Letter from Pte. Enos Grant

The following interesting letter has been received by Earl Grant from his cousin Enos, son of Mr. And Mrs. Oscar Grant, of New Liskeard. Pte. Enos Grant enlisted here last fall with the First Contingent, and has already seen active service in France. He attained his eighteenth birthday last month.

France, March 6, 1915

Dear Cousin:-
I received your letter the other day and was glad to hear from you. I am in the trenches now and it is all right when it isn't wet. The last time I was in it rained all the time. It is not very nice when it is raining but it is like a home for us. Four of us have a dugout, that is, a cave in the trench, so we have a fine place in it. The smoke goes out of a hole in the top. When we get a good fire in it, it warms the place up fine. I would like to get a photo of this place and send to you. It would look all right, but we can't get it.
I just had my dinner, had pea soup. It was all right. The Germans are shooting over our way now but they can't seem to get any of us. I got a fine shot at them the other day. Don't know if I got any of them or not. I didn't go over to see. Last night when I was on sentry duty there was some quick firing on our right. We all had to stand for we are expecting to make an attack pretty soon, so we thought it was for us last night and we were all ready. All the boys were mad that there wasn't any. At 6 o'clock in the morning we had all to stand, that is they all get out of their dugouts and be ready, then in a half hour we are dismissed. But one, stays for two hours, then he is off for four. That is the way it goes.
We go out behind the trenches for wood. There are homes which the Germans big guns fire on in the day time. We get the wood that way, so the German guns are all right that way.
We have been in France a month, but I couldn't get a chance to write before, as we have been on the march pretty near all the time going from one place to another. We don't do very much in the day time when we are in the trenches. All the work is at night, the Germans doing the same. They try hard to pick off some of us but they haven't done it yet, that is in the fourth battalion. There were two of our fellows coming in to the trenches the other night, and a machine turned on them. One of them got shot in the shoulder, and arm. That is the only one to get hurt in the 4th Batt. and this is the second time we have been in the trenches.
Last night three of us went for wood, behind the trenches about 200 hundred yards. I got up to get one of the rafters and one of the searchlights came on me. Here I was, up there and this thing looking me in the face, but it was a good thing for me they didn't see me, for if they had I don't think I would be writing to you to-day. But I got through with it. That is what we came over here for.
It is some life, lots of fun at night. It is like the 12th of July. They throw up their lights and it lights up the whole sky like day. It is nice to see, but not so nice to hear a bullet go by your ear. There are a few flying around now, but they can't get me just now for I am under cover in the dugout, so I am all right.
This is the last night that we will be here for awhile, for we came in four days ago, so it will be off four days, but I would just as soon stay in the trenches as go out for where we are billeted there are lots of rats. The last time we were out a rat bit me on the head. I was telling some if my chums that I came over here to fight the Germans not to fight rats.
Well, I think I will have to close as I have told you most of the news. Hope to hear from you soon again. Give my address to the young folk around and tell them all to write for I would like to hear from them. So I will close for the time and still remain,
Cousin Pte. Enos Grant