Letter book 5

Letter book by Gray for the period when he is stationed in France, in the vicinity of Armentieres near the Belgian border, the move south with the New Zealand division to the Somme in September, and the period of intense action on the front at Flers, followed by a shift north to Estaires.

Provides detailed first-hand account of experiences leading up to, and during, the battle of the Somme, including dealing with casualties of the front, transport, evacuation, medical and hygiene procedures.

Includes details of military positions and arrangements, including the camp between Dernancourt and Fricourt. Also makes reference to Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead (1872-1930), near the village of Montauban.

Describes the relative sophistication of a German trench, 'in construction it is colossal. We went down into a shaft dugout - fifty feet underground. You have read of these I expect - fitted with electric light, furnished, complete with everything.'

The letter book ends on a positive note when Gray writes, 'We have had really what might be called a holiday, and it has been very welcome after our somewhat arduous labours' (page 96), and reports that he has been awarded the Military Medal for his earlier contribution in the Somme.

Publication - Selected letters and diary entry accounts from this collection have been published. See "'The Great Adventure': The letters of Randolph Norman Gray, 3/893", in: Jock Phillips, Nicholas Boyack and E. P. Malone (eds), The great adventure: New Zealand soldiers describe the First World War (Wellington: Allen & Unwin, 1988) pp 69-110.

Relationship complexity - Photocopied typescript transcriptions of most of the manuscript texts found in the letter books are held in MS-Papers-4134

Quantity: 1 volume(s).

Physical Description: Mss, letter book, standard issue Field Message Book (Army Book 153), 98 numbered pages, paper covers, 12 x 17 cm