Private
Sydney Nicholls
307120 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers
Missing in Action 2nd September 1918, aged 35
Lived at 329 Cog Lane
Commemorated on the Vis En Artois Memorial, France
Burnley Express
28th September 1918
Commemoration Silk
Letter from Elizabeth Want (nee Nicholls – nee Osborn) mother of Sydney to sister Annie written around end of 1914 to early 1915.
37 Sunderland Street
Rose Grove (Burnley Lancs.)
My Dear Sister and Brother
I was glad to receive your letter and I should have rote to you one if
I had not got yours because I always like to tell you all at the end of
the old year as it is almost gone never to return again and I was wondring
how we have all spent this year have we done wat we could in every way
to make this world better then it was last year when we look back we can
see many things paraps wich and where we might have done more but we have
miess our oppertunaties and they are gone never to return again God give
us Grace and strength in the coming year if we are spared to see it to
do more this year I do thank God he as spared my life so long sorry to
tell you Will is vey bad he as being in bed a month he is a lot worse
then he was I trust you are both keeping middling and that Fred is better
then he was and it must be hard for you to loose the boys as you have
like me you have never had much good from your children but we must make
the best of things under the curconestances I was surprised to see about
Tom and Lizey in the paper we did not know one word until we saw it in
the papers how is he gone on and how is Little Hilda and anie and how
is Nellie I should like to hear from her My Dear how are you gone on with
these times arnt they dreadful now of our lads as gone to the war but
there factory as being stoped 10 weaks things are awful hear our Janes
son Welford is out in Egypt he as being away ever since the war started
he was in the Teretorls before the war started so he was called up at
the beging and aunt Philippa as her two sons gone and 3 of her daughters
husbands and she is left by her self as all the girls are married so you
can see you are not by yourself in our family Lizey in Wales got her youngest
son gone so you can see we are all getting a share now my Dear we are
all middling in health but low in pocket I have kept my bit of shop goin
if I hadn't that I don't know wat we should have done but God as being
good to me and I do thank him so long his power as kept me shure it will
leed me on all the children are well and Joe and Jensey thay often come
down now I don't know of much more only wish you a much happer new year
1915 than wat 1914 has being and that the war will soon be over and that
our dear ones will be spared to come home safe to us all at the end O
that we could tell when that will be so now I will say good night with
kind love to all and don't leave me long without righting and thank you
for your card love to little Hilda for I love the child from your loving
sister
L Want
X X X X
LETTER FROM SYDNEYS MOTHER ELIZABETH WANT (OSBORN/Nicholls) TO HER SISTER ANNIE SHORTHOUSE (OSBORN) ON THE DEATH OF JOSEPH SHORTHOUSE IN FRANCE 1916.
37 Sunderland Street
Rose Grove
Burnley
My Dear Sister and Brother
Just a line to say I received Nellies
letter containing the sad news of Dear Joes death it is a most dredful
thing to think we have to loose our Dear ones in such a way O this war
is a terable war but thank God he was not blown to pieces with shot and
shell but buried as a true solder in a honerable grave and we know where
his Dear body is laid although we may never see the place but we feel
in our hearts he is not left on the field for beasts or birds to devour
like thousands of our dear ones as being but my Dear Sister it is sad
one so young and he used to be such a good cheerful lad he in his young
days was my faviourate and to think he should be the first to fall Dear
boy I was only saying last weak that we have being all so forgtnight (fortunate)
not to have aney of our Dear ones that we never had fallen but my Dear
it as begun we never know who will be the next our Fred has been in france
6 months he was well up to yesterday thank God and our Wiford was in London
hospitel 5 months from the Dardnells but he is out again on home service
and they have passed him fit again a shame after they have gone through
wat they have in the dardnells well my Dear I trust you will all try and
and bare up under your sad Breavment you will have my gratist symbithy
it is onely them that has being through the fire that knows and I have
passed through it and it is a thing that a mother can never forget because
a child is part of her but may God bless and keep you that hear we suffer
grief and pain and hear we meet to part again in heven we shall part no
more I ham glad you saw ----- so necessity to have a word with him Dear
boy I would like to have seeing him when he was in Liverpool and I asked
Joe to tell me when he was gone but he never let me know the reson but
he had being and back before I knew but never mind dear boy I will meet
him in heaven where all mysteries will be solved now my Dear as to myself
I have being very porley and Will is still the same no better but we live
and and strugel on through these times altho they are hard I have had
more then was promised to me thy bred shall be given the and thy watter
shure but I have had more than we ought to be trouble under these times
our Louie as listed but he as not gone out yet nall the others are just
the same as ushel (Usual) and I ham pleased to tell you that Philipa his
hear with me for a weak or to and we both wept together when the sad news
came and we wished we where near you in your grait sorrow and I give you
a very harty welcome to come if you could it would help to take away a
little of your troubel being with frish faces may God sustain and help
you all and if you would like to come try and let me know it would be
nice for us to be together once again so good by for the time and love
to Fred and all of them and I will rite Nelie again God Blessings
Your ever loving sister
L Wants
Rite soon
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