$15.00 CAD
– Sold OutLetter from Sapper Engineer in the Italian Expeditionary Force to a pilot of the Royal Flying Corps, Armour Heights Toronto Ontario Canada.
In another letter for sale, he talks of sailing to England and arriving at the Stanor Camp Sandwich Kent in August 1917.
Sent to:
Priv. Clyde Tite 92 Cts(?) #72689 Royal Flying Corps (R.F.C.) Armour Heights Toronto Canada
Front of envelope has “On Active Service”, postmark ‘ARMY POST OFFICE 22 MR 18’ and ‘Passed by Censor No. 5428’ stamp.
March 21, 1918.
Cecil Townsend, British soldier, #320552, WR/509098, sapper.
Alfred Clyde Tite was born in 1892, single, and lived in Edmonton. He was a carpenter by trade. He enlisted in June 1917 in Vancouver. Appointed to Royal Flying Corps 14/8/17, then to R.A.F. on 1/7/18, discharged from 44th Wing (North Toronto) on 8/1/19. He never left Canada.
(Records on FindMyPast)
During the First World War, the Italian Expeditionary Force (IEF) was a joint Franco-British military force sent to Italy in October 1917.
Following the Battle of Caporetto (24 October to 19 November 1917), the Italian Front collapsed. In order to ensure this did not lead to Italy withdrawing from the war the allies organised the Italian Expeditionary Force to reinforce the Italians. Even as the battle unfolded, General Luigi Cadorna invoked the agreement reached at the Chantilly conference of December 1915. There the allies had agreed that should any of the allies come under threat, the other allies would support them. The first French troops arrived on 27 October 1917. The first British troops followed them after a few days.
The IEF consisted primarily of the French Tenth Army with the addition of the 12th Corps. They took up station around Verona.
The British Expeditionary Force (Italy) came under the command of General Herbert Plumer. The principal units in the BEF(I) were the 23rd, 41st, 7th, 48th and 5th divisions. The 5th Division returned to France on 1 March 1918, followed by the 41st Division in April.
The Royal Flying Corps Canada was established by the RFC in 1917 to train aircrew in Canada. Air Stations were established in southern Ontario at the following locations:
WIKIPEDIA