Correspondence by and relating to Leo Valentine, who died at the Somme 1916

My uncle, Leo Valentine, joined the army at 16 in 1914, out of economic necessity. As far as I know, all of his fighting took place in France and he fought and died at the Somme in 1916. After my grandmother (Leo's mother) died in 1954, we found a tin box in her house in Newland Terrace, Terenure containing all of Leo's letters home, arranged in chronological order. The family hadn't been aware of the letters' existence until then. One of the items provided here is a Christmas card my uncle never had a chance to send, which was found on his body by a comrade. This was forwarded home to his mother with an accompanying letter. Also enclosed with the letter were a number of photographs he had on his person at the time of his death, which are also provided.