[The Royal Army Medical Corps in the immediate aftermath of the First World War.] Long Typed Copy of letter from H. N. Stephens to his mother from the Sedan area of the Western Front, in the days following the signing of the armistice.

5pp., 4to. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with the last leaf tipped-in onto a piece of board. An interesting document, filled with valuable detail. The RAMC is not mentioned, but from the context Stephens would appear to have been a member. Writing from an unidentified location, he begins by explaining that his division 'came out of the line a few days ago, and has been making its way slowly back for a rest. [...] we are staying on here for a bit, and are busy transporting civilians to their homes from villages all over the countryside. Since yesterday morning hundreds and hundreds of liberated French, English, Russian and Italian prisoners have been passing thro' this place, and we have been doing all we can to provide them with hot drinks and as much food as we can spare. They are all absolutely fagged out, as they have been marching for days, and have scarcely had anything to eat. They have to walk as far as here because the French have not yet withdrawn over the ground that has been evacuated by the Germans since the signing of the armistice. | They stay in this town for one night, and then go in lorries next morning. Many of them have bad feet and unattended wounds, and to-day I should think we have cleaned and dressed wounds for over 100 men. It is just after tea time now, and so far to-day we have given out 1500 cups of cocoa, and there is still a huge crowd waiting outside.' He describes the distribution of rations and supplies, adding: 'The tales that some of them tell of the way in which they have been treated are undescribable. [...] The Bosche seems to have a very special hatred against the British prisoners, as they seem to have been treated far worse than any of the others.' He tells the story of the mistreatment of 'a poor boy here to-day who is only just 17 and was captured about 6 months ago, when the Germans made their big push.' He discusses 'the poor civilians who have been shifted from village to village by the Germans, who have taken their horses, cattle, pigs, goods, furniture, in fact practically everything they possessed. In every village our cars enter, the people swarm round and ask to be taken to their homes. [...] All the men of military age and girls between 16 and 25 have been taken far back, leaving only the old men and women and little children. These come out with their little bundles - all they have left, pack themselves into the cars and are taken to their native villages, often to find their homes destroyed by shell and fire.' He sketches an account of 'what we have been doing since we went into action again at the beginning of this month' After 'the Infantry once got Fritz on the run things moved very rapidly, and there were few wounded to be carried. We moved our quarters sometimes two or three times in the same day, and followed up the Infantry as soon as ever temporary bridges over rivers and canals were completed. The weather was as bad as it could be, thin drizzling rain day after day, oceans of mud everywhere, roads full of shell holes, and often completely blocked by huge mine craters, but our big cars stood up to the work splendidly, and often came to the rescue of smaller ambulances which almost disappeared from sight in the mud!' He is elated by the cessation of hostilities: 'We are now in comfortable billets, and are well fed, we are all fit and well, and we are doing the work which we came out to do in the first place. | The war is over! It was difficult to realize it at first until the afternoon of the day the armistice was signed, when we went to the gate of Sedan to find the Germans still occupying the town. There were mounted German guards, a thin strip of barbed wire and then French mounted Guards. It was a sight I shall never forget as long as I live. Now the Germans have left the Town and we went in this morning - the first English to enter. I cannot describe to you the welcome we got, hand-shakes, embraces, cheers, really it was most embarrassing! When we finally succeeded in getting clear of the place, we visited a pretty little chateau just outside, and saw the room in which the Peace Treaty was signed in 1870. On the return journey we went to the top of the hill and got a most magnificent view of the valley of the Meuse, with the Ardennes forest in the distance, the whole countryside untouched by shell-fire looked glorious in the setting sun. He 'could go on writing for hours, but now I must go and take my turn at the cocoa-stall! He concludes the letter with some news ('I forget if I told you that "Freddy" has been awarded the Croix de Guerre, and also 3 other drivers.'), and in the hope that he will be 'home by the middle of January'.