Letters From the Front

Dated: May 6, 1915

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

Harry Leacock Tells Interesting Story of Four Days Fighting in France

The following letter from Sergeant H. Leacock by his wife tells of interesting details of one of the big fights that the Canadians took part in.

May 6, 1915

"I will try now and give you an account of our doings for the last two weeks, as things are a bit quieter now, I do not know when I will be able to post this as we cannot get any letters censored at present, and have no green envelopes or postcards, but will write this up and post when I can. I think you will be able to fill up any blanks I leave by what you read in the papers."

"For some weeks we were working in the neighbourhood of the town you mentioned in one of your letters. It was there I met Arthur although our Batteries were constantly in action there, and we supplied them with ammuntion every day. We were in very little danger, the work being more routine than anything else. This went on until we got orders to move one day and away we went making a long trip until we made our next stop. Here we spent 10 days resting up and then off again, after having a review by the general we were going to serve under. He called up the officers and made a very flattering speech to us all, telling us among other things, that we were going to a part of the line, where the heaviest fighting was and where good reliable men were wanted. He was quite right about the fighting. I think I am right in saying that he found the Canadians to be as good as he thought. Well, to go on, we travelled the next day about 15 miles and went into billets the day after. My subsection and four guns were ordered to go ahead, the rest to follow later. This we did, going about 10 miles and going into camp about 9 at night. The next day we spent in digging "dug-outs", that is a hole in the ground about 6x8 feet and 3 feet deep. The grass sods are piled up to make the walls and the top covered with any wood you can get. It is then covered with earth and sods so as to look as much like the rest of the ground as possible and to make it invisible to aeroplanes above. The Germans are constantly sailing over our head to discover our positions and comminicate them to their batteries, who lose no time in shelling us, once we are found out."

"We had got this done when about 4 o'clock when a tremendous bombardment commenced all along our front (we were about a mile or so in rear of the trenches) the noise was terrific and very soon after there was a heavy green smoke rising from all along the line. This, we afterward learned, was the poisonous gas they were using and although we were so far in the rear we soon got the benefit of it. It gets into your lungs and starts you coughing. We were right behind the part of the line where the English and French joined and within 200 yards of the 4.7 guns which were lost and recaptured by the Canadians, and by the way, these guns were not Canadian guns, although described as such, but were only attached to us. This is correct as I visited them. The bombardment went on for two hours, then the French were forced to retire, mainly I think, owing to the gas and soon they were streaming through our lines in hundreds. We were all mounted waiting for orders."

"The Germans were following up the French with shell and rifle fire, as hard as hard as they could. The air was literally full of shells. All this time we had to site quiet and wait, one of the most trying things we could do, watching the enemy get closer and practically no means of defending ourselves, a good chance of our retreat being cut off. Owing to the winding nature of the roads, the enemy could soon cut us off. It practically is impossible for guns and wagons to go across country as there are deep, wide ditches everywhere. We stuck it until the order came to get out of it, and we charged. Then began one of the lustiest rides I shall ever have."

"The road was being shelled all along and we had some miles to go, during the first few minutes two wagons were smashed up and a horse killed, but that was all we lost and we were more than lucky. Our limbers were full of wounded Frenchmen, women and children. We had to refuse to help many and leave them to others. The inhabitants seem to stick to their homes until the extreme last. They often cannot get away. Women and children were being hit as well as soldiers. One woman had her breast torn open by a piece of shell, another had her arm smashed."

Continued next week