MARON 1

Vivien Maron
Dr. Hino
GPS 320 12 PM
15 April 2016
British Army Form A. 2042
During World War I soldiers had the possibility of sending letters to
their loved ones. Some were short, some were heart- felt to their lovers,
informing them about their well being, current state of things, news, and
general feelings they had and experiences during the way. Naturally, the war
is a violent event, so many times soldiers were not able to write elaborate
letters to inform their loved ones about the things they wished to convey. As
a result the British Army came up with a short form soldiers could fill out. The
form was called British Army Form A. 2042, and covered simple topics that
informed the receiver about the basic well being and state of the soldier. The
form was essentially a fill in the blank and circle the right answer form,
which made it a quick and easy form to fill out and send to loved ones. It had
the following information options the soldiers could fill out, if deemed
appropriate:

I am quite well.
I have been admitted to the hospital sick and am going on well/

wounded and hope to be discharged soon.

I am being sent down to the base.
I have received your letter dated / telegram / parcel
Letter follows at first opportunity.
I have received no letter from you lately/ for a long time.

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As one can tell, the information given in the form is very limiting, but straight
to the point if needed. The soldiers jokingly called it Whizz- bangs, which
was slang for artillery shells that traveled faster than sound and made a
whizzing sound, or Quick- Fires, which stemmed from an artillery piece that
could be fired rapidly.
During the war, any information was sensitive. Soldiers would include
some of the sensitive information in letters to their loved ones, which could
become problematic if the enemy intercepted the letters and read the
sensitive information included in the letters. For that reason, the British Army
encouraged soldiers not to share those sensitive and classified information,
and also made an effort to censor any information that was deemed
dangerous if the enemies were to find them. This resulted in soldiers
developing a secret language with their loved ones to convey information
they were not supposed to share. An example was that of soldier Wilfred
Owen and his mother. Wilfred Owen sent the short army form to his mother.
Whenever he would say I am being sent down to base crossed out with two
lines, her son was at the front lines. The secret language allowed for soldiers
to communicate more information that were sensitive to their loved ones,
and if those were intercepted, enemies would not understand its significance
or its meanings.

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Works Cited
"British Armys Form A. 2042." 1914-1918. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A
Companion Reader. Vol. 2. W. W. Norton, 2010. 285-286. Print.