222877 2nd Lt. Edward Budd MC and Bar.British Army 116th Coy. 12th Div Train Army Service Corps from:The Briars, Reigate, Surrey (d.8th May 1918) Edward Budd (1894-1918) was my uncle. I have 92 of his letters from the Western Front. I quote from a letter to his father written 7th June 1915 just after his Division had landed in France.
"Ypres, France - My dear Dad, Thank you for your letter and the tobacco is very good. I was not able to write the last few days as we were on the move and I was at work from 6 am till 11 pm with hardly time to eat. We are now in new billets and some of our Division go into action soon. I went 2000 yds from the German lines today and only heard one shell which fell about 200 yds from us we were in the car. I am writing in bed and will post this tomorrow. This town smells and is full of gnats and mosquitos. I have any amount of work and I can only just get done in the day. I see Owen pretty often he seems fit he works very hard and is very good indeed at his job. We hear guns all day and night and often maxim and rifle fire.
Best love yr loving Edward"
Edward, unable to transfer to the RFC in 1916 - he seems to have found the ASC a bit boring(!) he transferred to the Irish Guards instead, and was gazetted as a 2nd Lt with them in August 1916. It was while serving with the latter he was awarded the MC and bar. By the time he was killed in May 1918 he had been promoted to Captain. He is mentioned several times in Rudyard Kipling's History of the Irish Guards.
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