An original WWI letter found in a Belgian cemetery has sparked a worldwide appeal to reconnect the historic letter with the family of its owner.
Written on 9 May 1918 by Lieutenant C.E. Prebble, the historic letter is addressed to the wife of Private S. Webb, informing her that her husband had been missing since 24 April: “It grieves me greatly to have to inform you that your husband Pte. Webb is reported missing from the 24th of April. I am very much afraid that I cannot give you any definite information as to what happened to him, it is possible that he was wounded and taken prisoner.”
British tourist, Britt-Marie Beard, found the letter in Tyne Cot Cemetery in Flanders. The cemetery is the largest for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war. More than 11,900 British Empire soldiers are buried at Tyne Cot, including over 1300 Australians. The cemetery was also the site of fierce fighting during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), and today with its beautifully kept headstones and gardens commemorating the thousands who served and lost their lives here, it is a must-visit site on the battlefields for visitors from Australia, the UK and around the world.
After failing to find the owner at the cemetery, Ms Beard took the letter to the In Flanders Fields Museum. Research by the museum team revealed that Lieutenant C.E. Prebble died in Halloy-lès-Pernois (France) on 8 August 1918. The regiment to which they both belonged saw action in the Westhoek area in Flanders, Belgium. The letter was presumably lost during a trip to the battlefield in the Westhoek. The In Flanders Fields Museum, which is located in the historic medieval Cloth Hall in Ypres, has now launched an appeal to find the owner of this historic letter.
Museum staffer, Annick Vandenbilcke said documents like this have emotional significance for relatives.
“We believe that someone is missing this letter. Also, we and Britt-Marie would like to find out more about private Webb,” she said.
Australian battlefield historian, Mat McLachlan, who runs regular battlefield tours to Flanders and the Somme, said original WWI letters such as this provide an incredible historic connection and insight into the past.
“It would be wonderful to see this letter reconnected with its owner,” he said.
“The little we know at this stage about C.E Prebble indicate he was second lieutenant of the Middlesex Regiment and then transferred to the 2nd Battalion, The London Regiment – but one hundred years on, the owner of this letter could live anywhere in the world, including in Australia.”
If you have any information about this missing letter the museum In Flanders Fields at kenniscentrum@inflandersfieldsmuseum.be.
