ABSTRACT
The language of fighting in a crusade has echoed through the centuries and is woven through accounts of battle and sacrifice during the First World War. One important firsthand source for the imagery used by British soldiers during the war are the letters to and from those fighting at the various fronts, in Flanders, France, Gallipoli and Palestine. This chapter discusses letters from a variety of correspondents throughout Britain; the way in which they used the language of crusading and some of the cultural and family influences which shaped this writing. Some of the most widely quoted letters belong to a group of young men from prominent interrelated families often referred to as 'The Souls' who suffered significant losses during the war. The brothers Lord Elcho and Yvo Charteris, the sons of Lord Wemyss, were both killed during the war.
