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    Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt: Diaries and Letters of a First World War Officer in the 19th Hussars and 1st Coldstream Guards
    Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt: Diaries and Letters of a First World War Officer in the 19th Hussars and 1st Coldstream Guards
    Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt: Diaries and Letters of a First World War Officer in the 19th Hussars and 1st Coldstream Guards
    Ebook176 pages1 hour

    Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt: Diaries and Letters of a First World War Officer in the 19th Hussars and 1st Coldstream Guards

    By William Bridge

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    About this ebook

    Diary and letters of Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt including his time at Eton, Sandhurst and in the First World War where he served as a Captain in the 19th Hussars before transferring to the Coldstream Guards after a dispute with his Major over the safety of his men. He describes life in the Cavalry, how he was gassed in May 1915, and life in the trenches.

    He was killed in action near Ypres in May 1916.

    The book is illustrated with maps and photographs, and includes biographies of his wife, son, brother and parents.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWilliam Bridge
    Release dateNov 2, 2012
    ISBN9781301946020
    Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt: Diaries and Letters of a First World War Officer in the 19th Hussars and 1st Coldstream Guards
    Author

    William Bridge

    William Bridge was born in Shropshire and has degrees in Russian and Engineering. He is interested in history and in particular the First World War. He lives in London and is married with two children.

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      Book preview

      Captain Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt - William Bridge

      Acknowledgements

      I would like to thank the staff at the Imperial War Museum in London and at The National Archives in Kew for their help.

      I would also like to thank Fiona Bridge for helping decipher some of the handwriting, and Henry Bridge, Margaret Bridge and Sue Hall for their comments, corrections and suggestions.

      "Say not of him 'he left this vale of tears,'

      Who loved the good plain English phrase

      'He died,'

      Nor state 'he nobly lived (or otherwise),

      Failed or succeeded' – friend, just say

      'He tried'."

      Captain H.EA. Platt

      Birth

      Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt (known as Evelyn to his family) was born on the 13th September 1884 at 111 Queens Gate, Kensington in London. He had one older brother, John Ernest Hodder Platt, who was born in September 1880 in Holyhead, Anglesey near the then family home at Bodior, Rhoscolyn, Anglesey.

      Evelyn's father was John Harold Platt who was born on the 18th May 1855 at Werneth Park in Oldham, and who was the 8th child of 13 of John Platt and Alice Radcliffe. John Harold Platt was educated at Harrow and St John's, Cambridge and married in 1879 Agnes Elizabeth Roberts, the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Roberts of Kilmoney House, County Cork. John Harold Platt was a Justice of the Peace and deputy lieutenant for Kent and a Justice of the Peace for Anglesey.

      Evelyn's grandfather, John Platt, was Chairman of Platt Bros which designed and manufactured machinery for the textile industry achieving success at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and becoming the largest machinery maker in the world in the 1850s. John Platt became the Liberal MP for Oldham from 1865 until his death in 1872.

      For the first five years of Evelyn's life from 1884 to 1889 they resided at Derne Park near Tonbridge in Kent, but according to his journal written in 1903 the home was on clay soil which did not suit his mother's or father's health and so the family moved to Grosvenor Place in London.

      By 1891, at the age of 6, Evelyn was living with his family at 31 Pont Street, Belgravia, London. They had ten servants – a housekeeper, a nurse, a house maid, 3 kitchen maids, 2 footmen, a scullery maid, and a hall boy.

      In 1894 they moved to 44 Cadogan Square, and by 1906 his parents were living at 63 Princes Gate, London.

      He wrote in his journal of a 'loving mother, an indulgent father, and the most beautiful country in the world as a home'.

      School

      When Evelyn was 7 he went to a day school in Thurloe Square, before moving aged 9 to Park Hill School in the New Forest. He started at Eton when he turned 13 as a member of Hugh Macnaghter's house.

      During his first term at Eton when reading in bed with the aid of a candle on a chair nearby, he fell asleep. The bed clothes caught fire and were extinguished by another boy – Henderson – who threw a jug full of water over them. Evelyn was left with a scar on his left arm.

      At Eton he wrote that 'he had few friends, but what he had were good'. He enjoyed his public school life 'in his own queer way, talking only to the boys he was interested in and making 2 friends and a half'.

      When about 15 he first began an attempt at serious reading instigated by his friend Bryan. He liked Thackeray by 15 ½, Tennyson by 14, and George Bernard Shaw at 16, especially the play 'Arms and the Man'. He wanted to appear in private theatricals but something always prevented it, but wrote many plays.

      Mathematics he found a 'drudgery being slow of comprehension; Greek, at least Homer he liked; Latin he tolerated'. When in Army class he liked and was fairly successful at History.

      He wrote that 'At nothing did he excel, a dismal mediocrity was his rule' despite achieving a highly impressive 5th place in a form of 32 in his examination of 1899.

      1899 – Eton - School work – Michaelmas term

      1st Garton 1044

      2nd L S Platt 913

      3rd Wallace 843

      4th Bateson 792

      5th H E A Platt 763

      5th Lord Balgonie 763

      …..

      32ndLord Carlow 200

      In his school work of Lent 1900, he achieved 452 marks out of 770, coming 6th out of 32.

      Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt as a boy

      During his last two years at Eton he worked as hard as he could and 'contrary to all expectations' passed in with enough marks for the Infantry. Thinking however he was too 'much of an idiot' to get into the Infantry, he put his name down and entered into Sandhurst on the Guards list.

      He developed an interest for art and corresponded with Hugh Benson who sent him extraordinary pictures of mythical animals.

      Illustrated Envelope from Hugh Benson - 10th April 1901

      Sandhurst and entry into the 19th Hussars

      Sandhurst he 'liked not at all'. He 'hated gym' as he was 'weak and never had done any before'. He liked the riding in a way, but loathed topography - 'four hours twice a week of absolute and entire hell'.

      He was placed 126th on entering Sandhurst, passed his first examination in 55th place, and came 28th in his final examination, passing out with honours, having written the 4th best History paper.

      He tried unsuccessfully to transfer from the Guards to the Infantry, but instead managed to enter the Cavalry – the 19th Hussars in January 1903. He specifically looked at regiments that were not going to India as it seemed 'pointless to go there and ruin one's constitution for no reason'.

      The following entry is from the London Gazette:

      War Office, Pall Mall

      April 21st, 1903

      The under mentioned Gentlemen Cadets, from the Royal Military College, to be Second Lieutenants. Dated 22nd April, 1903:-

      19th Hussars, Henry Evelyn Arthur Platt, on augmentation

      Badge of the 19th Royal Hussars

      Death of Parents

      On 1st November 1909 he wrote Mother is very ill. I feel very helpless as we seem to be able to do nothing except cheep her up a bit. She has been bad, practically in bed the whole time from diabetes since July & now she seems no stronger or the blood no clearer.

      Later in March 1910 while in Aldershot he wrote "My dear mother died on Xmas day. The poor darling had the most dreadful pain and discomfort to suffer. Two days before she died she sent for Ernest and me to come to her separately. She said 'my son you have been very good to me' and she kissed us good-bye.

      Father was splendid; he slept in her room almost to the end."

      3 years later his father died in London on 20th December 1912.

      Marriage

      On the 15th July 1911 he married Ella Carmichael at Holy Trinity, Brompton, and they went to Hayling Island for their honeymoon. He had known and corresponded with Ella since 1907.

      They lived briefly in Aldershot and had a son John Evelyn Platt who was born on the 18th June 1912 at Trelawney, Cargate, Aldershot, and was baptised on the 21st July 1912 at Holy Trinity, Brompton.

      They moved to Kingwood, Thames Ditton, and he was a keen supporter of Molesey amateur swimming club becoming Vice-President.

      Marriage Certificate

      Photograph of Ella Carmichael &

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