'I have had more than enough, thank God he has brought me through'

Private Tom Fake

This is the letter Private Tom Fake wrote to his wife and son in Bristol on the day the guns fell silent on the Western Front...

France, 11/11/18

My dear Sweetheart, this is the day we have been looking forward to, hostilities ceased at 11 o'clock this morning so I guess it's fairly safe out here now with the exception of accidents, of course we have to be on the alert in case of anything startling, but I did not think when I wrote my last letter to you that it would have come so soon.

Well my dear I can tell you I am more than glad, for I have had more than enough of it lately and thank God he has brought me through. I am quite well, but owing to marching etc I am as sore as though I have been kicked all over. Still we must cheer up now, I shall long for the time to come home and be with you and Tommy once again but I don't know how this will affect my leave, I hope it will not be long because I could do with it.

I am wondering how you are taking the news in England? Out here everything is the same as usual, and not the least bit of excitement.

I received your welcome letter No9 last night. No I did not send you a 10/- postal order, the 10/- I spoke about was the two 3/-s and one 4/- but I sent two POs yesterday or the day before, a £1 and 1/-, so if you should get it just before you get this.

Tom Fake's wife, Charlotte, and

young son Tommy

I am glad Dad is better, also glad to learn that Fanny is improving again. I am also glad that Annie is still improving. Yes it will be a job for her to manage that shop especially as Uncle is like he is, but perhaps Alf will be home with her again before long now. I was surprised about Bert Harding, I could hardly make out who you meant at first but I soon realised, I do hope he will get over it, but according to your letter it seems very doubtful. So I suppose you were unable to see Mr Fare after all, I forget now when he was due back, and if he has not left England by now I don't expect he will come back here.

Thanks for getting me a pair of slipper, shan't I be glad when the time comes to put them on. I don't think I have any more news this time but there will be no bombs or shells to keep me awake tonight. Give my love to all and accept my fondest love and kisses for yourselves. Roll on the time now when I can get out of this. Good night my dears, God bless you both xxx

Tom had been in France since the end of 1916, serving with the Rifle Brigade, and wrote home regularly throughout the war. His letters could be both amusing and touching, and I used many in my book Letters from the Trenches. Extracts from others he wrote in November 1918 can be seen in posts on my blog from earlier this week.

Tom's Armistice Day letter - reproduced below - is one of the few in his two-year correspondence that does not begin with a discussion of letters he has received or enquiries about family and friends at home. That is saved for later. More important is that the war is over - but note there is no elation in what he writes, no joy that the fighting has ended. Instead he seems overwhelmed by weariness, which is stands out in the sentences I have put in bold.

I am pleased to say that Tom went home on his long-awaited leave at the end of 1918 and never returned to the Front. He settled back to life in Bristol where he resumed work as a carpenter.

Tom Fake's letter home on Armistice Day, 1918