Letters From the Front

Dated: May 18, 1917

   Mud up to our waists in the front line of trenches.  We had to stand to in it for three hours.  All the boys were glad when 5 o'clock came, to go over the top to the Germans.  When we were crossing No Man's Land shells and bullets were dropping out of the sky like rain. 

  When we reached the first trenches we found about a dozen machine guns.  The crews put up their hands. When we got to the second line some Germans were waiting for us with their overcoats and mess tins on.  They just put up their hands and said:  "Good Canadian, me got a wife and six children in Germany."  So we had to take them prisoners. 

  I was to the second line of trenches before getting hit.  I just came out of a dugout when something hit me below the shoulder, and I fell to the ground.  I couldn't move my leg.  I thought my back was broken, so I lay down again.  I said to myself, 'My days are over.'  I got on my hands and knee and started to get out, but didn't get very far when another shell came over and buried me.  One of our boys was passing at the time, and he dug me out, and as there were two prisoners coming down at the time, one of our boys made them take me to a dressing station.