Canadian War Veterans Memorial Project
Commemorating those that served
Commemorating those that served
Welcome: Guest (Login/Register) |
Welcome: Guest (Login/Register) |
Dated: April 13, 1916
The following letter from the fighting line has been received by Arthur Peacock of Merna from his old friend J. Birnie.
Dear Art,
How is everything with you these days? I see by the papers you are having a very pretty hard winter, well we have been having very disagreeable weather over here, snow nearly every day, but believe me, she can get hot enough sometimes. I heard that Newt had entered into the matrimonial state, so give him my regards and good luck to him. Well I suppose you will want to know what I am doing over here, but I am afraid I will not be able to tell you very much as things are getting more strict everyday as to the news that is being sent back. They even won't allow one to write his address at the top of the page, as anyone glancing thru it would know where it came from. No. 117145, 7th Platoon, 2nd Battalion C.M.R. 8th Infantry Brigade, C.E.F., France will find me and I will be pleased to hear from you or anyone at anytime.
The first night we landed here, there were twenty of us sent to the trenches. Tom Allen and I were tolled off as a listening post, we had to climb over the top of the trench and crawl away out in front. Believe me, we hugged the ground pretty close. I could hear the Germans talk distinctly. Tom got a shrapnel bullet in his back the next day and the corporal that took us to the listening post was talking to me the next night when he fell at my feet with a bullet thru his chin and shoulder. I thought it was working around to my turn, but have been lucky so far.
I came across Captain Higginson's grave, from Lougheed. He is buried about a mile behind the trenches along with a lot more Canadians. A simple cross gives their name and number.
We have been under shell fire a few times. One day they shelled us all afternoon, when we were in billets. It was raining to beat the band and we had to beat it. We came back at dark and had just got to bed when they started again, there was nothing for it but to roll as they had got the range down fine. One of the first shells that fell, killed one man and wounded three others and also killed seven horses which were tied by the neck. The men were not long in cutting the rest loose.
It is a great sight to watch the aeroplanes, especially when there is a fight on. I have counted between twenty and thirty up in the air at one time. They sure take some awful chances, I have seen the shells bursting all around them, and they still keep going ahead.
I believe Mac is a soldier now, I had a letter from Harry Miller yesterday and he was saying that they were both training in Calgary. We learned more here in ten days than we did all the time we were enlisted. Every time we move we have to carry everything we possess on our backs. Believe me, a pack horse has nothing on us. I am writing this on a mess tin lid and if you knew where, you would excuse the scrawl. Hope both you and Mrs. Peacock are well as this leaves me.
Kind regards to all,
J.W. Birnie
According to his attestation papers, he enlisted with the 12th Canadian Mounted Rifles in Calgary, Alberta on June 7, 1915. From the 2nd C.M.R. History, he was listed as joining the Battalion on January 29, 1916 Birnie was born in Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland and listed his previous military experience as three years with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry. He appears to have survived the war, eventually, according to LAC, becoming a Serjeant.
The Tom Allen mentioned was Thomas Walter Allen, #117108, whom like Birnie also had enlisted with the 12th C.M.R. and also joined the 2nd C.M.R. at the same date. At some future date, he received a commission as Lieutenant but not with the 2nd C.M.R. according to the Battalion history. As for his being wounded, the Battalion history lists this as February 12, 1916 while they were in trenches C1, C2 and 142. He was wounded again at Sanctuary Wood on June 3, 1916. He also survived the war.
The Corporal who took the men to the listening post and was shot through the chin and shoulder was Lance-Corporal William Henry Cartwright, #107140. He was an original with the 2nd C.M.R.
The grave that Birnie visited was that of Captain John Lucas Higginson, who served with the 4th Battalion from Ontario and was killed November 15, 1915. Captain Higginson had been an officer with the 101st Regiment, Edmonton Fusiliers and enlisted in Calgary, Alberta on November 17, 1914, so apparently he had later transferred to the 4th Battalion. He was killed in action during enemy shelling of his trench (according to the War Diary he had been in Trench C1 and was killed between 10 and 11.30 AM). At the time of Captain Higginson's death, he had been the Officer Commanding No. 1 Company. An interesting side note was his father had, at one time, been the fleet paymaster for the Royal Navy.
Transcribed by: chris.wight