Author Description

'Well old chap, I am glad I am wounded to get out of that hell, and, if you ever meet a chap that says he wants to go back, call him a liar.'These few words written by Albert Edwin Rippington, from a hospital in England, come from this collection of letters from staff at the Audit office for the Great Western Railway (GWR) based at Paddington, London, who had enlisted to fight in the First World War.What makes this collection of soldiers' letters so different from all others is the fact that it reveals the stories of a particular group of men who varied in class and education, who were writing back to their colleagues and bosses in the office while on active service during in the First World War. Many men enlisted from the GWR to fight, but these letters come exclusively from those that worked at its Audit office. Staff at Paddington covered a range of different roles in insurance, accounting or ticketing for the Great Western Railway.There are 32 fascinating letters and 16 photographs in this resource and all letters have been transcribed.