leading the largest Presbyterian congregation in the British Isles. He was also a prominent member of the Christian Endeavour movement , and composed many of its hymns. His only son Paul was killed in the Battle of the Somme.In this letter, Pollock writes of his 'bitter bereavement' at the presumed death of his missing son. He argues, however, that Paul's death was both noble and worthy, that he gave his life 'for the noblest of causes... the protection, advancement, and consolidation of the Kingdom of God'. Thus, Pollock argues, it is better for his son to be lying 'in an unmarked grave' having accepted his duty than to be still alive, having shirked it. He gives information of his search for Paul, and speculates on his fate.

John Pollock
George Hackney
1916-08-30
World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations World War I (1914-1918) Faith

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__0736.html)