December 1915

Joseph Parsons had been killed in action at the Battle of Loos, but as earlier reports in the Surrey Advertiser show, news of his fate was slow in coming through. On 4th December the Surrey Advertiser reported that ‘Mrs Parsons of Canfold has received the following letter from Pte S. Pyke, B Co. The Queens in France, respecting her son, Pte J. Parsons, who was killed in France. “I was next to your son on the morning of 25th September, when we made the charge, and your son was killed when we reached the second line of German trenches. He suffered no pain as it was an instantaneous death. I was one of his chums for the past eight months and we miss him very much, as he was such a nice fellow and was well liked in B Company by officers and men.”’

Social problems as a result of the war

The Surrey Advertiser reported on the case of Mrs Phoebe Smith – “At the county bench yesterday (Friday) Phoebe Smith of Ellen’s Green was summoned in respect to the irregular attendance of her boy at school. – Defendant wrote stating that her husband was in the army and she had to look after nine children, four of whom were under four years of age. The Attendance Officer stated that defendant received a Separation Allowance of £2.2s.6d a week – fined 5s.”

Comforts and parcels for the troops and POWs

On Saturday 18th December 1915 the Surrey Advertiser reported that “The working men of the village have raised the sum of £7.5s towards sending a parcel of comforts for about 50 villages who are serving with the colours. Those who are Prisoners of War have been sent a parcel of food.”