Thiepval Memorial, France, Somme
This letter was sent home to Guernsey
to Georgianna Molteno, Leonard Molteno's mother, after
he was presumed killed in action in WW1.
It's contents was sent to Len's brother here in Australia
from his mother to assist him in grieving, when he was
so far away from the rest of his family.
Jennifer Molteno (Connell)
7/8/1916
Dear Madam,
It is not in an official capacity that I write this
letter, but as a dear friend of your son & in accordance
with a promise made to him some time ago.
As perhaps you are aware, our battalion was in heavy
fighting around Poziers. On the night of July 22&23
Leonard went into action with his platoon, whose work
it was to capture a portion of the German trench.
He was seen to leave the trench & take shelter in
a shell hole in no-mans land with the commander of his
section.
I have questioned members of his section, who were with
him in the shell hole. It appears that Leonard personally
attempted to establish communication with other sections
& nothing has been heard of him.
It grieves me to say that personally I have little hope
that he is alive. There is a possibility that he was
taken prisoner, or even got back to our trench &
passed wounded or sick through some dressing station,
whose report to this effect we have not yet received.
I am very sorry that I have not been able to write this
letter before.
I must close expressing my deepest sympathy as having
known Leonard for two years at College in Bristol as
a bosom friend & a true liver, I can realize what
the loss of such a son means.
Yours respectfully,
W.N Anderton
Sadly, the young man that penned this
letter died in the fighting too not long after writing
this.
