60746: Diary of James Cross, Royal Engineers

Diary kept by Sapper J. Cross, service no. 62966, 43rd Signal Coy., Welsh Army Corps, Royal Engineers (the Welsh Army Corps was a short-lived home service formation). This has also been transcribed by Jim and his wife in the 1980s-90s. Cross describes his training, his life occassional leave to go home, his occasional leave with his sweetheart - then fiance - then wife. On 18 July he mentions his lucky threepenny bit, a photo of this is included in this collection - attached to Cross' dog-tags. On 2 December Cross mentions the telegram he sent his wife before embarkation to France- the telegram is included in this collection. First month in France is described daily. 31 December includes a poem or verse to include in a letter to his wife: And so we meet and part again;
Part tho' my very soul would have you stay:
And a smiling face hides all my pain;
So I take my solitary way.

Part of a large collection relating to Jim Cross, Broadway, Worcestershire. Before the First World War he was a postman in Hereford, joining the army as a ˜sapper' (service number 62966) in the Royal Engineer (Signals) in January 1915. The collection includes artefacts from Serjeant James Cross' service as a despatch rider, and his memoirs “ dictated in his 90s in the 1980s-90s to his second wife, Jill. The memoirs are based on Jim's diaries from 1915, 1917 and 1918. Sjt. Cross served overseas in the 38th (Welsh) Division Signalling Company, and was later attached to Headquaters, Royal Artillery, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division.