Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 18 December, 1915 Letters 1916-1923 William Montgomery

This work was originally published by Maynooth University in Ireland in 2017. In 2026 this data, stored in a relational database was extracted and converted into this TEI/XML document.

 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

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The Montgomery family lived in Malone Park, one of the wealthiest suburbs of Belfast city. This letter is part of a large collection that their son, William, a Captain with the 9th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, wrote to his parents, Harford Hugh and Sara Montgomery, throughout the war. 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. William Montgomery is writing to his father to inform him that Horace (Major Haslett) has been injured. He has been shot, a bullet entered his left ear and exited his eye. He has lost his left eye and has been evacuated. William has spoken to the doctor who advised that "Horace was quite conscious, likely to recover, and he did not think he would lose the sight of his other eye". William is arranging to have Horace's things collected and fowarded to Messrs Cox & Co, Bankers, 18 Charing Cross, London. William will write to Ida tonight. He asks his father to convey the contents of the letter to Jim Haslett and Ida but believes Ida may be in London with Horace by the time his father receives this letter.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Papers of the Montgomery Family, D2794/1/1/5 https://letters1916.ie/item/2726 English William Montgomery 1915-12-18 In the Field Harford Hugh Montgomery Monacherra, Malone Park,Belfast, Ireland Male Personal Relations World War I (1914-1918)

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 In the Field 18th Dec. 1915. My Dear Father/ It was withfeelings of the greatestpossible sorrow that I hadto send you the followingwire this morning:-Assessors BelfastHorace seriously woundedSeventeenth. lost right eye.left believed uninjured.no immediate danger to life.Montgomery I was with Horace whenhe was wounded. He hadasked me to look at somework which he had done tohis trench the previousday. We had looked at this work, and had turned andhad turned to walk awayacross a place which hasbeen freely and safelyused day and night forsome weeks past whenwe were sniped at. Wewere alone at the time.Horace called out Ah! Isit a big hole. Better methan you. I saw hewas badly hit and calledout to one of his sergeantswhom I caught sight ofto send for bearers and aDoctor and come out andhelp me. We got a fielddressing on at once. Joch Stevenson and anotherSergeant came out overgroundwith the stretcher andbearers. Horace was quite 4we were still open to fire. He has been evacuatedvery rapidly right awayfrom near the firing line. I called last night inthe first collecting stationsome miles from where hehad been hit and foundthat he had left thereabout half an hourpreviously. (I could do sobecause as it happened wemoved there into billetslast night). I waw thisDoctor who attended to himand he told me, Horace wasquite conscious, likely torecover, and that he didnot think he would losethe sight of his other eye.The bullet passed in TD 2770 D2794/1/1/5 punt 5under his left ear andout under through hisright eye. The eye is quitegone. He has had amost marvellous escapewith his life. I neverknew just what this phrasemeant until this occurred.I shall never forget howStevenson and Horace's Coythe N.C.O.'s of Horace's Coycame out under a veryaccurate fire and broughtpoor old Horace in. l have officially reportedon their conduct. Horace'swhole Coy. were very upset. All the officers of theBattalion have expressedtheir sincere sorrow 6.and have asked that theirsympathy be conveyedto Ida and his otherrelatives. It was generallyand unanimously agreedlast night that the officerwho could least be sparedwas taken first. Major Crozier, now commandingthe Battalion, has writtenIda direct. I am having all Horace'sthings collected and handedover to the proper Authority.They will be forwardedeventually to Messrs Cox& Co, Bankers, 18 Charing CrossLondon. I am writing Ida 7direct tonight. I need hardly add Fatherjust how terribly upset I have beenmyself by the whole affair. I was Please convey the contents of thisto Jim Haslett and Ita Ida as speedilyas possible. It is possible howeverthat Ida may be with Horace inEngland before this letter reaches you. Your affectionate son Wm Montgomery I am untouched Urgent Harford H Montgomery Esq Monacherra Malone Park Belfast. William Montgomery Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 18 December, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to Sara Montgomery, 23 December, 1915 In the Field Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 26 October, 1916Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 28 November 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 12 November 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 16 November 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 3 November 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 2 December 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his mother, Sara Montgomery, 13 October, 1916Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 17 December 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 12 December 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 22 December 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 31 December 1915Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 1 February 1916Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 11 January 1916Letter from James Davidson to his mother, Clara Mary Davidson, 19 January 1916Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 18 December, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 13 December, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his parents, Harford and Sara Montgomery, 18 November, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his parents, Harford and Sara Montgomery, 29 December, 1915 Monacherra, Malone Park,Belfast, Ireland Letter from William Montgomery to his mother, Sara Montgomery, 13 October, 1916Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 29 September, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his father, Harford Hugh Montgomery, 18 December, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his parents, Harford and Sara Montgomery, 18 November, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to Sara Montgomery, 23 December, 1915Letter from William Montgomery to his mother, Sara Montgomery, 23 December, 1915