My Great Uncle Albert who I never knew

My late paternal Grandmother exchanged a number of letters with her only brother Albert from when he volunteered in 1916 to his death in August 1917. My understanding is that he was on a gun emplacement that took a direct hit from an enemy shell. This in itself would have probably done for the crew but their own ordnance exploded as well and there was nothing to be found of any of them. The only physical thing we have left is Alberts blackened and dented cigarette case. Prior to Albert joining up he had already displayed his courageous nature in 1908 by being awarded a Royal Humane Society Certificate for diving in and saving the life of a girl who had fallen into the River Severn near Tewkesbury. I have both the cigarette case and the framed RHS Certificate in my posession and would never part with either. I thought I would share the exchange of letters. To me there is a marked decline in Alberts demeanour and there is a seeming lack of belief that he will return home alive referred to in one of his later letters. I find these exchanges quite moving, I know that it is family but hope that other readers will find them of interest too and get a feel for the time and culture that existed then.