South Yorkshire Times, April 7th, 1939.
Wath has a fairly strong military tradition, and the sun never sets on the local fellows who put on the Kings uniform and go to do their bit in India, Shanghai, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan. And the rest. And though we who are here sometimes think little of the town, these fellows think of Wath in a very particular way; and we, in this office, are frequently glad to hear of the pleasure which a regular copy of the “Times” brings to them. Weeks after news has become stale to us, it is being read, piping hot, on the sandy wastes of Iraq or in the cool shade of the Karachi mess, by Wath’s sons. “Mad dogs and Englishmen,” sang Noel Coward, “Go out in the Midday sun,” and there they fall to or read of Sheffield Wednesday or Barnsley and follow the doings of their own junior club. For a time the local paper gives them a sense of home. And they write to us “We are looking forward to seeing Wath once more.” That is an actual quotation from a letter received this week from D. Norman and E Tuxford, who are now stationed at Haifa. Palestine. And they finish the letter: “Here’s hoping it may be soon.” These two Wath lads are both Drivers on the Royal Army Service Corps (61 Company), and they went out to Palestine during the September crisis over Czechoslovakia. They are now on emergency duty (Palestine of course, is not an altogether comfortable place either) and they have no notice when they will take ship to come home. “What with ordinary ration convoys, road patrols. And special duties, we have our time filled in pretty well.” They write, but they do not mention that they are doing a real man’s job “The weather is just getting warm again in Haifa after a period of three months rain.” Well, the weather is just getting warm again here, friends Norman and Tuxford. The cricket pitches are already beginning to look ripe for the game and we shall soon be at it. Here’s hoping your return may be soon.