Cameron Forster Brown: Letters from the Front in WW1

 " Dear Ashley, Send me along two Primus stoves will you and a good assortment of prickers, one large stove and one small, no more [?], Piggot has had to go and we have a non regular K. Royal Rifle Corps Captain in command of the Battalion. How are the mighty fallen! We are all speechless with anger with the Brigadier, however I was abominably impertinent to him yesterday, which relieved me somewhat. Yours ever, Cameron "

 " Dearest One, There is just a little doubt about Gardiner today, so don't go until I give you further details, please. He is wounded badly, but he may still be alive. The others including what is left of the Coy [Company] have gone in to have baths and have been spending the afternoon writing to wives and mothers of my men who are dead, which has been rather difficult, it is hard to know what to say. Bob has been recommended for a D.S.M or something which I am very glad of, he certainly deserves it. The most ridiculously young people will be made captains and Lts. Encouraging accounts from the south and from Russia seem to be coming in.  I don't feel very fit and it will be a little time until any of us get over last week-end I think. I hope they leave us in peace for a short time. I must stop. I will write you more next time. Much love, Cameron "

 " Dear Ashley, I dispatched Isabel's printed card in a great hurry and had lots to scratch out, so scratched out everything. Yes we did use gas and how can you ask, do remember we are the English not the French, of course we gassed ourselves, pretty badly too I believe. We are in these damned trenches again and a G mine went up at lunch time, which scared us not a little, being only two companies they can hardly use us unless necessity compels, except for manning trenches. I met Geoffrey Gilbey yesterday. I went back before we came in in the evening, to have a bath and met him there, he was extremely affectionate to send you his love and many enquiries. I don't like him much. Yours ever, Cameron Forster Brown "

" Dearest one, Quel temps! The trenches are all falling down and the Bosch are systematically shelling us which aids the general downfall. I have got the M Guns for a week, and for the minute I am out but shall go into the hollow. I have written and sent a cheque for the waders. I pray they come, my Goldings have collapsed completely under the wet work. We hear today that Romania is on the point of coming in against us, whom I presume will be shortly followed by Greece. Being with the M G section I am not with the Batln and I am rather glad it is a change. Tell Ashley I have been dining and lunch. with Parry who is in the same Coy [company] in the 11th Btln [Battalion] as Gilbey. The latter raves about Ashley   and has apparently never forgotten your charming voice down the telephone. I told him I could understand his taste since you always sound as if you have double pneumonia, at least down the phone. Brotherly love! I am keeping extraordinarily fit inspite of the endless mushy ...

This letter in blue pencil states, " If you want to know where I am get the Graphic of Oct 2nd. There's a birds Eye view of the British front. Right in the middle there's a line like this. We are about the H in the first British. Pleased to hear about the Lancia. Yes, waders and the waterproof overalls to go under the boots. Try Anderson & Anderson, Oxford St, I think. Size for waders you can find from two prs of old boots of mine Doris has. My Goldings are rapidly going. We had an awful alarm. We had come out of the trenches the night before at 4:00 o'clock am. There was an enormous explosion followed by a bombardment. We were called up, the adjutant rushed in and said, 'they're over the top already,' imagine our state! Yours ever, Cameron " I've ordered a copy of The Graphic for October 2nd 1915 and will update when it arrives.

On 4th November 1914, Cameron was appointed Temporary Second Lieutenant, posted to the 12th Service Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. His brother-in-law Ashley Smith had helped secure this commission. He was instructed to report for duty at Cowshott, Aldershot. The early days were chaotic with very few trained officers and NCOs to command the new volunteers and no organised billets or equipment. In February 1915, the Division moved to Witley, Godalming and Guildford, and the artillery went by train since there was insufficient harness for the horses. This was followed by a move to Salisbury Plain in April 1915. "The Division was inspected by King George V at Knighton Down on 24 June 1915, by which time all equipment had arrived and the Division was judged ready for war." "On 26 July 1915, the Division completed concentration in the Saint-Omer area, all units having crossed to France during the preceding few days. Early trench familiarisation and training took place in the...

A letter from W.B. Turnbull dated Monday 28th August 1916 described what had happened on the Saturday 26th August. " Mr. Forster Brown was badly wounded on Saturday evening and I am sorry to say that he died soon after we arrived at Hospital, and I wish to send you the deepest sympathy of all the men of the 12th Battalion who have known Mr. Forster Brown so long and I am sure we have lost an officer who was deeply respected in the Batln. as he was so fearless and brave. Mr. Maltby was also wounded by the same shell and I am sorry to say he died a little later. " Lieut. Col. H.L. Riley wrote,  " Personally I have lost one of my best officers and one whom I can never replace. He had only taken over command of the company a short time and had proved himself quite invaluable. A chance shell fell right into the mess and killed or wounded all the officers of the Company and the Adjutant. I saw him just after, but he was quite unconscious and did not suffer any pain. He was alw...

Cameron Forster Brown, born 13 September 1893, was the younger brother of Doris, later Doris Ives Smith whose pen name was Catherine Ives . Their parents were Marion Wintle and Thomas Forster Brown, a mining engineer, of Stoke Bishop, Bristol.  Cameron went to school at Aysgarth, Winchester and Clifton College before going on to Caius College, Cambridge. He became firm friends with Ashley Smith , his brother in law. Here below are some photographs of Cameron at school and age about 21 on joining the army. Cameron at school Cameron at Cambridge and on joining the army, age 21

Cameron Forster Brown (1893-1916) was my grandmother's brother. The two of them were very close. At the outbreak of WW1, he enlisted in the Cambridgeshire Regiment, obtaining a commission in November 1914 in the 12th Battalion Rifle Brigade .  Portrait of James Cameron Forster Brown in uniform The 12th battalion was part of 20th Light Division, which on 22 August 1916, relieved 24th Division on the Somme near Delville Wood, after an unsuccessful attack on Guillemont. 20th Division found itself under heavy German attack in horrific conditions as described in The History of the Rifle Brigade in the War of 1914-1918:  " On the night 25/26th, when the Division side-stepped five hundred yards to the right, the Tenth Battalion came into a sector of trenches of a horror that can hardly be imagined. Not merely was the front line impossible to be held: it could only be approached by men of the most iron fortitude. The position was dangerously exposed to fire from the village; but that ...