Letters And Poetry
A letter home from a soldier
Dearest Mary,
I am writing to let you know that I am alive and doing well. I hope you and our children are enjoying the best of health and strength at home.
It is Sunday, November 28, 1915 and we just have settled in the 44th Battalion, safe and sound. I am sitting inside my tent listening to the gentle pattern of the raindrops on the canvas. It has been raining here all morning. With me, in my tent, is stationed a young man, around that age of 20, from Canada. There are about 1000 men stationed in the same area, but many have yet to have settled in.
Every day, we have to march almost 2km to eat. The food is pretty good so far, but nothing compared to your meals.
Things are beginning to get worse over in Europe. I don’t read very much because it is too dreadful. We have been training pretty hard for everything. They figure that we will be fit for the firing line pretty soon. Submarines and torpedo boat destroyers are patrolling the sea all the time. Aeroplanes are circling the area, looking for a good place to launch an attack. We are being strictly supervised and told to stay on guard in case of an attack. We have many soldiers patrolling the area at all hours - one of which is me. My shift will be coming up soon.
Just think in a while this will be all over, there will be peace everywhere and I will be back with you and the children. I am looking forward to coming back to see you.
Well my dear, I must hurry and get this mailed. I hope that you will receive this message - I know that the transport of mail isn’t very good and I hope to hear from you soon with news about yourself, the children and the rest of our relatives and friends. Give my love to the children, not without keeping some for yourself.
With lots of love,
Edward Green
An example of a real letter written in WW1:
Nov. 28/1915
My Dear Wife,
Just a few lines to let you know that I am still alive and kicking and am keeping quite well, hoping this will find you and our dear children enjoying the best of health and strength also your dear mother and all at home. Well dear Wife the General in charge of our camp has just picked out 4 Battalions to form the first Brigade for the front, and the 44th Battalion is one of them. But I don't think we are going to the front for awhile yet as we have quite a lot of training and shooting practice to go through yet. Well it is Sunday today and instead of having a church parade we had to move our lodgings about 1 mile further to the west side of the camp, and you never saw such fun in your life as we had flitting with all our beds and pots & pans, kit bags and hand bags as a lot of the boys have small hand bags like mine, and didn't we just have a laugh. Well you can just imagine 1000 men carrying all their beds and belongings, well some fell by the wayside, others kept dropping their pots & pans, and the road was completely littered with all kinds of things you would have thought a shell had burst and blown everything to bits.
Well dear wife we are about all settled down again now, so me and my pal Pte. T. Charman retired to the Y.M.C.A. writing room out of all the commotion and noise to write letters. My pal is writing to his mother in England and I am writing this letter to you dear wife (the dearest of all my companions.) well I must close for now as I haven't much news to tell you this time so ta-ta my love.
My dearest love & wishes
to my own darling wife & children
from your ever fond loving husband
Till death,
Arthur
A School Link Article. Courtesy of Kathryn McDonell, LCCHS, March 15, 1999 .
