The Stuff of Fiennes Cornwallis

A compilation of stuff requested by and sent to
Fiennes Wykeham Martin during the Crimean War.

Most of the requests are addressed to Fiennes' parents who must have been fully employed
acquiring, ordering and arranging for the wide array of articles to be sent to the East.
Where would a man be without his Mum? And his Dad! And their hardworking servants no doubt.
A multitude of unsung heroes.

LETTER DATE	ITEM[S]	NOTES
28 August 1854	Asks his father to send an India rubber tub	.
28 August 1854	Asks his father to send a lockable compact writing case	Available cheaply and they hold a great deal
8 October 1854	Asks his mother to send his things to the care of Messrs. Ede and Co., Constantinople	.
8 October 1854	Asks his mother for some lamb's wool socks, flannel waistcoats, preserved soup, tea, sugar, soap, and `in fact any articles you think good in the eating line that do not take up much room.'	.
8 October 1854	Asks his mother for a quantity of cocoa paste made up with milk	Found to be very useful on campaign
8 October 1854	Asks his mother for `Miller's lamp out of my kit'	.
8 October 1854	Asks his mother for his servant's clothes	Although he thinks that his servant died [in Varna]
8 October 1854	Asks his mother about some boots she had sent but which have not arrived	.
27 October 1854	Thanks his mother for sending or planning to send a writing case	.
27 October 1854	Asks his mother to send a saddle he left at home	Fellow officer Hunt had lost his previous saddle during a retreat
27 October 1854	Asks his mother for hair brushes and another looking glass	He had broken his previous looking glass weeks before
27 October 1854	Asks his mother for a Church Service [book] that his tutor had given him	His brother had sent a bible but no prayer book
2 November 1854	Thanks his mother for parcels received by railway vessels. Also one believed to contain a stove, waiting to be collected. Still one parcel missing, with an axe, a saw, and boots [Marsh's]	.
12 November 1854	Amends some previous orders with his mother: Patent leather boots and gold belts are no longer required.	.
12 November 1854	Asks for a pair of thick leather-bottomed uniform overalls, a pair of long jack calf skin boots with hunting spurs, and his dress jacket.	.
12 November 1854	Asks for a thick set of shooting clothes and an india rubber tub. Supposes the first boots sent by his mother have been `lost in the boat.'	.
12 November 1854	Mittens would be useful. Also Guernseys, flannel shirts, worsted socks, an air pillow and an emigrant stove [if not too expensive.]	.
12 November 1854	Asks his mother for a quantity of 1s. books and `a complete set of waterproof things.'	.
17 November 1854	Informs his mother of the terrific storm which sank several ships, including those with mails from the Crimea, and one carrying winter clothing for the troops.	.
22 November 1854	Asks his brother Philip to thank Lizzie for the Bible she sent and asks for a Church Service book again.	.
22 November 1854	Informs his brother Philip that the sword he acquired for him at Wilkinson's had a very bad edge.	It went blunt after striking a Russian at Balaklava
24 November 1854	Tells Maria that they have not yet received their kits and are still `on the one shirt system.' The ship with all the government clothing was lost in the hurricane on 14 November 1854.	.
24 November 1854	Asks Maria for a lamp `a thing I want very much'	It was missing from his mother's list
27 November 1854	Reminds his mother to send jack boots, hunting spurs and India rubber suit	.
27 November 1854	Informs her that he has not received her parcel sent on the Faith . Believes it is with an agent in Constantinople.	.
30 November 1854	Informs his father they are still without kits and have only the one shirt they landed with	.
[December] 1854	Informs his mother that the Royal Albert has arrived in Cherson, but not Balaklava so he hasn't got the parcel yet.	.
[December] 1854	Tells his mother that the muffetees his Aunt Fanny sent have arrived.	.
[December] 1854	Asks his mother for copies of the Times newspaper from date of the letter	.
[December] 1854	Asks his mother for a pair of braces, sent by post	.
[December] 1854	Reminds his mother of his request for jack boots, hunting spurs, emigrant stove and complete suit of waterproof. Asks if not yet sent, for her to send them by Hayter, the authorized Government agent.	.
6 December 1854	Informs his father that their kits have landed, but none of his father's parcels have arrived	.
17 December 1854	Thanks his father for the thick uniform of pilot cloth, with lace etc, sent as a gift. Especially as his great coat, among other items, was stolen from his kit on board ship.	Informs his father that no officers he knows have received their parcels
1 January 1855	Asks Maria to tell his father that the parcel on the Royal Albert has arrived. Informs them that they need to order larger sized clothes and boots, firstly because he has grown, and secondly, if there is an alarm it is too difficult to pull on tight clothes or footwear.	.
1 January 1855	Tells Maria that two parcels have arrived on the Cosmopolitan. The big boots, water proofs, books and tools [saw and axe] are the most urgently required items.	.
9 January 1855	Informs family some parcels have arrived, namely those on the Faith, Royal Albert, and Cosmopolitan. But not the Leopard, carrying his boots, saw, axe, books and waterproof leggings.	.
9 January 1855	Thanks his father for his present of a pea coat, fur cap, gloves and thick suit of uniform.	.
24 January 1855	Writing to his mother, discusses the new uniform he is urged to purchase, but is reluctant to do so. Also worries about whether the long boots en route will be large enough.	.
28 January 1855	Thanks his mother for her letter. The things sent via Ede's, Constantinople have arrived. However the portmanteau containing the writing case and eatables was lost in the Bosphorus. The only items received were the gun, shot, plain clothes, and shirts.	.
28 January 1855	Asks his mother to send the newspapers direct from Byfield so he can get the latest news	Newspapers sent via his mother were taking too long.
28 January 1855	Reports to his mother that all the parcels have arrived except those on the Malacca carrying his books.	The soldiers have now got more winter clothing than they can use.
31 January 1855	Tells his brother Philip that the air pillow and long calf-skin boots have arrived on the Malacca. The only things now missing are the portmanteau, believed to be lost in the Bosphorus, the axe, saw, books and holster bottle. Along with Philip's gift of chamois leather under clothing.	.
31 January 1855	Asks his brother Philip to tell their father that the books have arrived	However, he had read most of them
24 February 1855	Asks his father to arrange with Rich to make whatever uniform he is making for the other officers in the Crimea, of the new pattern, unless he is promoted Captain in the 18th or 19th.	.
1 March 1855	Thanks his mother for sending out her own papers, to save funds, but says it delays things and it would be better to have them sent directly	.
1 March 1855	Tells his mother that he has written to Peareth to bring him some Regimental saddlery in the Julia.	.
12 March 1855	Asks his mother for a patrol tent [a very useful thing to have]; white, rather larger than the one he had when he came out.	In case the war goes on.
12 March 1855	Asks his mother for another parcel of concentrated soup	Not available in the Crimea
12 March 1855	Informs his mother that the holster pipe bottle his father sent was smashed by the stove on the voyage. Asks for a replacement, a glass one, from Gardens.	.
12 March 1855	Informs his mother that he can't sell the big stove, `as we are inundated with stoves and the weather is quite hot again.' .	.
12 March 1855	Asks his mother for a new sheepskin	.
22 March 1855	Asks his father for some evening and morning shirts to be ready for him if peace comes	.
22 March 1855	Thanks for the newspapers, and asks his father to tell Byfield to send them regularly	.
22 March 1855	Asks his father for a collar-chain, sheepskin, and white cap	.
2 April 1855	Discusses the missing articles [the portmanteau and a box of gold belts left at Ede's in Constantinople while in Varna] with his father and says he will have to raise the issue with Ede's.	.
2 April 1855	Tells his father that he will have to leave the stove behind in the Crimea.	.
9 April 1855	Queries the parcel his mother sent in the Vestal as it has still not arrived. It included the forage cap.	.
9 April 1855	Asks his mother to tell Rich to send the tunic if the others have theirs although he doesn't need it yet. He isn't urgently requiring overhalls either but if Rich makes any, please leather them up to the knee and make them broad at the top of the leg and small at the foot, similar to the style of French overhalls.	.
19 April 1855	Informs his mother that Ede's lost a large parcel left in Constantinople while Fiennes was en route to Varna, which included gold belts and a mess waistcoat. Ede sent them to Balaklava unbidden and the vessel sank	.
19 April 1855	Tells his mother that the sheepskin she has sent is a full dress one and is `no use here.'	.
5 May 1855	Informs his mother that his canteen and other items arrived on the Argo, but his forage cap still hasn't arrived. Presumed to have been on the Vestal. It might have gone to Balaklava.	Fiennes at this stage is at Scutari. His newspapers aren't being delivered to Scutari. Also some mails seem to have gone astray.
16 May 1855	Asks his mother to ask Byfield to send only the latest newspapers. Also that it would be better to send them by Smith, as his service is more regular.	.
25 May 1855	Asks his father to send out his tunic, overhalls leathered to the knee like the others and gold belts.	.
25 May 1855	Asks his father to get Rich to buy a second hand silver pouch. If he can't get an old one, please send a new one.	His previous one was lost in the Bosphorus
25 May 1855	Asks his father to send a new regimental bridle according to the new pattern, but this item is not urgently required	.
28 June 1855	Asks his father for another parcel of books from Bain's. `Good ones, new novels, or something of the sort... we are not in a humour for serious things.'	.
25 July 1855	Informs his father that whilst on picket he lost his sabretasche, which held a silver fork and spoon.	He believes it was stolen from where it was strapped to his saddle.
31 August 1855	Asks his mother for two new India rubber tubs, one small for a wash-hand basin, and a larger one for a tub, to be obtained from an India rubber shop like Macintosh's	.
31 August 1855	Asks his mother for the thick regimental jacket [that he had previously sent home from Scutari.] To be sent with Friend's things.	.
31 August 1855	Asks his mother for a pair of regimental spurs to be added to his request for boots	.
6 September 1855	With respect to the winter kit his mother is preparing, he asks that she doesn't leather his overhalls that are at home, as he has plenty that are leathered in the East. Also they are his ball overhalls, and too thin for winter.	.
6 September 1855	Asks his mother for some preserved soup [if they stay], a large quantity.	.
6 September 1855	Asks his mother for some knives, spoons, and forks [common ones]	.
6 September 1855	Asks his mother for some cartridges, ready for use, Denby and Adams' large size pistol, made up in copper cans	.
16 September 1855	Confirms with his mother that as the situation is so uncertain, that he wants her to send the things previously mentioned, and his servant's things, at once	.
30 September 1855	Reconfirms his request with his mother for his warm jacket, and his servant's clothes.	.
30 September 1855	Informs his mother that Cuff, or whoever the regimental bridle was ordered with, has sent it, along with a lot of other saddlery not requested, to the value of �8.	.
30 September 1855	Informs his mother that the head collar has arrived, but is the wrong pattern and will not be able to be used. He will return it, and if it was ordered must be paid for.	.
9 December 1855	Asks his mother to invest his surplus revenue, apart from �300 for his use at Scutari, and enough to reimburse her and Philip, cover his debts in England, and to buy a horse	.
9 December 1855	Asks his mother for two new girths for a plain saddle, and one for a regimental saddle, which if ordered quickly can be sent with a head collar already ordered at Cuffs.	.
9 December 1855	Asks his mother for a new plain double reined bridle and a snaffle	.
9 December 1855	Thanks his mother for the portable soups in the last package which were very good and came in the nick of time, but were not what he wanted. They would be no good in a campaign, and should be sent in bladders.	.
9 December 1855	Reports to his mother that the tubs arrived	.
9 December 1855	Asks his mother for another dozen 1s. novels	.
16 December 1855	Informs his mother that the excess saddlery has been returned to Cuffs, but that he now sees by her letter that it was Hamburger that sent it. Asks her to retrieve it from Cuff on its arrival and to sort it out.	.
16 December 1855	Tells his mother that he has heard from Hamburger that the gold belts his father had sent were second hand, and that his father has said that if they were `nearly the same they would do.'	Explains that this was a mistake, as the new Colonel is more particular than Lord George Paget and is a stickler for the strictly regimental, and the items are therefore of no use
16 December 1855	Asks his mother to pay all his bills and sell his charger	.
30 December 1855	Asked his mother for six pillow cases, one pair of hunting spurs and six flannel shirts of a dark colour [black and white check is good]	.
30 December 1855	Asked his mother for two plain saddle pads, from Gardner's. And they never sent the head collars for the regimental bit, so these could be sent with the other things.	.
30 December 1855	Queries whether his mother has heard from Hamburgers about the returned saddlery.	.
30 December 1855	Asks his mother to arrange for Marsh to make him a pair of butcher boots [top boots without the tops]	.
22 January 1856	Asks his mother for a new sheepskin instead of the one she sent before which belongs to his Shabraque	.
30 January 1856	Discusses with his father about Hamburger's bill. He objects to paying for the crupper head collar, head stall straps, shoe cases, and pockets for nails, all of which were returned. The items included a regimental bridle which he kept, and must be deducted from the sum to be refunded.	.
30 January 1856	Informs his father that as peace looms any articles not yet shipped need not be sent. If it is to be peace it is best to keep the charger, and not to sell him.	.
8 March 1856	Discusses with his mother the box he sent home on the Bucephalus. It included a new pouch belt [gold] and a quantity of shirts, and possibly a suit of plain clothes. There was also a portmanteau on the Pelican which was shipped last year but its fate is unknown.	.
8 March 1856	Asks his mother to have some shirts made for his return, with the wristbands doubled back to fasten with studs, at Nichols of Housely, or similar.	All his shirts have been lost
3 April 1856	Reminds his mother to order the shirts for home, now that peace is declared. Also discusses the purchase of two new chargers	.
21 April 1856	Another reminder to his mother about the shirts. Queries the contents of a box his mother sent, believed to contain a pouch and sword belt, possibly plain clothes, and hopefully not his best evening coat or frock.	.
4 May 1856	Informs his mother about where to send his things on his return to England	.
12 May 1856	Asks his mother to tell Marsh to have a pair of regimental boots [Wellingtons], not too thick, made up. Also a pair of button boots for plain clothes made thin for summer, to await his arrival in England	.

Fiennes Wykeham Martin

Letters, Fiennes Wykeham Martin 4LD, July 1854 - May 1856

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