Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 19 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Willie Doyle

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 Irish Jesuit Archives IE-IJA-J2-83-73 https://letters1916.ie/item/3903 English Willie Doyle 1916-06-19 8th Royal Irish Fusiliers, British Expeditionary Force, France Hugh Doyle Melrose, Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland Male 1917 World War I (1914-1918) World War I (1914-1918)

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 8th.R.Irish Fusiliers,France 19/6/'16 My dear Father, My postcard will have told you of my pleasant crossing both from Ireland and England,and ofmy safe arrival here on Thursday evening. On my way over Isuddenly remembered a promise Ihad made to visit the Sisters at Newport,Mon. if atall possible, and as Ihad a day to spare IthoughtI could not do better than drop down there. Asluck would have it my ticket ran from Dublin toFranceS, so I changed at Chester and went downSouth by the G. Western R1. Ticket collectorslooked puzzled to find me so far off the track,but I ended all argument by asking them to denythe fact that I was making my way surely,if slowlytowards France. Had I examined my ticket sooner I might have gone round by the North of Scotland,taken a dive for Cornwall and so worked on towardsthe land of frogs and Frenchmen, I had a verywarm welcome from the good Sisters,but unfortunately the Mother Provincial whom I wanted to see wasaway on visitation,and the girl whom I had sent toNewport as a novice was in another house some dis-tance away, so I saw neither of them. The following morning I went to London,sleptat Farm St.and crossed to Boulogne on Thursday,reaching Bethune about eight the same evening. Mytravelling companion was a corpulent Major whospent most of the 6 1/2 hours' train journey gettingoutside a formidable pile of provisions with which he hadprovided himself,the whole being steadied by twolarge baskets of strawberries. For a while I feared he would bust,as the Yanks say,and then un-charitably I hoped he would,as I had had to runfor my train and was starving in consequence,butmy friend did not offer me a bite. Iput up in the hotel that night and next morning, Friday,made my way up to the trenches where the Brigade had gone. I had hardly got there whed when I met with an adventure which at first I did not in tend to mention fearing it might make you more un- easy about me,but on reflection it seems right I should not keep from you this last mark of the good God's wonderful protection which has been so manifest during the past four months. I was standing in a trench quite a distance from the firing line,at a spot almost as safe as Dalk- ey itself,talking to m some of my men when e heard in the distance the scream of a shell. It was evidently one of those random shots,which Brother Fritz sends along from time to time, as no one came after it. We very soon became pain- fully aware that our visitor was heading for us and that if he did not explode in front of our trench his career would certainly come to an end close behind us. I did not feel very uneasy for I knew we were practically safe from flying frag- ments which would pass over our heads,but none of us had calculated that this gentleman had madeup his mind to drop into the trench itself, a coupleof paces from where I stood. What really took place in the next couple ofseconds I cannot say; I was conscious of a terr-ific explosion and the thud of falling stonesand debris. I thought the drums of my ears weresplit by the crash and I believe I was knockeddown by the concussion but when i jumped to myfeet I found the two men who were standing at myleft hand, the side the shell fell, stretched dead,though I think I had time to give them absolutionand the Last Sacraments. The poor fellow on myright was lying badly wounded in the head; butthough a bit stunned and dazed by the suddennessof the whole thing I was absolutely untouchedthough covered with dirt and blood. My escape was nothing short of a miracle, fora moment before I was standing on the very spotthe shell fell and had just moved away a coupleof paces. I did not think it was possible to beso near a high explosive and not be gkilled and (5) even now I cannot account for my marvellous es-cape. In saying this I am not quite truthful, forI have not a doubt where the saving protectioncame from. I had made up my mind to consecratesome small Hosts the following morning and putthem in my pyxa as usual, but as I walked throughthe little village on my to the trenches thethought came to me that with so much danger aboutit would be well to have our Blessed Lord's com-pany and protection. Iwent into the church, openedthe tabernacle and with the Sacred Host restingon my heart set out confidently to face whateverlay before me, little did I think I was to be sonear death or how much depended on that simpleaction. That is the explanation of the whole thingI trusted Him and I believe He just allowed thisto happen on the very first day I got back tomake me trust Him all the more and have greaterconfidence in his loving protection. (6) Whether it was my trip in Lena's motor, Mai's vile pills or the fearful guzzling of those memorable days at home I never felt better or fitter in my life. All the same I am hoping that my next trip will be the last and will see the end of this dreadful war, a thing which is not impossible. Au revoir, my time is up. Love to all. Willie. Melrose, Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 20 July 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 23 September 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 1 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 10 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 17 March 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 24 March 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 29 April 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 19 June 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 26 October 1916 8th Royal Irish Fusiliers, British Expeditionary Force, France Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 20 July 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 24 March 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 29 April 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 19 June 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J., 16 April 1916 Willie Doyle Letter from Father Willie Doyle to Hugh Doyle, 10 March 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 20 July 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 23 September 1916Letter from Fr Willie Doyle SJ to Provincial Thomas Nolan, 13 May 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 25 January 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 25 February 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 1 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 10 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 31 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 30 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 15 January 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Mai, 22 January 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 25 January 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 4 February 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 10 February 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Mai, 11 February 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 17 March 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 24 March 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 29 April 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 19 June 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Hugh Doyle, 26 October 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J., 16 April 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 12 December 1915Postcard from Fr Willie Doyle SJ to Sister M. Anthony, 7 April 1916