Each of the posts in the Blog is intended to be written on the 100th anniversary of the day on which Sherriff wrote the relevant letter home. Quite often, however, his letters are misdated. This is particularly obvious around the start of the New Year, when letters from 1917 are misdated to 1916. Wherever a letter is felt to be misdated, the Blog entry is posted on the day which we can best ascertain to be the day on which he wrote it.

But there are numerous other examples. In a letter to Pips dated 26 October, for example (Surrey History Centre reference: 2332/1/1/3/99), he remarks that they have ‘spent 4 very happy days’ in the tunnelling work. This would suggest that the letter was written on 28 October (and, indeed, a letter to his mother on that day makes almost exactly the same reference). Furthermore, there are two other letters to Pips on 26 October, and it was highly unlikely he would have addressed three to his father and only one to his mother on the same day. Consequently, the Blog post is assigned to 28 October rather than the date given in the letter itself.

Take, as another example, the letter he wrote home to his mother describing his over-eating of the contents of a parcel, and the mess made by the rats in his dugout (Surrey History Centre reference: 2332/1/1/2/100). The letter is headed both ’28 October’ and also ‘Sunday’. But Sunday was the 29 October. He had sent her a long letter dated 28 October, which we can be fairly sure was accurately dated, given the similarities with the letter to Pips. It also seems unlikely he would then have sent an additional brief letter on the same date, and even less likely that he would have made a mistake in the naming of the day (rather than the date). Hence we have chosen to post the entry on 29 October.

All misdated letters will be included on this page.