Hori and Nature
As you might expect of someone who worked with plants, Hori had a great love of nature. In his letters home, he often talked about the plants and wildlife he had seen on his travels.
Mediterranean wildlife
When Hori was sent to mainland Europe, his first stop was Salonika in Greece. In March 1917, he writes:
'There is no population to this part of the world. I haven’t seen a civilian since I have been here. The chief form of life seems to be lizards, scorpions, centipedes, frogs, flies and birds.'
By May, Hori had moved to Macedonia:
'The spot where I am living now is a delightful one. It is right on top of the hills and there is a lovely stretch of country covered with many beautiful wild flowers, reaching right away to a higher lot of hills, which in many places pierce the clouds and on which snow is always to be seen. The weather is very warm but is not so trying as it was in my last place, which had a much lower altitude…
There are a good lot of fish in the river and some of the boys are at present catching some with a piece of string and a bent pin and they are having some luck too.
About two hundred yards in front of my villa (which I have named The Vicarage) is an orchard of several acres extent. The fruit is not quite ripe but I hope to be here when it is as there appears to be no owner and it would never do to let it all go wrong.'
In Egypt
Later on, whilst marching through Egypt, Hori enjoyed the local fruit:
'There are plenty of prickly pears about here. They grow on cacti belonging to the Genus Opuntia (Var Ficusteseus). They are nice and ripe too. There are also a good lot of Water Melons and where we were last, plenty of figs. These fruits are about the only thing grown about here.'
He also described the local wildlife, in one letter explaining:
'I am at a place where it is all sand, sun and wind and in addition there are plenty of tarantulas about (spiders as big across as a saucer, lovely things).'
Listen
Hori's great-granddaughter, Sarah Gooch, discusses the drawings that he sent home to his family
He sent a couple of little pictures home, I think of the – I think he was, I think it came about because he was actually, although they look slightly humorous, I think he meant them quite seriously because he sent one of himself marching through the desert which I think from what came back in one of Bess’s letters that the children had found funny. But he actually said it actually isn’t a funny matter at all, having to march through the desert in that heat with boots on and your pith helmet and the backpack weighing 130 lbs. So they look as if they’re a bit – because of the way they’re written – look quite humorous but I think they weren’t meant to be. And another one he sent which he wrote or he drew I think when he was actually in Egypt but it was referring back to when he was in Macedonia, of him being out – or there was some chap’s feet coming out at the end of the tent, and loads and loads of little insects and snakes and scorpions, which he calls ‘pilgrims of the night’. And says, in fact, there were far more than he could put in that picture.
Cuttings
In some of the last letters that Hori sent, he included local flowers he had collected. On 28 November, he writes:
'The pieces of fern enclosed I got from a well where we got our water. The few crocuses I picked up on the hillside.'
In the final letter he ever sent home, he enclosed some rosemary – noted for its associations with remembrance:
'The pieces of rosemary included I picked from a hedge in the grounds of the monastery.'
Hori spent two days at the monastery just before his last battle. The ferns, crocuses and rosemary that he sent home are all still intact with his original letters.
Related Articles
-
ReadHori the Husband
Delve into heartfelt letters of a soldier's love, reassurance, and hopes for reunion with his family.
-
ReadHori the Father
Hori's heartfelt letters capture his love, advice, and longing to reunite with his children.
-
ReadHori the Soldier
Hori’s letters detailing the daily challenges of life on the front lines.
