After four months in the trenches – a period that strongly influenced the world that he later created in books such as The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of Rings (1954-55) – Tolkien fell victim to the typhus-like condition known as ‘trench fever’ and returned to England in November. Unable to fully shake off its debilitating effects, he spent the rest of war either in hospital or in home service camps, where he did sufficiently well to earn promotion to the rank of lieutenant.

The papers in Tolkien’s service record file (WO 339/34423) are largely concerned with the various health problems that dominated his time in the army during the First World War. There are numerous reports made by army medical boards between December 1916 and September 1918 on Tolkien’s recovery from trench fever – a slow process punctuated by relapses.

The file also contains the document (dating from 22 November 1916) confirming his initial return to England from France because of illness, and two short letters written by Tolkien himself (in January and February 1917), in which he informs the War Office that he is once again fit for duty.

View a transcript of the letter