Home Products WW1 1918 letter to member Royal Flying Corps (Canada) from I.E.F #3

WW1 1918 letter to member Royal Flying Corps (Canada) from I.E.F #3

$15.00

Letter 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.

Dear Clyde...I received a letter from Harry McG. which was dated Aug 9th and I expect has been roaming around the world in an effort to locate me. I am glad to hear that he obtained a commission which no doubt makes it much better, especially living conditions.
Well Clyde I am back in the old original camp after having spent about two months in the North which is certainly away ahead of this place, as this is to confined.
It is lights out so will have to close. Heres for the Pacific breezes...
address
L/Corporal C. G. Townsend 
No. 509098
W.R. Transportation
R.E. (Royal Engineers)
A.P.O. s, 100
Italian Exped. Forces

 

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:

  • Camp Borden 1917–1918
  • Armour Heights Field 1917–1918 (pilot training, School of Special Flying to train instructors)
  • Leaside Aerodrome 1917–1918 (Artillery Cooperation School)
  • Long Branch Aerodrome 1917–1918
  • Curtiss School of Aviation (flying-boat station with temporary wooden hangar on the beach at Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island 1915–1918; main school, airstrip and metal hangar facilities at Long Branch)
  • Camp Rathbun, Deseronto 1917–1918 (pilot training)
  • Camp Mohawk (now Tyendinaga (Mohawk) Airport) 1917–1918 – located at the Tyendinaga Indian Reserve (now Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory) near Belleville 1917–1918 (pilot training)
  • Hamilton (Armament School) 1917–1918
  • Beamsville Camp (School of Aerial Fighting) 1917–1918

 WIKIPEDIA