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Correspondence From France

Received Sept 30th 2018

Bonjour, Nous habitons Templeux-le-Guérard, dans la Somme, en France. Aujourd'hui, en nous promenant, nous avons marché jusqu'au cimetière militaire, et avons trouvé, sur la tombe du Captain Thomas Hugh Corbett Wooley, des cartes nous invitant à visiter ce site, et à nous souvenir. Nous sommes touchés de votre démarche, qui nous a permis d'expliquer mieux encore les événements de la Grande Guerre à notre fils de 7 ans. Nous vous remercions de ces traces d'histoire, qui revit grâce à vous. Bien cordialement, M et F.

Translation:

Hello, we live in Templeux-le-Guerard, on the Somme in France. Today on our walk we visited the military cemetery and found the grave of Captain Thomas Hugh Woolley, and the cards left as a souvenir. We are touched by your approach, which has allowed us to better explain the events of the Great War to our seven-year-old son. We thank you for these mementoes of history, which lives again thanks to you. Sincerely, M and F.

Our response:

Chers M et F

Nous vous remercions beaucoup pour votre contact en sujet des cartes sur la tombe de Thomas Hugh Corbett Woolley. Nous sommes très heureux que les français peuvent lire les cartes. Jérôme and Ed qui les on laissé là, ont voulu donner honneur aux gens de Collingham qui ont perdu leurs vies.
C’est un plaisir que nous pouvons toucher nos amis en France et en Allemagne, nous nous souvenons  les événements tragiques de la première guerre mondiale, il y a cent ans.
Le pauvre Thomas Woolley a quitté une femme et un petit enfant. Sa photographie est joindre.
Avec amitiés de

Caron Ballantyne on behalf of Jerome Wright and the Collingham in the Great War Committee

(with thanks to Ros for transcribing our response into French)

Translation:

Dear M and F,

Thank you so much for contacting us about the cards you found on the grave of Thomas Hugh Corbett Woolley. It is wonderful to know the cards are being read by people in France. Jerome and Ed, who left the cards, wanted to honour the fallen from Collingham and this was their way of doing so. It is delightful to reach across to our friends in France and Germany as we all remember the tragic events of the Great War 100 years ago.  

Poor Thomas Woolley left a wife and young child behind. His photograph is attached.

Warm regards