L/Cpl Joseph Quinn KLR - his letters home before being KIA on 30/7/1916 at Guillemont

[davidbohl]

I've transcribed a book of his letters home published in 1918, he comes across as a remarkable soldier, strong in his Catholic faith, very opinionated, and unfazed by the prospect of death as trench warfare progressed at Guillemont.

His biography  https://www.liverpoolpals.com/soldier/?i=2067/26540-L/Cpl-joseph-patrick-quinn

His letters https://www.liverpoolpals.com/books/quinn.pdf

Dave

 

 

[Matlock1418]

On 14/07/2023 at 11:19, davidbohl said:

I've transcribed a book of his letters home published in 1918,

A lot of hard work gone in there Dave = Thanks for posting.

 On a quiet point from his biog page

His sister Annie, living at 2 Alexandra Road, received his pension, and his effects went to his brother James.

From a WFA/Fold3 pension index card = Rather than a dependant's pension his sister, Annie, seems to have received a Gratuity of unspecified quantum [which would typically have been a one-off payment]

M

[davidbohl]

1 hour ago, Matlock1418 said:

On a quiet point from his biog page

I'll make a note of that for the next time it gets updated, thanks.

It was a b*gger to transcribe his letters, they were littered with double quotes, single quotes within doubles etc.

It took me back to my programming days of matching IF and END-IF statements.

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

Thank you so much for transcribing the letters and posting, David.

I followed the links to Lance Corporal Quinn’s profile and letters because my grandfather arrived at the Somme on the very day on which Lance Corporal Quinn was killed, 30 July 1916, and himself was seriously wounded in an attack on Guillemont on 9 September 1916. His comment about the forthcoming attack on 9 September 1916, in his entry for 7 September 1916, is: “The objective was to take Guillemont Village, push through, and occupy a Line on the Eastern side of the Bapaume to Bray road. Several Divisions had made an attempt to do this  previously, but had failed. What were our chances with one Brigade, which was already weak after many casualties? But it was typical of the tactics on the Somme – a nibbling, useless waste of good troops; innumerable lives were wasted in this way.”

Reading Lance Corporal Quinn’s letters, I was initially a little put off by his early prediction that WW1 would result in Britain once again becoming a Catholic country, which seems somewhat strange from a modern perspective, but once I had got past that, I was so glad that I had been drawn into reading the letters. He writes beautifully, and vividly, with occasional flashes of finely observed humour.

Naturally his narrative of the dangers he faced and the attack on 1 July 1916 is somewhat sanitized for home consumption, especially for his sisters, but the rawness of the experience does occasionally shine through, especially in the letters to his male friends.

He appears to have retained his equanimity and humanity throughout, putting trust in his catholic faith and the prayers of those at home, and it is such a pity that those, in the end, were insufficient to save him, as he undoubtedly would have had much to offer to society in the years after the war if he had survived.

[davidbohl]

16 hours ago, A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy said:

my grandfather arrived at the Somme on the very day on which Lance Corporal Quinn was killed, 30 July 1916, and himself was seriously wounded in an attack on Guillemont on 9 September 1916. His comment about the forthcoming attack on 9 September 1916, in his entry for 7 September 1916, is: “The objective was to take Guillemont Village, push through, and occupy a Line on the Eastern side of the Bapaume to Bray road. Several Divisions had made an attempt to do this  previously, but had failed. What were our chances with one Brigade, which was already weak after many casualties? But it was typical of the tactics on the Somme – a nibbling, useless waste of good troops; innumerable lives were wasted in this way.”

I'm glad you found it worthwhile reading his letters. Could we use the entry your grandfather wrote on Guillemont in our narratives of that day please, we can put his name to it if required.

Dave   

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

On 28/08/2023 at 13:10, davidbohl said:

Could we use the entry your grandfather wrote on Guillemont in our narratives of that day please, we can put his name to it if required.

I have replied by PM to this enquiry, and in doing so have learned of the sterling work that David and others are doing in creating a comprehensive website with biographies of all the Liverpool Pals who lost their lives in WW1, a truly mammoth undertaking, but so valuable for the descendants, and also for educational purposes more generally.

[CoRifleman]

Thank you for sharing this.