Letters From the Front

Dated: June 14, 1915

Letters from Soldier Boys At the Front

Mrs. McMahon of Plympton has received the following letter from her son William, who is with the first Canadian Overseas Contingent in France.

France, June 14,1915

Dear Mother and all –

I received your ever welcome letter of May 27 last night, was glad to hear that you are all well. I am myself in the very best of health, in fact I never felt better in my life. We are having ideal weather, for a few days it was very hot, but we had a thunderstorm the other day and it has not been so hot since. Cherries and early berries are now getting ripe and we are getting our share of them. At present we are camped in an orchard supposed to be resting; we are only a few miles from where the British are bombarding a large town which has for months been a German stronghold. The roar of the big guns is continual and is about the only thing that reminds us that there is a war. In a few days we expect to be back at it again. Sooner or later Germany must give way, before the ever increasing forces that are against her, but they are going to hold on longer than some people think, most of her troops out here don’t think that we will see another winter campaign, but personally I think we will. I read with interest the clipping contained in Glen’s letter. I knew he was wounded but did not know how bad, was glad to know that he got off so lucky as a clean bullet wound is nothing serious, if it is not in a vital spot, as an army bullet is small and hard as steel, but a fragment of a shell is the worst as it is jagged and all shapes. We had a sergeant, a nice young fellow, married, with one child, who got hit in the leg with a piece of shrapnel; he did not think it was very bad, but I guess the bone must have been shattered as they had to amputate the limb and he died – but a bullet if it goes through is not very bad. I have seen thousands of wounded men, some of them were remarkable escapes from death, but the worst wrecks seem to be those who get a bad dose of gas, and that stuff will make your eyes smart and run water, a couple of miles from where it is being used. Well, I have never been sorry for coming here. I have had good health, we get lots of food and clothes and see some wonderful sights. Sights that man will never see again, at times our dangers are as great as any unit in the army and our task just as important, but our food is better than some other corps, while we have a little better chance of keeping clear and better attendance if sick. I have not seen any Germans at close quarters, only prisoners, but have several times seen men killed and wounded by their fire, but I have every hope and firmly believe that I will be safely permitted to return to dear old Canada, the best country in the world. In the Canadian papers we read a lot about elections and the third and fourth contingent with the war news that is about all they contain. You people at home get more news of the war as a whole sooner than we, who are engaged in it, but some day the pages of history that are now being made will be written and those of us who are left will be able to read the chapters of glory of which the volunteers of the mighty British Empire will be the authors instead of the conscript hordes – of Germany and our country shall be free.

   Well, I guess this letter will be long enough to try the patience of the censor if he reads it, so I had better close for this time.

   Your loving son,