Letters From the Front

Dated:

What a prisoner tells:

A sergeant of the Grenadier Guards, Montreal, got a private chance to send the following letter to his aunt. Had he tried to mail it the Germans would have destroyed it:

Dear Aunt and Uncle,

Have written several letters which I know never reached you. But I hope that you will receive this, which a sergeant of my brigade who has lost his leg and is being exchanged, will take. When you have read this letter, will you be kind enough to forward it to my mother.

Well aunt, I was captured on April 24^th, after fighting for three days steadily without food or water. When I reached the place where our ammunition was, I bandaged my comrades up and was just going back with the ammunition when two Germans pointed their guns at us to put up our hands. I was never so taken back in my life and stood like a stuffed dummy with my rifle in my hands. I would have made a fight for it, but I could see it was no use, as the Germans were in possession of the village.

That was where the life of a dog started.

The Germans struck at us with their rifle butts, kicked us and spit in our faces. You can imagine what a state I was in. My head was going round and I could hardly stand. They made us march for three hours, and put us in a church where I fell down like a log and went to sleep.

In the morning they brought us some coffee and a piece of war bread, and I was so ill I could not eat. Next day they moved us to Roulers in Belgium, and kept us there for two days, then sent us on to Germany. They put us in box cars like a lot of cattle, forty in a truck, locking us in and only letting us out once a day. We were like that for three days, and when we reached Munster I was sent to an eye hospital. That is where I suffered. I won't go into the details now, but I spent eight weeks in that hell upon earth before coming to this camp.

They do not bother us so much here. They force us to work and have sent a lot away to work in the mines. But they have not got any work out of me, yet, and they will have to go some to get me to do any. We get a piece of bread four inches square and one inch thick each day, and potatoes and water. It is not fit for pigs to eat, let alone human beings.

It is quite true that I have lost my right eye, but it has not affected my left one any. The Germans gave me a glass eye, and one cannot tell the difference without looking very closely. My friend was not captured with me. He is still alive in France.

I shall be grateful to receive anything in the shape of eatables, and we re allowed to receive cigarettes and tobacco. If you send any parcels, it is better for you to send them direct yourself. Postage is free for prisoners of war. Could you manage to send me one parcel a week?

The best things to send are as follows: Tea, sugar, milk, butter, tinned goods of any kind, cigarettes and bread. It is best to send bread in a separate parcel as all the other goods turn it moldy. Bread comes best in cardboard boxes. Do not think me too forward, aunt, as I thought it best to enlighten you what to send and will repay you when I get back. Do not worry if you do not receive any reply.