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Aberystwyth University Archives Ifor (Ivor) Leslie Evans - World War I Correspondence
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Letter from Ifor to his father,

Expressing his sadness that his mail is taking so long to reach him and goes into the irregularity of the postal system; he only receives 1 loaf of bread every 8-10 days and hopes they are not paying for more. He has sent a detailed account of their Welsh society (Cymdeithas Gymraeg) to Mr L. James and trusts he has received it. Ifor then goes on to detail his current teaching work and laments the failings of the elementary system in Wales. He mentions that he is reading up on Indian History himself, as they have plenty of books on the subject. Ifor asks his father if he could find out from Dr Scott as to whether he could combine History with the French section of modern languages only for the entrance scholarship. Not German. Explains that he is not strong in the language and has little desire to work at it given his present circumstances. He will write to his father on the subject of Welsh nationalism at some point in the future. Ifor details the death of one of his pupils David Thomas on the last page, his death at the age of 24 after 5 weeks illness has been a shock to everyone. He asks that his parents send money to his family; address Sarnau, Llanarth, Nr Aberayron.

Letter from R. F. Scott, St John's College, Cambridge,

Writes that he appreciates that some special provision will have to be made for individuals who have spent time imprisoned during the war or have been away on military service. However he explains that they cannot draw up a syllabus for an exam when they do not know when it will take place. He also gives advice on what sort of preparation Ifor can take in the meantime, considering his circumstances.

Scott, R. F. St John's College, Cambridge.

Postcard from Ifor to his mother,

Ifor is distressed to learn that she has not received any news from him lately and wishes this form of communication could be discarded altogether. He has received parcel no.18, their quality is improving; bread has arrived to the letter R but he has in hand only 1 tobacco package. He especially appreciated receiving a package of clothes and boots.

Letter from Ifor to his mother,

Describes how snow fell yesterday and the cold has not quite gone, but otherwise the weather in April has been lovely. Ifor discusses how monotony and hopelessness have become a part of their daily lives; memories of his prior life makes letter writing an unpleasant task. He recognises the efforts people are making to get him freed but realises their efforts are futile. He then moves back to the subject of nationality as invited to do so by his father who accused him of having an idealised view of the perfect Celt. Following on, he writes about his joy at receiving a letter from Defynnog and with the censors permission will send the information he requested (likely information on the activities of Cymdeithas Gymraeg). He finishes off on the subject of parcel deliveries, acknowledging a recent package he has received. He asks his mother to make arrangements with Selfridge's to deliver 2 parcels per week, providing a list of what he would like in each. Thus 'parcels would be satisfactory and fraud prevented'.

Postcard from Ifor to his mother,

Acknowledging the receipt of parcels. He expresses surprise that one contains meat and that such variety is possible (if little imagination shown). Ifor writes that Dale has moved away; J. F. Evans and a nice old Frenchman have come to live with him. He is pleased to have received a letter from Mr J. James and asks his mother to send £5.

Letter from J. Arthur Sibly,

Returning Mr Evans correspondence from Ifor. He apologises for being so late in returning them; his nephew has been extracting sections for publication in the 'Star'. He cannot understand why the German authorities stopped the letter he sent to Ifor himself. Mr Sibly finds it very interesting that Ifor is leading an intellectual life and feels he is lucky to have intellectual companions.

Sibly, J. Arthur. Wycliffe College.

Letter from W. A. Sibly,

Writes of the good news he has had of his brother Mervyn; he had been at the front north of Salonika for 3 months and is mainly engaged in map making. He is fortunate in that his job is more interesting and varied than most infantry officers. He then finishes the letter with discussing his disagreement over Mr Evans' statement about European civilisation having turned out to be a fiasco.

Sibly, J. Arthur. Wycliffe College.

Letter from Ifor to his mother,

Sent on the day of his 3rd anniversary of leaving home, writing how no one expected him to be gone for this long. He is well and mentions having been vaccinated a fortnight previously. Monotony is their greatest enemy. He describes a concert they held on St David's day and a visit he made to the Rubhleben stage. Ifor writes how he was interested to hear of his father's visit to Mr D. James, who he would like to see himself when he returns home. Also interested in his mother's trip to London to arrange an exchange of civilian prisoners, but fears she will not be successful. Ifor hopes his grandmother is keeping well and has received the postcards he sent (in Welsh). He is reading some of Milton's poems, a task he is finding difficult but worthwhile. Ifor is also part of Mr Masterman's Modern History class. Ifor further discusses how he is keeping the Scholarship exam in mind. He asks his mother to find out from a Mr Scott whether he could take History and offer French only (not German) as an extra subject in the modern language exam. He further explains that he is considering taking the Inter London External but doubts if it will be worthwhile. The parcels being sent by Selfridges are excellent, but he only gets 2 a week. He is not as well provided for as he has been previously but the Danish bread is arriving regularly and is a vast improvement on the Swiss. J. F. Evans will be visiting him for tea tonight.

Postcard to his father,

Sends thanks for parcels, not able to acknowledge as they were not numbered. Thinks he has everything that was sent, though has only received 3 lots of bread. Parcels are irregular though things seem to be settling down. Explains that rice should be better packed and that they should not send oats or tinned fish.

Letter from J. Arthur Sibly,

Writes that he would like to hear any news Mr Evans hears about his son. Mr Sibly writes that the war will upset the career that Ifor planned for himself, but hopes his study of modern languages continues. He then goes on to disagree with a statement that Mr Evans had made stating that European Civilisation had broken down entirely. Discussing what he believes to be the causes of the present war and what is likely to bring their country to ruin in the long run.

Sibly, J. Arthur. Wycliffe College.

Letter from J. Arthur Sibly,

Sends thanks for Ifor's letter and his recommend of Wycliffe to Mr Richards. He writes that they currently have many more applicants than vacancies and is not expecting any considerable number to arise until Christmas. Furthermore he says that Ifor did not tell him nearly as much about himself in his letter as he wished but hopes he is enjoying life. He also adds that he has just heard that the contingent of Wycliffe boys are keeping loyal to Wycliffe traditions.

Sibly, J. Arthur. Wycliffe College.

Letter,

Mary is glad that Ifor is now in Berlin, she expects he will be much happier among British P.O.Ws. She has had a postcard (they are permitted 2 a week) from her son John who had left Nuremberg before they had received his letters. She says that sending money would not have done any good as they were not detained. They now wait on whether they will be permitted to receive the parcels they have sent. -- She is feeling better knowing that the British prisoners are now together, but has heard they have been taken to Berlin to deter the Russians from bombarding the city should they advance that far. She therefore hope an exchange will soon be arranged.

Letter from G. Velluot, Chartres,

Dear Madame, I thank you that you have had the good thought of writing to me. We all have the greatest sympathy for your poor Leslie. We are also very sad to hear that he has been a prisoner of the accursed Germans for the last two months. Remain confident, Madam, that your disquiet will soon be settled and a prisoner exchange will allow you to be reunited with your son as soon as possible. We wish this from the bottom of our hearts and hope for speedy negotiations and a good result. I thank you for your interest in the fate of Georges. He is a nurse and has not been sent to the front. We hope he will escape danger. I have told him what has happened to his friend Leslie and he will write to you as well. [Address of son]. As for us we are well. Our land has not received an unwelcome visit from the Germans, but we have left it nonetheless. My husband, my daughter and I are spending several weeks in Chartres where I have family as well. Please keep us informed of any new developments, which we anxiously await. I hope this letter will be faster than yours. I only received it this morning and am replying immediately. We are well aware of your anguish and send you our best wishes.

Velluot, G.

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