World War I documents of Lieutenant Earle Walter HUME
PAPERS RELATING TO Lieuenant Earle Walter HUME
I tell people that I can find appreciative homes for anything military. A lady bought a bag recently at a thrift store in the Richmond, B.C. area. Her daughter found a bunch of World War I letters, a WWI photograph with a mark to identify one officer (presumably the writer of the letters) and some official WWI documents referring to the same officer inside. The letters were written by a Canadian Lieutenant from Ontario who had joined the army in Saskatchewan and was serving with a Manitoba unit when he died from his wounds. As the finder’s family was about to move to Turkey, she felt that these letters should remain in Canada. She offered them to the Museum of Vancouver, but the Curator there declined the offer and referred her to me. I picked up the letters and looked through them. Where should they go? To a museum in Ontario, Saskatchewan or Manitoba? To a military museum or archives? Should I search on Ancestry.com for relatives of the writer? (I have successfully done that for a group of documents handed to me before.) I looked at the name on the burial record that was among the letters, and checked a few more details.
The answer was “None of the above.” This Lieutenant Earle Walter Hume was my second great uncle, youngest brother of one of my Great-Grandmothers! The documents have come back to the family by a very mysterious path. Even more incredibly, I happen to be the family genealogist and probably the only one in the family who would recognize his name. As well, of the thousands of names in my family tree, I had just looked at his record, for the first time in 12 years, that very morning, about 5 hours before going to pick up the as yet unnamed documents and had just read his “died of wounds report!” That morning I even looked up the cemetery where he was buried! Coincidence? I think not.
WANTED: Victory Medal, British War Medal (has 1914-1918 marked in it) and any others he might have been awarded such as 1914-1915 Star, his “Death Penny”, Memorial Cross (aka “Silver Cross”), photos etc. for Lieutenant Earle Walter Hume.
| DOCUMENTS | COMMENTS |
|---|---|
 | Detail of photo which is believed to show Earle Walter HUME. |
 | |
 | Envelope labelled as "War letters" and addressed to Mrs. Bert Hull, Moosejaw, Sak. [Saskatchewan] . Mrs. Hull has not been identified yet. Perhaps she was the Mother or an Aunt of Lycy B Hume? |
 | On the back "From: L.B. Hume 7341 Granville St., Vancouver, B.C." L. B. Hume is Lucy Baker Hume, widow of Earle Walter Hume. |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | Undated 2 sheets torn HUME Transcription of Lt E W HUME Revised: 2015-07-22 3:54 PM Bold added by Colin Stevens. ============================================================== [TOP 1/4 TORN AND GONE] ... [missing text] Have just finished a piece of Xmas cake you sent me abd it is fine/ I have nearly eaten one cake already. Some differences between your cake + the stuff they serve as cake over here now. The sugar certainly comes in handy. Only one |
 | [PAGE 2] [TOP 1/4 TORN AND GONE] ..............................prise [surprise?] when I found the salted almonds. I thought the package was full of sugar until I opened the other end. No more parcels have arrived, just the three from you. Have received your letter written Dec. 16. I cannot understand you not receiving my letters from France for I wrote you several. Perhaps |
 | [LAST PAGE] [TOP 1/4 TORN AND GONE] only get (?) [section missing] did not (?) cost so much to live I would be able to send Lucille $5 a month which she could bank. My other letter will explain my position and I am sure "fed up." Some of the snap shots are fine Lucille certainly does look good and everybody remarks on what a big healthy girl. I wish this war would end soon so I could get back, settle down + then we could ___ in & educate ___ Lucille. Her ____ must be taken are of, and an education along all lines. Living in England has been a wonderful education to me & I find book learning is not everything. Will close this letter & later write you one about my self. With lots of love Xs to you both, Your loving husband Earle [END] |
 | Risboro New Year's 1915 ? p1 |
 | Risboro New Year's 1915 ? p2 |
 | Risboro New Year's 1915 ? p3 |
 | Risboro New Year's 1915 ? p4 |
 | Canadian Military Hospital Kirkdale Liverpool 1917-12-30 p1 of 3 Transcription of letter from Earle Walter HUME 1917-12-30 Revised: 2015-07-22 3:29 PM TO: Lucy B. HUME from Lieutenant Earle Walter HUME 1917-12-30 ======= [On embossed letterhead] Canadian Military Hospital, Kirkdale (?) Liverpool. Dec. 30 / 17 (1917?) My dear wife, Well, here I am back at Liverpool. I hardly expected to be returned here as the officer who took my place has been (____?) a long time to get here as his family lives here. He is (still ?) very pleased at my (______?). (____) (____) I am not settled yet as (____) has not vacated (?) my room in the hospital + I have to live down town. (_____) 3 parcels from you at the hospital but I have not opened them yet as I first wish to get settled, for I can then enjoy the good things _____ contained much better. Many, many, thanks Lucy. I am sure everything |
 | Canadian Military Hospital Kirkdale Liverpool 1917-12-30 p2 of 3 -2- will be fine. You speak about 4 boxes , well only 3 have arrived so far and none from anybody else. I certainly received a bunch of letters from you on my return. Some (soon?) I got in France , you are good in writing me and I know I am very poor in writing you ___? + don't seem able to write. However I will do better from now on. Did you have a nice Xmas + did Lucille understand. As soon as she realizes that presents and nice things come at Xmas ___ she will remember. Received the two snap shots taken at Lumsden and some are fine there is one good one of you , Lucille, your mother, _____? , _alla ?, Alf + some one else. You did not tell me very much about her birthday. Perhaps a letter has gone astray |
 | Canadian Military Hospital Kirkdale Liverpool 1917-12-30 p1 of 3 PAGE 3 I am glad my box to you arrived safely and that you + Lucille liked what I sent. I am so sorry I could not get any Xmas presents off ___ will now send some little remembrances as soon as I get my expense money I will do this. I am not very pleased at having to take back my old job here as I have ____ ____ to get a permanent (?) ________ room mate? (?) that is not so expensive if I could only get to France on an ordinary job I could save money. I still have hopes of getting what I want. I am feeling fine and everybody says I am fatter. Lots of wom (?) Eh (?) I had a wonderful trip in France + will not forget it. Me doing (?) over there to everybody's satisfaction. Must close this letter (?). With lots of love to you both and Xs Your loving husband Earle |
 | 1918-03-18 p. 1 Transcription of letter from Earle Walter HUME 1918-03-12 Revised: 2015-07-22 3:27 PM TO: Lucy B. HUME from Lieutenant Earle Walter HUME 1918-03-12 ======= France 12-3-18 [12 March 1918, he was killed just over a month later on 28 April 1918] My Dear wife Am writing this letter to you in the front lines. It is a lovely day, sun shining, warm + no wind. I can hardly realize that there is a war on and that the Hun is only a few yards from me. Some parts of the day everything is fairly quiet when all of a sudden shells start coming over + there is a dreadful war. I am on duty these days from 6 am until 12 midnight. The remainder of the time I lay + sleep but although always dead tired, am generally too cold or the noise is too great. |
 | 1918-03-18 p. 2 -2- For dugouts we have cellars of houses. The air is stuffy + damp. The rats take exception to us being in there but we make it go alright. Last night when crawling through some cellars where some of our men are stationed I put my hand on a rat. I was more scared than if it was a German. At night we can hear Fritz [the Germans] talking. How is that for being close to him. Sometimes we have to expose ourselves in moving around and this morning I was going down a low, poor trench + Fritz saw me. He fired 33 "Fish Tails" (a 13 lb. shell) at me. How I hugged the earth + was sure scared. The ground was torn up all around me but |
 | 1918-03-18 p. 3 -3- I did not get touched. Have not had my clothes off for days, not even my boots except to change my socks. You see when in the front line we must be prepared at all times for an attack or gas. Yesterday I got my first taste of gas. I did not know at first what it was until I began to choke + then I soon got my box respirator [gas mask] on. I hate gas for I dread an attack with your head in a box respirator. Have stood the marching + rough work much better than I thought I would, (times ?) so soft. I am |
 | 1918-03-18 p. 4 -4- eating like a horse and our company food is good. I am in "C" Coy [Company] + handle No. 12 platoon. I am glad I came over + am doing my (duty?) but will be only to [sic] pleased to get back to Canada. No more wars for me after this one. How those fellows who have stayed home have never enough to (doso ?) + make all the money beats me. No mail for a long time now but I suppose I will get a bunch some of these days. How are you both. Keep well + don't worry. Tell Lucille [his 6 year old daughter] to be a good girl. With lots of love to you both and lots of Xs Your loving husband Earle |
  | |
 | Cover letter for BURIAL REPORT |
 | Overseas Military Forces of Canada - BURIAL REPORT |
Library and Archives Canada has the official Service Record for Earle Walter HUME. In 2024 they are changing their database.
In the middle of the page is a blue link “B4608-S009” and it you click on it, it will open up a PDF file of his entire army service record.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( www.CWGC.org ) listing for Lieutenant E.W. Hume
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/83882/earle-walter-hume/
He was 32 years old, married and the father of a daughter.
His widow chose the words for thew bottom part of his headstone:
FOR FREEDOM AND JUSTICE HE GAVE HIS LIFE.