Letters from Frederick James (Fred) Mourilyan (1846-1927), brother of Eugénie Sladden

Frederick James Mourilyan (1846-1927), known as Fred, was the brother of Eugénie Sladden.  The Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service at The Hive in Worcester contains 91 of his letters, written primarily to his sister between 1869 and 1915.  Only the letters covering the First World War period have been transcribed, but the others may be viewed at Worcester.

Before the war, Fred worked for the Continental Gas Company, based originally in Roumania and then in Belgium.  The letters from 1869-1871 are written from Bucharest; the letters from 1873-1881 are written from Galati.  By 1882, Fred had moved to Brussels and the letters from 1882 up to the First World War are written firstly from his home on Rue des Drapiers and then from Rue du Châtelain, off Avenue Louise.  The war changed everything and Fred was forced to return to England where he wrote to his sister from various different locations until her death.

There are also letters written by Fred in 1925 and 1927 to Jack and to Julius Sladden.

We are grateful to Chris and Julian Higman for providing a photograph of their great-grandfather, Fred Mourilyan.