The Court Estate—In connection with the Court Estate Roll of Honour, a very successful whist drive was held in Mrs. Mortimer’s granary, about 60 being present. Winners: ladies, 1 Mrs. W. Holt, 2 Mrs. Law; gentlemen, 1 Mr. S. Holt, 2 Mr. F. Hales. Refreshments were served, and a very pleasant time was spent. There were also guessing competitions, which realized over 30s., and 19 boys with the Colours have received 5s. each. [placed in the Mission Hall 1st March 1918]

The Court Estate Roll of Honour which was started on December 8th, has been splendidly supported. The secretaries (Mrs. Berrill and Miss Warrington) have been able to send to the 18 soldiers whose names appear on the Roll the sum of 5s. each month, each man having therefore already received £1. Four of the Court Estate men have been killed.

Gifts from Roll of honour – The Thanks of the Soldiers
Mrs Berrill and Miss Warrington, the secretaries of the Rushden Court Estate Roll of Honour, have received a number of interesting letters expressing thanks for gifts, the following being some extracts:-

W E. Wix: I am off to Mudros tomorrow morning. Mudros is about 170 miles from Salonica, and within easy reach of the Dardanelles. I heard from my mother how well the opening of our Court Estate chapel was carried out. I hope it will always succeed, so that our friends may be drawn closer together. I, for one, am proud of the way you are all working together. Let us hope the war won’t be another 3½years; still we must keep smiling. We always did say the first seven years of the war would be the worst!

Driver W J Sutton (France): I am keeping fairly fit, considering all things, and I join with you in the wish for a speedy victory and a safe return.

J King (R.N.S.): The general opinion is that the war will soon finish.

Alfred Dilley: I thank you and all the Court Estate people for the kindness you have shoen towards me.

Pte J Ashby (M.T., A.S.C.): I don’t expect I shall be long before I am sent over the water now.

Frank Clarke: I hope we shall all be home shortly. I wish you a happy Easter-tide.

Percy Hopkins, H.R.F.A.: It is really very kind of you to show your appreciation of the serving members of the Court Estate.

Sergt. King (France): I hope to meet you all in the near future, and I am sure I can interest you for a short time with my experiences during my two years in France.

Pte. L Wix (R.A.M.C.): Where are you holding the meetings of your Mission? Have you converted the Isolation Hospital into a meeting hall, as that is the only building I am able to think of.

F Chapman (Somewhere in Egypt): I have been rather unfortunate with my correspondence, and have lost about three months completely.

B Matthews: It would be very nice if all the boys could get back to attend the little Court estate chapel, but I suppose we shall have to wait for that.

W Bates: The gift is very much appreciated, but more so the heart with which it is given.

Pte. H Chapman writes from Kitchener’s Hospital, Brighton.

Corpl. F C Adams (A.S.C.): sends thanks for the third postal order for 5s.

The Court Estate Roll of Honour—The receipts from December 1917, to the end of June were: December £4 10s. 4½d., January £4 6s. 10d., February £3 19s. 1d., March £5 9s. 5½d., April £3 14s. 7d., May £3 4s. 8d., June £4 12s. 5d: total £29 17s. 5d. Other receipts are whist drive and competitions amounting to £6 11s. 9d., making a total of £36 9s. 2d. The expenditure was as follows: 5s. to each of 18 boys, December £4 10s. 0d., January £4 10s. 0d., February £4 10s. 0d., 5s. to each of 19 boys, March £4 15s. 0d., April £4 5s. 0d., May £4 15s. 0d., June £4 15s. 0d., total £32 10s. 0d. Other expenditure was: Whist prizes, writing requisites, Roll of Honour frame, £1 6s. 4d.; total expenditure £33 16s. 4d. This leaves a balance in hand of £2 12s. 10d. There are now 21 boys’ names on the Roll, and five have been killed.

Gifts from the Roll of Honour – Letters of Appreciation
Mrs A G Berrill and Miss Warrington, secretaries of the Rushden Court Estate Roll of Honour, have received another batch of letters from the recipients of the war shrine gifts, the following being extracts:-

Walter Wix, H.M.Y.—: I am quite well and in the best of spirits, and have had the best of luck since I left Blighty. I have left H.M.S. —, and am aboard another ship in a different part of the world. It is nearly three months since I left England, and it surprises me when I think where I have been in that little time. I had a good journey out here. It was broken a few times on the way. We stayed a few days at some places, and if there had been no war on we might have thought we were out on a picnic. The weather out here is enough to scorch anyone. We wear all white clothes because it is so hot. We spend a good part of our leisure time in bathing, because that is the only time you feel cool. I am very glad to know what a great success they have made of the Court Estate Roll of Honour. I have the “Rushden Echo” every week, and I do not think there is another Roll to come up to the Court Estate, not because I belong to the Court Estate, but that is my true opinion.

Pte. F Clark: I was very glad to hear you had opened a chapel on Court Estate. I hope the war will soon be over, and I think it will not be many months now.

Pte. A G Berrill, R.A.M.C., Salonika Force: Dear Miss Warrington,—I am quite well, and getting on nicely out here. I don’t wish to stay here, of course, but we have to make the best of what comes our way. My one hope is to once more come back to see you all up at the Court Estate. It will be a great day when the boys all sit with you in the Mission Hall, which I am sure we all hope to do in the near future. This is not a very healthy country, and we get extreme changes of weather, which is most trying. If you could see the work our Army has done out here you would marvel at it. The Greeks have had an eye-opener, and will have much to thank us for when peace comes. To see the people going about on their donkeys reminds one of the old Bible pictures. The man rides the donkey and his wife walks behind. Perhaps there is an advantage in that, thought it does not look right—the woman is certainly in a position to keep her eye on her husband!

Robert Fenton (In the Field): I cannot say how touched I am to know that I am in your thoughts during these dreary, monotonous days, and I can assure you we are longing for the end, like everyone else. Still, we do manage to keep cheerful, in spite of an occasional “grouse”, and we are quite resigned for years of war, if necessary. Your very kind gift from the fund will go in a War Certificate. Many thanks for it, and good luck to the subscribers.

Pte. J Ashby: I think we are very lucky boys to have so many kind friends doing their best to help us.

Rifleman B Matthews: I am pleased to hear that the boys are all getting on fairly well, and I am looking forward to the time when I shall meet them all back in the old place. I guess there will be some happy times when it is all over and we return.

Pte. H Chapman: I am glad that everyone likes the new Mission Hall.

E C Adams: I hope it will be a good harvest and that there will be record crops.

Writing from “Sandy View”, Egypt, one soldier says: I think it is very kind of the people of the Court estate to think of the boys who are away doing their little bit in this terrible struggle for freedom, and I am sure their kindness won’t be forgotten when peace once again reigns supreme, and I feel confident that the glorious time is not far distant now. I am very pleased to hear that your little church is making such satisfactory progress. It is just what the old Court Estate wanted.

Pte. Leonard Wix: I hope your good wishes for our safe and speedy return may shortly be realised. Last month it was again my misfortune to have to witness the peaceful folk leaving their homes and tracking along the road in search of safer refuge. May these events never overtake the people of England. Of course, we are blessed by having the sea on all sides, and it seems a great pity that unity should not reign supreme in our small islands. When we can settle small troubles at home we shall be better able to cope with the greater ones. I sincerely trust the time is not far distant when we may see peace once again reigning throughout the whole world and we are once again able to move in the grooves of peaceful smoothness.

Letters have also been received from Alfred Dilley, S King, J King, J Howland, W Bates, W Sutton, P Hawkins, and others.