France
June 17th/17
Dear Mother & all-
I should have written long ago but am just a bit lazy I reckon.
It is so hot! The nights are cool however and we do most of our work in the darkness. It isn't really dark though, for it is often 10 o'clock before we realize it. Life, as a result of night work is a bit topsy-turvy. It is hard to remember the day and the date. We arise (usually) at 8:30 breakfast at 9 a.m. then after a shave and a plunge in a creek nearly we lie down again. Dinner is served at 1 p.m. and supper at 7. Of course we do some work and are tickled to it.
It goes like this- All is quite on the Western Front- except for the occasional rumble of a "heavy" and the rush of it's hurrying shell, or the stutter of some machine-gun that imagines it sees a target- when some officer takes a motion to "straff" Fritz and the order comes, "Stand-to". We drop the work we're at and scramble to the gun. Then we are give "the line" and "rate" of fire and we're off.
July 4th 1917
Well, well nearly a month has gone since I last wrote. I'm sorry, but am afraid excuses are no good. - I haven't written a line to anybody for over two weeks.
I'll say one thing- "There has been Artillery activity lately on a scale hardly dreamed of before".
We are on the move almost continually - in the right direction.
The newspapers give you the facts pretty well as I see by the bunch I received last night from Sam.
When Canadians are active on the front we are backing them up. From this little tip you will be able to form some idea of where we are. Some of the actions during the past month have been great. The Artillery barrage is a wonderful thing. It is a real curtain of fire behind which our infantry walk with rifles at the "slope" or "trail", calmly smoking their pipes. - This is the "charge" up-to-date.
Our "boys" have won a great name for themselves over here and are recognized as second to none as fighters by our allies as as well as the Hun.
Have seen some great sights lately.
One night one of our "heavy" shells hit a Fritzy "dump" of ammunition. It was a beautiful and at the same time an awful sight. It was about 2 a.m. when it "went up" and our guns were roaring on all sides. A column of fire and smoke went up to a height of probably 300 ft and as big round as the "Alexandra".
It burned nearly all night. From the hills nearly I have looked over the country held by Fritz and seen our shells bursting over trenches and towns. It was a great night. Fritz has flooded some of the country now, but he cant stop us.
He hasn't the "pep" he once had as he throws over very little ammuntion.
I have been in perfect health since I last wrote. We have been very busy of course and when I have started to write I have fallen asleep. That old habit of mine stands me in good stead now, no matter what the conditions- when tired- I can sleep without any difficulty. It is a great blessing.
July 5th
The weather is cool today but they say we must expect much spells.
July 7th/17
You see how my letters got written mother! Something turns up to put a stop to things. But I'm not going to let anything stop me till I finish this one. The last interruption was caused by a visitor.
It was Billy Mason- you remember the little red headed chap who used to help [Branscomb?] with the threshing outfit?- He is "quartered" just across the street in a cellar. He is an officer's batman (servant) and is getting on well. A week ago last Sunday I was at the horse lines and in the afternoon went for a ground ride on my horse. It is a great treat to get a a good ride once in a while. I went to a little village some 6 miles away and had a good feed of eggs- oranges and biscuits with strong coffee.
In my way down I called in at a certain wagon lines and saw Ancus Peterson (Sgt). He looks splendid and was able to give me some news about various fellows. I saw Art Stone (who used to work for Harry Cotton) there also.
Going on for half a mile I found Elgin busy at his Ammunition Dump. They have a busy time of it especially when there is something big on. Elgin looks well. We had a good talk. He had received Hazel's letter.
I haven't seen Fred or Hube lately. (Because I have moved since.) Things look extremely well over here. Fritz hasn't the "come back" be used to have and we are "top-dog" at last. Our guns (I don't mean our battery exactly) are never silent and the drubbing he gets must be indiscribable.
The other day I was up forward with one of our officers "observing". It was a wonderful night. We were quite safe, as we used periscopes. Looking through one of these I could see my gun spraying shrapnel over the Hun trenches. (Of course other guns were doing the same but I could tell my own by knowing - when the gun was fired and where the target was.) The view was wonderful! Just below us was a village that has been recently captured. I reckon it is somewhat different that it was a base month ago.
The Hun seems to have been in a fearful hurry to leave here. We can get anything we want (need) for the taking so we are quite comfortable with new stoves, easy chairs, dining room table, dining chairs. -a piano- mirrors, dishes etc! We take only what we can use and will leave it here in good condition when we move. It is rather hard usually to picture such towns as they once were but this one has, so far, been very little damaged. It looks as though the people had just left, hurriedly. In some place washing was still on the line and in one back yard two baby's bonnets hang on currant bush. - By the way I have had lots of currants to eat and some strawberries, gooseberries and raspberries.
The country round about is very lovely. There is every imaginable shade of rose and pansies abound.
I have a nice glass vase in my gun fit and we have lovely bognets. My last one was a beauty I would give a great deal to send you one like it but I know how it would arrive - withered. -
I had a large bognet of pink and red roses and a few stalks of white lilies. These are the French "Pleur -de-Lis" and are very fragrant. For greenery I had a bit of grape vine amoung the lily stalks. So here we have a symbol. - Roses emblematic of England - Lilies of France and the Maple leaf of Canada. Of course it wasn't a real Maple Leaf but the Grape leaf was the nearest we could find - The unity was beautiful, and typical of the "entente".
The French & English are very friendly to one another. Going into some of the villages one sees this An old lady- and there are many who appear very old- will say - "You Canadian? - You at Vimy?" - Then you should hear the laughter and the flow of speech - A deluge! When they see you are trying to speak their language correctly they will speak more slowly, distinctly and will help you in the pronounciation of difficult words.
The "Leave list" is made out now and some are going to "Blighty" each week. - At the present rate though, I would go in about six months time. So I have found loop-hole-! I can get leave more quickly by staying in country so I have applied for leave to Paris. It is going through and some fine day in the future I shall see some of the sights of that beautiful city. I shall spend ten days there and its vicinity and hope to make the best of my holiday. I don't get away but - is there anything you'd like? - Name something cheaper than a $100 HAT and I'll try and oblige.
-Oh about extra $5 per month.
The paymaster didn't have time to put it through before I left England and it's too much trouble over here. It goes to my credit of course.
I get 30 francs twice monthly. A five franc bill corresponds to our dollar. The paper money over here is joke. They have bills for as low a sum as 25 centimes or "tupence"- a penny or 5 cents. kThey get dirty and torn quite easily and are then a nuisance.
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We are all glad to hear that the Russians have "Come back". We will have to spend another winter here to finish the job properly.
I know its hard - but it is just as hard on us. We'd all like to be home but when the folks back home don't mind staying quite so much.
In many ways we are very content and happy. - We are confident of victory and each added success helps greatly. We are in the best of it and it gives us a great deal of pleasure to know that we are better than German gunners. The other day I saw a German battery put out of business by our heavies.
Their artillery is no match for ours.
I have seen some great sights behind our lines Guns whose shells weigh - [?] wind the explosion of which makes a hole large enough to hide our house in. One can hardly grasp the meaning of it. The airmen do wonderful stunts that make one exclaim with wonder. I saw one of ours dash among eight Fritze's and scatter them and get away without a scratch. - He was travelling some though - over 120 miles an hour.
When down at the lines a short time ago I saw an exciting thing happen. An officer was up in an Observation balloon when one of the wires fouled the bag and tore the control rudder. The wire only broke and with only one slight strand holding the huge bag to earth the tussle began. A fresh wind was blowing and the huge bag began to plunge and turn somersaults. The two parachutes were seen to come down and we though he had jumped. When half -way down the load of one parachute was seen to fall. We knew that he wouldn't have a chance. Soldiers ran from all quarters to help on the cable - as it had by know become hoplessly marked in the motor. Hundreds pulled on the cable and for about 20 minutes had a hard struggle. Gradually they hauled in and soon the basket came within reach of eager hands.
They found that the officer had sent his instruments down by parachute and had tied himself in the basket. He had a horrible experience and I was greatly surprised to hear that he had stuck it.
He had his neck hurt badly by a rope which got around it and see-sawed as he was coming down. - His only comment as he walked to the dressing station was - "It feels rather queer to have a balloon bumping on your head".
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Don't think that we are a dull, despondent, homesick bunch. WE ARE NOT! We had a concrete tonight in a ruined-house. Songs, stories,+ recitations. It was a pleasing change form the routine work.
I'll be more careful about writing now and will drop a card at least. I am in great health. Have received your boxes o.k. and enjoyed them greatly. I have been well looked after as regards socks. YL. Colborne; L.O.D.E. - Hazel- Ethel. Trinity Church, Toronto. All nice boxes. Sam keeps me well fixed with candy and papers.
I hope the exams were enjoyed by Arnold, Jennie and Harold and that Douglas made good. Tell them to write me a line. I can't write to each when I'm "in the line". I can't answer half the letters I get, except with "Whig-Bangs" as we call the Field Service cards and I hate to send them. Have you much of a garden? How are tomatoes coming on? Many campers at the lake? Wonder how it would feel to have loose trousers on, with a soft shirt and real tie not to mention a bath and a freedom from - - - Well, its just like this, - If anyone rays too much, when I get back, about certain things, I'll be in a mood to darken their lamps. - The idea of over - 1,000,000 able-bodied Canadians hanging back. - We laugh to read about Conscription. Conscripts aren't much good. We Know! - They can't stick it!
We have a jolly good time in our unit when we move. It is so satisfactory to fool Fritz. And that is what we do. Move at night - work like fiends all night building pits and splinter proofs and leaving the place the surface had never been broken. Oh, it has landscape gardening beaten hollow. We have to keep hidden from the planes that sneak "over" at dawn (3:30-4:30).
I think I'll be able to work the blessed farm at night when I get back and rest during the heat of the day.
At any rate I'm glad I know a little bit about building- We aren't very fussy though. I have a nise [?] home-like pit built of sandbags railroad rails (C.P.R)- I'd like to know how they got here - sheet iron and more sandbags. - Sometimes I think that we have taken a contract to shovel buff of France into bags. They will let us go home when that's finished perhaps.
Well, I hope the length of this letter will excuse my past neglect. With much love to all from
Ray, xxxxx
P.S. On July 1st I sent "Colborne's greetings" over to Fritz on a shell.
Love Ray
