Thread: Letter Writing

I am just typing up a letter to my welfare officer requesting assistance with an issue relating to my son being bullied in an SCE school. I have typed out the letter but as it has been a few years since I have done a formal letter, have completely forgotten how to end it. I know it used to be along the line of "I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant". Is this still the case?

I am the letter writing master!

You'll no longer find the whole 'I have the honour to be....' in JSP101, so these days it tends to be considered an unwritten rule.

On top of that, much of the JSP has been reduced from the size of a phonebook to the size of FHM.

I can always email you an example formal letter (PM me your email address) with the address / names etc changed.


And anyone else that has any DW issues, feel free to ping me.

Originally Posted by JesterRIP

I am the letter writing master!

You'll no longer find the whole 'I have the honour to be....' in JSP101, so these days it tends to be considered an unwritten rule.

On top of that, much of the JSP has been reduced from the size of a phonebook to the size of FHM.

I can always email you an example formal letter (PM me your email address) with the address / names etc changed.


And anyone else that has any DW issues, feel free to ping me.

Cheers Jester, email address in PM

And if you've got time to spare, here's the 2008 revision of JSP101 for you.

Had to write a formal letter at the begining of the week so re-read the JSP

It states that if you are writing to a person by name then you end with yours sincerely, if you're writing to a title (Sir, Ma'am etc) then you end with yours faithfully.

Felt wrong not writing I have the honour to be...... but stuck with the JSP and nothing was said. yet!!

Eddited for fat fingers and too much beer

The Debrett's website is a good place to start from to fill in the bits lacking from JSP 101.

GBTD

Ther is no unwritten rule in the use of ' I have the honour to be etc'. The rule is simpl , do not use it. Anachronistic rubbish and will not get any brownie points for being unable to abide by JSP 101, AKA The Bible!!!

Originally Posted by ashford_old_school

Ther is no unwritten rule in the use of ' I have the honour to be etc'. The rule is simpl , do not use it. Anachronistic rubbish and will not get any brownie points for being unable to abide by JSP 101, AKA The Bible!!!

Of course, that's why it's referred to as 'unwritten' - meaning it doesn't exist.

Given the amount of grammar and spelling issues in those three sentences, I can now see why you religiously follow the 'bible' :D

Hate to say it, but the "I have the honour to be etc..." is no longer used (not even by HM Un-Civil Servants - they can't even used earned post nominals).

Dear Sir/Madam = Your's faithfully

Dear Name = Yours Sincerely

Dear Hand-written first name = personal sign off.

Originally Posted by Mr_Fingerz

Hate to say it, but the "I have the honour to be etc..." is no longer used (not even by HM Un-Civil Servants - they can't even used earned post nominals).

Dear Sir/Madam = Your's faithfully

Dear Name = Yours Sincerely

Dear Hand-written first name = personal sign off.

Or alternatively, in proper England

Dear Sir/Madam = Yours faithfully

Dear Name = Yours sincerely

Ah hung by my own petard, and quite rightly so! However, I am still correct; never ever use THAT phrase. Recipients will just think you are stuck in the cold war and think you might be one of those people that writes to Soldier Magazine whingeing about the NDM, or lack of!!!

Originally Posted by cunning_stunt

Originally Posted by Mr_Fingerz

Hate to say it, but the "I have the honour to be etc..." is no longer used (not even by HM Un-Civil Servants - they can't even used earned post nominals).

Dear Sir/Madam = Your's faithfully

Dear Name = Yours Sincerely

Dear Hand-written first name = personal sign off.

Or alternatively, in proper England

Dear Sir/Madam = Yours faithfully

Dear Name = Yours sincerely

Trainee Grammar Nazi

Not a trainee, I passed out some time ago ;o)

Without wanting to sound like a scratched record - The 'honour to be' phraseology no longer exists, and yet certain officers I have written to / for still use it. It's their choice, they've earned the right blah blah (in some cases).

The JSP 101 is a GUIDE, not a bible. Although if you want to follow it 'religiously' then do so by all means, but you should remember - what one officer will gladly put his signature on, another will throw back at you covered in red pen.

It is worth remembering under the Conventions of DW that (quote):

Conventions set out how something is usually done. Use DW conventions to give consistency of presentation and to ensure you include key pieces of information. The conventions are primarily designed for use with word processing software, in particular Microsoft Word, which is the MOD standard1. However, if you can save time and effort by interpreting the conventions flexibly, then do so.

Originally Posted by JesterRIP

I am the letter writing master!

You'll no longer find the whole 'I have the honour to be....' in JSP101, so these days it tends to be considered an unwritten rule.

On top of that, much of the JSP has been reduced from the size of a phonebook to the size of FHM.

I can always email you an example formal letter (PM me your email address) with the address / names etc changed.


And anyone else that has any DW issues, feel free to ping me.

Do be aware that JSP 101 has been hijacked by Crab Air and, in line with everything else they get hold of, they've ripped out all the style from military writing and left a limp, colourless document with a hint of civi about it. For other examples of this you only have to consider ‘normal’ military uniforms and the RAF's versions with a preponderance of man-made fibres.

However, my tuppence worth as far as the OP's problem is that I wonder whether writing to the Welfare Officer is indeed the best solution. As a parent with kids in an SCE school I would be compelled to write to the Head Teacher in the first instance.