William Hughes letter, 28 July 1917

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William Hughes from Bow Street, Ceredigion, volunteered for the army in 1914 and served with the Royal Engineers. During the war he wrote a series of letters to a childhood friend, T I Rees (who was in the diplomatic service, based at the British embassy in Venezuela). In these letters, which were mostly written in Welsh, one can trace not only William's physical movements, but also how his mood and attitude towards the war changed. Transcript: Dear Friend, Things are looking rather black on the horizon again. The Bible is true. There is nothing so uncertain as the ways of nations. We have this so obvious of late that one is almost afraid to face one's soul fearing he will find that fluctuating in the same way. All wars are more or less fluctuations, but this one is on such colossal organization that the allies victory is perpetually thrown to the unknown future. Unknown in respect of time perhaps more than result though the result is not so certain as yet. Should I say anything as to the future or next year's campaign. My candid opinion is that aircraft and weapons of war will develop to such an extent that no country will be immune and unless we dominate the enemy on a scale by far more than we have hitherto done, well Europe at large will be in a state where life will not be worth living. We have no certainty as regards this predominance. We thought that last year we had established the air supremacy once and for all. But the lack of insight on the part of our leaders has been so ridiculous that we have nothing to rest on in the future. True they throw some tonic to appease our unsatisfied minds yet I am not saying that we are inferior to the enemy in aricraft, nothing of the kind, but unless we attain far higher rates of supremacy and launch on the enemy the identical method he adopts, our future is in a gloom which even the best of minds can not see the same silver lining as our Prime Minister sees. He must have something packated that I am unable to see before he could speak in that manner or is it the best tonic for the present outlook. I trust you do not consider me too pessimistic in my views. What will be the consequence of the Russian retreat, well not retreat so much as avoiding fight. But Russia is a country of so many possibilities that the next may be that they have turned around and held up the German advance. So bitter is the feeling of our troops out here for Russia. Its impossible for us British soldiers to sympathize with Russia. (I mean the majority of soldiers) for the difference between Russia and this little garden we have at home where every bed is known and nursed by us whilst Russia in its vastness would confound our little heads. Russia may become of no importance for this war yet Russia as it was before the revolution would be a disaster to us all and to the cause of the allies. It appears that the Roumanians are astride again. We have the Grecians under hand. Could anyone predict as to the future? Impossible. We are waiting for the end eagerly, however far it will be. This is a little of the war. Yet one can not help perpetually facing questions which hurl themselves to one's mind. Why has Europe come to this? Well I am old fashioned enough to say that it is to prove that civilization will not safeguard any country. You may have your international laws thickly printed in all countries of the civilized world yet that has a certain amount of prevention. But what have we to prevent certain numbers of countries making secret treaties while monarchs still exist. Evidently we have been warned by great men that education was producing very disappointing results. Even Carlyle and Emerson saw this but later Herbert Spencer the philosopher warned the public or rather the leaders of the academic world that their method or rather the half measures of education would bring unpleasant results. Intellectualism was everything and the view was that emotion and intellect were enemies at heart, the greatest mistake known. Intellect is a valuable furnisher but they forgot that it was only an article in the human soul, instead of giving it its proper asset they turn emotion out of the mind and called the house intellect. Now we are reaping the folly of these men. This has been so emphasised by the French philosopher Henri Bergsor and so simplified that he proves emphatically the two faculties in the human soul, the acquired and the intuitive faculty. Weldon Corr's little book on Bergson's Philiosophy of Change is so simple to understand that it reads like a novel. There is over four years since I read it now! I have come to the conclusion that this is Germany's mistake putting her faith in machines the product of human brains instead of in the human soul. For machines are the particular invention of the intellectual part of the mind. If they had studied more of Shakespeare and less of other men. But here the Boche fails, he fails in Psychological, he does not understand a man that does not obey like a machine. They have produced this artificial branch in their own nation and they want every nation the same or they forget that other people are different and that they have more emotions than intellect. Its our emotions that brought us to conflict with Germany. It's the intuitive which counts. Intellect is of very little value in great crises. Two persons who emphasise these two abilities so plainly are the late Premier and the present one. Asquith could not be quick in his decision - Wait and see was stamped in his character. He was an intellectual product of the best in education. To be true to his education Asquith could not give another answer without betraying himself for he lacked the intuition faculty or the intuitiveness faculty had been supressed by modern education. That is when modern education fails us disastrously. Whilst Lloyd [George] passes this to a higher degree than the ordinary man nevertheless what the country wanted in great crises is not intellect but intuitiveness. Lloyd's method of arguing fact is ... different to his forerunner. Asquith would study the statistics of labour unemployment for days probably, and come to the conclusion that something must be done. 200 men on the Thames waiting for work every morning. 50 get work. 150 return but 150 has no sad appearance on paper neither has 50 happy appearance. But Lloyd would motor to the harbour and face facts in their face and not on books. Asquith never saw the sad and solemn appearance of the 150. What Asquith took few days to study, statistics, what he could absorb in ten minutes if he were on the scene. Asquith is the finest product of modern education which failed us in our crisis. We were punished by our own hand. We found our academic system failing us but he failed us honourably though his education failed to attain its purpose it kept its honour. He stepped from the stage with good colours having done his best but his best did not suffice. Henri Bergson warns us not to abuse other faculties for the sake of intellect any longer. It is possible to nourish the intuitiveness as well as other faculties. I am sorry to have imposed so much on your patience trusting that this letter will not bore you too much. I should like to let you know all about my last three months roaming. But I must leave that to some future unknown. I should like to have your opinion of the next year's campaign. I trust you are in good health like myself. Your faithful friend W J Hughes

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