SAfS Logo

Print page

 
You are here: Home > Resources > A Short Life in the Sky > Action Abroad > Source 1
<back

Source 1: Censorship, January 1916

As a regular writer of letters home, communication was difficult for Douglas for a number of reasons – in January 1916, he was on board ship on his way to his posting at the port of Basra and secondly, he had to be careful what he said.

You can print the image and transcript below as a Word document (Rich Text Format, 1MB, new window).

View the timeline for an outline of John Douglas Hume's life.

Letter from John Hume to his mother from the SS Huntcastle. National Records of Scotland reference: GD486/98

Transcript

At Sea [SS ‘Huntscastle’]
22 January 1916

My Dear Mother

Safe so far. The censor allows me to say so little that
I can merely state that the submarine danger is over though we’ve
had a bad time looking out for them - 4 hours on & 4 hours off for
4 days during which my diary has been altogether given up.

The weather has been fairly good, though once I was constrained to consign
my dinner to the deep. The food is quite good & extravagantly varied
but the cooking is not very! I have only once had well cooked potatoes.
I am not allowed to cable.

Much love to all
Douglas


(National Records of Scotland reference GD486/98)

 

 

 
 
Terms of use | Privacy | Copyright | Site Map

© Crown copyright: National Records of Scotland