[stationary heading, upper left:
“UNDER DIRECT SUPERVISION OF
THE DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING
AND ORGANISATION. C. E. F.”]
REFER TO FILE.
CANADIAN CASUALTY ASSEMBLY CENTRE,
Hastings, Sussex, England
Decr. 6th/16
My dear Mr. Leech.
Your letter of Sept 29th with enclosure only reached me a few days ago and I have only now had an opportunity of answering it.
I take it that since you wrote me you will have had all available information concerning Hart’s death and a narrative from the O.C. of the 1st C.M.R’s of his connection with the regiment. Some time before I received your letter, I happened to come across Hart’s Platoon sergeant – Sergeant Kirk – and I asked him to write me a short account of Hart’s part in the engagement in which he fell and this I am enclosing to you. The sergeant tells the story in his own words and it is to a certain extent incomplete but such as it is it furnishes probably as authentic a record of the incidents immediately surrounding his death as can be obtained I had to leave France in the middle of September owing to a severe attack of fever and I was therefore not with Hart in the engagement where he fell. It was however my great privilege to be probably more closely associated with him previous to that time than any other officer in the 1st CMR’s and we grew to be firm friends. I was in the front line with him during times of great stress and danger and I can say without a suggestion of exaggeration that his conduct at these times was beyond all praise. He did not know what fear meant and his characteristically happy style was a priceless asset.
May I offer a humble tribute of affection for a dear friend and an expression of my sincerest sympathy to you and yours in your great bereavement.
Yours very Sincerely
C Fraser
Capt
Encl.1.
Forwarding address
c/o JR & W.S. Smail Ritchie
42 Frederick St
Edinburgh
Scotland
[enclosed statement by by Sgt. J. Kirk:]
CANADIAN CASUALTY ASSEMBLY CENTRE,
11-12, WESTBOURNE GARDENS,
Shoreham-by-Sea
November 24th. 1916
Lieut. Leach:-
On the morning of Sept 15th. we had orders to raid the Trenches on the right of Moquis Farm, we went out at 2. a.m. and took up our position about fifty yards from enemy Trenches and stayed there until 6.20. a.m., and when our Artillery opened we got orders to retire as shells were falling short.
He came right along with us and on reaching our trench we saw the enemy following, Mr Leach gave me orders to get as many men as possible to go out in front so as to form an out post and that was the last order he gave me and I stayed thier until Lieut Stewart gave me a signal to come in and then I went to where I last seen him and found him on a Stretcher with one man.
He regognised me and said that he was shot through the Bowels and would like to get out I took up one end of the stretcher and the man Marshall the other and made my way the best that was possible for me into the trench and down about forty yards and then was shot through my left shoulder and then had to put down the stretcher as my arm was useless, two other men took the stretcher down to-ward the dressing station, after I got fixed up I went down and seen him about thirty yards further on, with Capt Cameron and Major Caswell, he did not know me at that time and they also told me that he was also hit in the Right of Breast with Shrapnell which was his second wound.
He was at that time dying and I made my way on to the dressing station.
J. Kirk. Sgt
1st. C.M.R. Batt.
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