Dear Mother and Gert:-
Well, things have been in a muddle at home, haven't they? I hadn't an inkling as to what was going on until Bill came up to see me on Saturday last. He brought up all the recent letters he had rec'd from everyone and read me all about the happenings.
I hadn't had any mail from anyone for about a month. So I was wondering what was going on at home. Today I was fairly overwhelmed with mail. It had all been sent on from France. I got 19 letters & cards and a regular armful of papers. I was most of the day at reading them and have only finished. It is now nearly 6 pm and, as we have our tea at 4:30 pm and supper at 7 pm, I can get a letter written to you before supper.
Well, I'll not go into details of how I got to 1st Northern General Hospital for by the time this reaches you, you will have rec'd my others and also the one Will (Bill) wrote when he was here.You would likely be en route for Calgary when Will sent the cables. I wrote a letter to Floss a few days ago telling most of my trip across. Probably she will have sent it on to you also.
Well, I have been getting along nicely and have been allowed up and about for three or four days. They are crowded for room here so any who possibly can go to Convalescent Homes are being sent. I go tomorrow. I'll likely be there for 2 or 3 weeks but I am going to try and make it spin out till Bill has finished his Gunnery course at Salisbury then we can have our leave together. He will be finished at Lark Hill by November 20th at the latest. I'll likely have to " swing the lead " a bit for I'm getting better far too quickly. That's the worst of being healthy. I have a small fragment of shrapnel still in me. It jags against my ribs when I twist or stretch but the doctor here says the x-ray people could not find anything definite. I was x-rayed in France and they found it but of course they could not do a second operation there. If it gives me much trouble, I'll report sick and see if I can't have it taken out.
Well Gert, how are you feeling these days? I'm sorry I neglected writing for so long. Since we started our long trek from Ypres to the Somme, I haven't had time for much of anything. They even objected to letting us eat our meals in peace and sometimes hauling us out of bed in the "wee small 'oors" was another favourite stunt they indulged in. We were worked to death when we got down to the real thing. When an action was underway, it was slave like mad, and when the Division was out we were all in and could sleep our heads off. The first trip in for the 2nd division the weather was fine except for the last two days. It takes just about 20 minutes of rain to make a morass out of the ground down there. A water-soaked ploughed field isn't a patch on the ground there. Carrying stretchers over that kind of ground is the most tiring thing you could imagine. Just to walk from our advanced post to where we slept ( about 2 miles) was enough to make me feel "all in".
Bill wants me to take out a commission and try for the R.F.A. I have not decided. I can't do much until I get discharged from hospital.
Write me at my old address until I let you know differently. Well, I have a batch of letters to answer so will ring off for now. Hope Gert is ok and yourself.
I'll soon be fit as ever again.
Lovingly,
Harold
Showing posts with label Ypres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ypres. Show all posts
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
20 September 1916 France
** Blacked out by censors
Dear Folks,
This is Wed. afternoon and I have just a few minutes to write during a lull in the business. I have been working in a dressing station exclusively for slightly wounded and we have been so busy that we have not had time for anything else but work & sleep since last Friday. I guess you will have seen the reports of the Canadian's work in the papers. They have been very successful in their attacks and especially the 2nd Division. We have had 100 stretcher-bearers up in the "scrap" clearing wounded during our Division's turn in the trenches. Our boys were very **........................and .............................................................................................................. one shell and all of my section and my pals. They were all killed instantly except two who died soon after. One patient they were carrying was not hurt at all.
The artillery fire was terrific and they were caught in a barrage. The next day one other fellow was killed and 4 wounded. The fellow who was killed the next day was waiting for a commission and his papers came for him the day after he had "shuffled off".
The casualties in the infantry were heavy but we are not finished yet and we are going to get some of our own back that we lost at Ypres.
Prisoners are common and are put to work helping to clear wounded or any other job that comes to hand. They surrender freely when it comes to a showdown but fight and snipe when they think they won't be caught.
About 25 men were left in charge of the dressing station when the bearers were sent on the advanced work. With just that many men we handled, fed & treated as many as 800 in hospital and dressed and sent on an additional 500 making 1300 that passed through our hands in 24 hours. Fortunately, they were all only slightly wounded and shell-shocked.
Rec'd your letter of Sept 4 yesterday. So Vern is going to the city eh! Has Norma a school yet? Saw Billy Redburn yesterday. He came through alright.
Must ring off. Will write more fully later on.
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
Dear Folks,
This is Wed. afternoon and I have just a few minutes to write during a lull in the business. I have been working in a dressing station exclusively for slightly wounded and we have been so busy that we have not had time for anything else but work & sleep since last Friday. I guess you will have seen the reports of the Canadian's work in the papers. They have been very successful in their attacks and especially the 2nd Division. We have had 100 stretcher-bearers up in the "scrap" clearing wounded during our Division's turn in the trenches. Our boys were very **........................and .............................................................................................................. one shell and all of my section and my pals. They were all killed instantly except two who died soon after. One patient they were carrying was not hurt at all.
The artillery fire was terrific and they were caught in a barrage. The next day one other fellow was killed and 4 wounded. The fellow who was killed the next day was waiting for a commission and his papers came for him the day after he had "shuffled off".
The casualties in the infantry were heavy but we are not finished yet and we are going to get some of our own back that we lost at Ypres.
Prisoners are common and are put to work helping to clear wounded or any other job that comes to hand. They surrender freely when it comes to a showdown but fight and snipe when they think they won't be caught.
About 25 men were left in charge of the dressing station when the bearers were sent on the advanced work. With just that many men we handled, fed & treated as many as 800 in hospital and dressed and sent on an additional 500 making 1300 that passed through our hands in 24 hours. Fortunately, they were all only slightly wounded and shell-shocked.
Rec'd your letter of Sept 4 yesterday. So Vern is going to the city eh! Has Norma a school yet? Saw Billy Redburn yesterday. He came through alright.
Must ring off. Will write more fully later on.
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
Monday, July 18, 2016
3 Sept 1916 France
Dear folks,
Have not moved much since I wrote last but there is no telling when. Route marches etc. and Company drill has been the order of the week.
My section has been chosen to run the hospital and we have been accommodating about 20 patients every day. We have not nearly as much equipment as when running a dressing station. So we cannot give as good service. However we are not expected to give as much when under conditions like we are here.
We had two or three days of heavy rain and wind at the first of the week and our tarpaulins that we had as shelters blew down. The whole unit except duty and fatigue parties were away route marching even if it was storming. We got just about as wet as the others trying to keep the shelters from blowing away and putting them up again. it was pretty uncomfortable and cold but we got an extra blanket each so we had a fairly comfortable night.
There is great speculation as to where we are going. They told us one place but orders of that kind are always subject to change at a moment's notice. We are attached to the 5th Brigade at present but I am not sure whether or not it is permanent. In addressing letters just omit the Brigade #5 Fld. Amb. 2nd division will get me ok.
Have not had a letter form home since writing last time so have nothing to answer. There is very little news so I'll ring off. Am real well. Hope everyone is the same at home. What are Norma and Vern going to do?
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
Have not moved much since I wrote last but there is no telling when. Route marches etc. and Company drill has been the order of the week.
My section has been chosen to run the hospital and we have been accommodating about 20 patients every day. We have not nearly as much equipment as when running a dressing station. So we cannot give as good service. However we are not expected to give as much when under conditions like we are here.
We had two or three days of heavy rain and wind at the first of the week and our tarpaulins that we had as shelters blew down. The whole unit except duty and fatigue parties were away route marching even if it was storming. We got just about as wet as the others trying to keep the shelters from blowing away and putting them up again. it was pretty uncomfortable and cold but we got an extra blanket each so we had a fairly comfortable night.
There is great speculation as to where we are going. They told us one place but orders of that kind are always subject to change at a moment's notice. We are attached to the 5th Brigade at present but I am not sure whether or not it is permanent. In addressing letters just omit the Brigade #5 Fld. Amb. 2nd division will get me ok.
Have not had a letter form home since writing last time so have nothing to answer. There is very little news so I'll ring off. Am real well. Hope everyone is the same at home. What are Norma and Vern going to do?
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
Friday, July 15, 2016
20 August 1916 France
Dear Folks,
This is Sunday morning just before dinner. I have spent the morning cleaning up etc. for a rumoured inspection. There is no word of it coming off yet. My boots won't be any the worse for a good rub with Dubbin, however. There was no church parade today as our Chaplain has gone away to join another unit. I guess there is no preacher to take his place. Therefore church is "napoo".
Your letter with Rose's enclosed came to hand ok. I was sorry to learn of Orville's motor accident. It was lucky that it didn't turn out more seriously. He seems to have bad luck on his trips up home by motor. It would pay him to take the train.
There has been very little of interest since I wrote last time. We are out on a route march nearly every afternoon and our routine just now reminds one of what we went through in England at this time last year. It will soon be a year since we landed in France. We have been "moving in circles" as it were, ever since. We have been in nearly every town in this district, with scarcely a second visit to most of them. In that Trench Paper I sent home a few weeks ago, there is a good list of the principal places in this neighbourhood that we have been (i.e. Canadians). You want to keep it as a souvenir. I sent one to Floss and Gert as well as Toronto.
I had a letter from Bill day before yours came. He is in London now at the R.H.A., a cadet school. He likes it there. No doubt you will have heard from him before you get this so I'll not tell you what he says about it.
Say, when you write, tell me what Battalion Bruce is in. When his Battalion comes out, I may be able to see him. have not seen anyone from home for quite a while now. Hope your real hot spell has passed off before now. It has been rather showery for the last week here and a lot cooler.
There is so little to write about that I'll have to ring off. I am real well. Hope Orville is feeling better and everyone else too.
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
This is Sunday morning just before dinner. I have spent the morning cleaning up etc. for a rumoured inspection. There is no word of it coming off yet. My boots won't be any the worse for a good rub with Dubbin, however. There was no church parade today as our Chaplain has gone away to join another unit. I guess there is no preacher to take his place. Therefore church is "napoo".
Your letter with Rose's enclosed came to hand ok. I was sorry to learn of Orville's motor accident. It was lucky that it didn't turn out more seriously. He seems to have bad luck on his trips up home by motor. It would pay him to take the train.
There has been very little of interest since I wrote last time. We are out on a route march nearly every afternoon and our routine just now reminds one of what we went through in England at this time last year. It will soon be a year since we landed in France. We have been "moving in circles" as it were, ever since. We have been in nearly every town in this district, with scarcely a second visit to most of them. In that Trench Paper I sent home a few weeks ago, there is a good list of the principal places in this neighbourhood that we have been (i.e. Canadians). You want to keep it as a souvenir. I sent one to Floss and Gert as well as Toronto.
I had a letter from Bill day before yours came. He is in London now at the R.H.A., a cadet school. He likes it there. No doubt you will have heard from him before you get this so I'll not tell you what he says about it.
Say, when you write, tell me what Battalion Bruce is in. When his Battalion comes out, I may be able to see him. have not seen anyone from home for quite a while now. Hope your real hot spell has passed off before now. It has been rather showery for the last week here and a lot cooler.
There is so little to write about that I'll have to ring off. I am real well. Hope Orville is feeling better and everyone else too.
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
29 July 1916 France
Dear folks,
This is Saturday afternoon and a beastly hot day. I am glad I have no long route march to make today. it is just like the day we marched up here about a year ago when we first came out. A 20-mile march under the same conditions would get most of our goats now. I know I am not in as good condition as I was after 4 months training in England. A Brigade of Canadians (from the West just passed and are sweating to beat the band. I saw that Harry Hyslop in the ranks, but did not get a chance to holler at him. He is a Sergeant.
There has been very little change in our usual routine here but there is always a little excitement going on up the line.
We can hear the bombardments every night but, as we do not get any wounded here, the effects of these bombardments are not apparent. Frequently, though, we get cases of 'shell shock' who are badly shaken up by being near a shell when it burst or probably been buried. All they require is a little rest and quietness. It must be a terrible experience to be buried like that. It frequently happens by a dugout being hit when occupied by the men.
We have had quite a week of sports, however. On Tuesday our new Chaplain arranged a concert and we got together a fairly long program on short notice and made quite a success of it. I sang in a couple of choruses. We decided to give it over again tonight for the patients and have been practicing every day all week and we have gotten up a dandy program to be given tonight.
The Sergeants played the Officers at indoor baseball (only it was outside) and beat them by 1 run. then the next day the NCOs played the privates at football and got a trimming. Last night there was a game scheduled between the 15th Battalion (Toronto 48th) and an Imperial team, but for some reason the 15th Battalion didn't turn up and so as not to disappoint the English team we got a scratch bunch together and played and gave them a beating of 5-2.
It wasn't our best team by any means as 50 of our men are up the line on a working party and most of our best players are with them. Tomorrow "C" section is taking on "B" section for a game of baseball.
I was glad to get your letter of July 10 & 12 and to know everyone was well. Vern must be getting to be quite a musician when he is being invited out to play like that. Have they raised the Normal term to two years? It will make quite a difference. I am glad that you had such a nice time on your birthday and was sorry I could not send something. I will be 23 myself on Monday.
Well, I must ring off this time as my time is up and I must get to work. will write soon again.
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
This is Saturday afternoon and a beastly hot day. I am glad I have no long route march to make today. it is just like the day we marched up here about a year ago when we first came out. A 20-mile march under the same conditions would get most of our goats now. I know I am not in as good condition as I was after 4 months training in England. A Brigade of Canadians (from the West just passed and are sweating to beat the band. I saw that Harry Hyslop in the ranks, but did not get a chance to holler at him. He is a Sergeant.
There has been very little change in our usual routine here but there is always a little excitement going on up the line.
We can hear the bombardments every night but, as we do not get any wounded here, the effects of these bombardments are not apparent. Frequently, though, we get cases of 'shell shock' who are badly shaken up by being near a shell when it burst or probably been buried. All they require is a little rest and quietness. It must be a terrible experience to be buried like that. It frequently happens by a dugout being hit when occupied by the men.
We have had quite a week of sports, however. On Tuesday our new Chaplain arranged a concert and we got together a fairly long program on short notice and made quite a success of it. I sang in a couple of choruses. We decided to give it over again tonight for the patients and have been practicing every day all week and we have gotten up a dandy program to be given tonight.
The Sergeants played the Officers at indoor baseball (only it was outside) and beat them by 1 run. then the next day the NCOs played the privates at football and got a trimming. Last night there was a game scheduled between the 15th Battalion (Toronto 48th) and an Imperial team, but for some reason the 15th Battalion didn't turn up and so as not to disappoint the English team we got a scratch bunch together and played and gave them a beating of 5-2.
It wasn't our best team by any means as 50 of our men are up the line on a working party and most of our best players are with them. Tomorrow "C" section is taking on "B" section for a game of baseball.
I was glad to get your letter of July 10 & 12 and to know everyone was well. Vern must be getting to be quite a musician when he is being invited out to play like that. Have they raised the Normal term to two years? It will make quite a difference. I am glad that you had such a nice time on your birthday and was sorry I could not send something. I will be 23 myself on Monday.
Well, I must ring off this time as my time is up and I must get to work. will write soon again.
Lovingly,
Harold Skilling
Sunday, July 3, 2016
8 July 1916 Flanders (or possibly now in France)
Dear Folks,
This is Saturday night and I have just come off duty at the hospital and am going to spend the evening writing letters. I have had two letters from home this week and one from Mae although it was an old one;it must have been delayed somewhere.
I was sorry that you had not fully recovered, mother, but you will no doubt be on your feet again before this. Why don't you take the summer off for you must surely need a good rest. Is Norma going to take that position in Toronto? So Vern is making lots of money selling tea. That is a good job for him this summer and if he works at it steadily he ought to make a good bit by the end of the summer.
Was I telling you in my last letter that I had seen Jack McMeecham? I went down to his camp last Sunday and had a chat with him. He was all through the fighting at Ypres and never had a scratch but had some narrow shaves. He wears kilts and looks pretty good in them. He had a letter from Orville a few days before and let me read it.
The weather here has been rather rainy this last week but, on the whole, it has not been too bad. We have a D.R.S. here and it accommodates about 150 or so patients and, in a pinch, it can be almost doubled. Just now, however, we only keep about 100 on hand, and so in case of a rush, we can accommodate a lot more if necessary. There are no wounded, just sick, and they require considerable attention. All cases of sprains, influenza come to us and we are busy from 7 am to 7 pm attending to them. the hospital is a tent hospital and has several wards, each a large marquee that can hold 20 stretchers easily. One man has charge of each tent. I like the work only the hours of duty are long, 12 hours, and it is hard to get a relief. I would much rather be at the advanced dressing station for we can have a good deal more freedom there (that is so far as Fritz will let us). Our NCOs do not bother us up there but back here they fairly dog the life out of us.
There is a special hospital here that "B" section runs. It is a hospital where all cases of "Self-inflicted" wounds are taken and they are kept there pending an inquiry or if necessary a court-martial and then if guilty through carelessness or of deliberately wounding themselves, they receive a sentence varying as the evidence shows up the circumstances. There are about 60 patients there now and as soon as their sentences expire, they are shipped over to England if they are still required to be in hospital.
The country is just great these days and the first chance I get, I am going to get a day off and take a long walk through the hills here. The highest point in France (in this part) is only a few minutes walk from here and a splendid view of all the country can be had from that point. If a fellow only had a wheel or a horse, he could get over some ground in a short time for the roads are great here and a person could surely enjoy a few afternoons out riding or walking.
Well, I want to write two or three letters tonight so I'll sign off and get at the others before it gets too dark.
Lovingly,
Harold
This is Saturday night and I have just come off duty at the hospital and am going to spend the evening writing letters. I have had two letters from home this week and one from Mae although it was an old one;it must have been delayed somewhere.
I was sorry that you had not fully recovered, mother, but you will no doubt be on your feet again before this. Why don't you take the summer off for you must surely need a good rest. Is Norma going to take that position in Toronto? So Vern is making lots of money selling tea. That is a good job for him this summer and if he works at it steadily he ought to make a good bit by the end of the summer.
Was I telling you in my last letter that I had seen Jack McMeecham? I went down to his camp last Sunday and had a chat with him. He was all through the fighting at Ypres and never had a scratch but had some narrow shaves. He wears kilts and looks pretty good in them. He had a letter from Orville a few days before and let me read it.
The weather here has been rather rainy this last week but, on the whole, it has not been too bad. We have a D.R.S. here and it accommodates about 150 or so patients and, in a pinch, it can be almost doubled. Just now, however, we only keep about 100 on hand, and so in case of a rush, we can accommodate a lot more if necessary. There are no wounded, just sick, and they require considerable attention. All cases of sprains, influenza come to us and we are busy from 7 am to 7 pm attending to them. the hospital is a tent hospital and has several wards, each a large marquee that can hold 20 stretchers easily. One man has charge of each tent. I like the work only the hours of duty are long, 12 hours, and it is hard to get a relief. I would much rather be at the advanced dressing station for we can have a good deal more freedom there (that is so far as Fritz will let us). Our NCOs do not bother us up there but back here they fairly dog the life out of us.
There is a special hospital here that "B" section runs. It is a hospital where all cases of "Self-inflicted" wounds are taken and they are kept there pending an inquiry or if necessary a court-martial and then if guilty through carelessness or of deliberately wounding themselves, they receive a sentence varying as the evidence shows up the circumstances. There are about 60 patients there now and as soon as their sentences expire, they are shipped over to England if they are still required to be in hospital.
The country is just great these days and the first chance I get, I am going to get a day off and take a long walk through the hills here. The highest point in France (in this part) is only a few minutes walk from here and a splendid view of all the country can be had from that point. If a fellow only had a wheel or a horse, he could get over some ground in a short time for the roads are great here and a person could surely enjoy a few afternoons out riding or walking.
Well, I want to write two or three letters tonight so I'll sign off and get at the others before it gets too dark.
Lovingly,
Harold
Saturday, July 2, 2016
30 June 1916 Flanders
Dear Folks,
This is Friday and our section is running the main dressing station and are having it fairly easy just now. We expect to move to the D.?S. in about a week or perhaps less and in the ordinary run of events we will be there for a long while. But here's hoping that there will be an onward move before the end of another month.
We have two or three detachments up at several advanced posts and they seem to be having a fairly lively time, as during the last week there has been intermittent bombarding nearly every night and they are nearly always as bad just behind the line as in the trenches. One of our boys was wounded day before yesterday. A machine gun bullet grazed his scalp and it was a mighty close shave for him. He was one of our reinforcements.
We handle wounded here but do not keep them any length of time. Some we do not touch but send them right on to C.C.S. where they can be properly looked after and receive a permanent dressing or where an operation can be performed. Most of the wounded cases come in at night and as I am on the day trick (?) I do not see so many of them but we have our hands full in the morning with the sick parades. I have to look after the dispensing and am able to do most of it.without calling Compounder who is a qualified druggist.
I saw something the other day that is a very rare sight. There were two Taubes cruising over our lines and 3 of our planes gave chase and after several bursts of machine gun fire between them, one of ours put on speed and came up between the two Taubes. They began to blaze away at each other and all of a sudden our plane turned right over and began to fall. It was up about 3-4000 feet when it was hit.and after flopping down through the air the pilot regained control of his machine just before it reached the ground and managed to land right side up. We heard afterwards that neither the pilot nor the observer was killed but it is almost a miracle that they escaped.
I guess you will not be having Mae home for very long this summer. Are you going any place, Mother? Tell Norma to write and tell me about her exams. I was very sorry to learn that you were sick Mother. I believe you are working too hard and are worn out. Don't you think you should go away for a good rest now that you have got rid of the cow? You should not be so tied down.
I haven't heard from Bill since I wrote before but am looking for a letter any day now. Say, you all want to be careful when so much typhoid fever is around. Why don't they inoculate the people of the town? All we soldiers get it and typhoid is the most rare of all diseases of that nature and we are in a position to become infected with the disease if anyone is.
What sort of a time are you going to have tomorrow? Are they celebrating in any of the towns around home? There is no difference in the days out here. Same routine for seven days in the week regardless of the occasion. the only thing we have to relieve the monotony is a little bit of extra work.
Say, can you tell me what Bruce Neilson's (a cousin) Battalion is? They might be out here some of these times and I might possibly see him. One of the boys saw Jack McMeechan who used to work for Orville. He is in the 42nd, a kilty regiment. He was asking for me. He was through the Ypres battle and was o.k. after that although his Battalion got a terrible cutting up.
Well, the supper gong has gone so I'll ring off for now . Hoping this letter finds everyone well again.
Lovingly,
Harold
This is Friday and our section is running the main dressing station and are having it fairly easy just now. We expect to move to the D.?S. in about a week or perhaps less and in the ordinary run of events we will be there for a long while. But here's hoping that there will be an onward move before the end of another month.
We have two or three detachments up at several advanced posts and they seem to be having a fairly lively time, as during the last week there has been intermittent bombarding nearly every night and they are nearly always as bad just behind the line as in the trenches. One of our boys was wounded day before yesterday. A machine gun bullet grazed his scalp and it was a mighty close shave for him. He was one of our reinforcements.
We handle wounded here but do not keep them any length of time. Some we do not touch but send them right on to C.C.S. where they can be properly looked after and receive a permanent dressing or where an operation can be performed. Most of the wounded cases come in at night and as I am on the day trick (?) I do not see so many of them but we have our hands full in the morning with the sick parades. I have to look after the dispensing and am able to do most of it.without calling Compounder who is a qualified druggist.
I saw something the other day that is a very rare sight. There were two Taubes cruising over our lines and 3 of our planes gave chase and after several bursts of machine gun fire between them, one of ours put on speed and came up between the two Taubes. They began to blaze away at each other and all of a sudden our plane turned right over and began to fall. It was up about 3-4000 feet when it was hit.and after flopping down through the air the pilot regained control of his machine just before it reached the ground and managed to land right side up. We heard afterwards that neither the pilot nor the observer was killed but it is almost a miracle that they escaped.
I guess you will not be having Mae home for very long this summer. Are you going any place, Mother? Tell Norma to write and tell me about her exams. I was very sorry to learn that you were sick Mother. I believe you are working too hard and are worn out. Don't you think you should go away for a good rest now that you have got rid of the cow? You should not be so tied down.
I haven't heard from Bill since I wrote before but am looking for a letter any day now. Say, you all want to be careful when so much typhoid fever is around. Why don't they inoculate the people of the town? All we soldiers get it and typhoid is the most rare of all diseases of that nature and we are in a position to become infected with the disease if anyone is.
What sort of a time are you going to have tomorrow? Are they celebrating in any of the towns around home? There is no difference in the days out here. Same routine for seven days in the week regardless of the occasion. the only thing we have to relieve the monotony is a little bit of extra work.
Say, can you tell me what Bruce Neilson's (a cousin) Battalion is? They might be out here some of these times and I might possibly see him. One of the boys saw Jack McMeechan who used to work for Orville. He is in the 42nd, a kilty regiment. He was asking for me. He was through the Ypres battle and was o.k. after that although his Battalion got a terrible cutting up.
Well, the supper gong has gone so I'll ring off for now . Hoping this letter finds everyone well again.
Lovingly,
Harold
Friday, July 1, 2016
25 June 1916 Flanders
Dear Folks,
This is Sunday evening and I am back at the headquarters. We were sent back from the A.D.S. last Friday which made it a week exactly since we had gone up. None of us wanted to come back as all the boys are far more contented up there than back at headquarters. However we all have to take our turn and we will get ours again soon no doubt.Just got word a few minutes ago that one of our ambulance drivers had been hit. He was on his way to one of our A.D.S.s and got a nice cushy wound in the shoulder.
We had a pretty quiet time up the pike but a week ago today we had a little excitement. Fritz seems to favour Sunday to do his strafing and the last Sunday he sure lived up to his regular form. he lashed up over a hundred heavies into the town close by our dressing station and we were very fortunate in getting off as luckily as we did for a whole Battalion was billeted in the town and only 2 or 3 were killed and about half a dozen wounded. i helped carry one of the seriously wounded down to the surgery but he died shortly after reaching there. There were about 40 or 50 men eating their supper in a house when a shell burst right in the place. Most of the casualties occurred here. I can hardly see how any of them came out alive.
There has been no Canadian mail in for a long time and I have no letter to answer this week yet. I have had one from Bill (Skilling) though and he is haveing a pretty fair time. He was becoming anxious about me as three of my letters had gone astray and it was about 5 weeks since he had heard from me. After the heavy fighting at Ypres, he thought i must have cashed in.
It seems funny up around our A.D.S. to see all the gardens growing behind the wrecked houses. The civilians have all been ordered out and only come back occasionally to look after their gardens etc. Once in a while a .... roots a few potatoes but they have to take a chance on that. Some of the fields around the fighting are plugged full of duds (that is what shells are called that do not explode on striking the ground but just bury themselves). sometimes just a slight jar will detonate them and they are not disturbed at all as too many lives were lost at the beginning of the war by trying to dig them up. There will be some of these Belgians blown up after the war when they begin ploughing those fields.
The weather here is just typical June weather and is great for fighting. Apparently, the Russians are having similar weather for they are showing up the Austrian and German armies over on that (Eastern) front. Opinion over here seems to that the next month or two will see the climax of the war. We ought to make a good showing for we are about as well prepared as we can expect to be and are able to give Fritz as much or a little more than we get from him.
Well, I'll write again when I get your letter to answer. I am real well and hope everyone at home is the same. Hope Norma makes our o.k. in her exams and also Orville in his case with the lawyer.
Lovingly,
Harold
This is Sunday evening and I am back at the headquarters. We were sent back from the A.D.S. last Friday which made it a week exactly since we had gone up. None of us wanted to come back as all the boys are far more contented up there than back at headquarters. However we all have to take our turn and we will get ours again soon no doubt.Just got word a few minutes ago that one of our ambulance drivers had been hit. He was on his way to one of our A.D.S.s and got a nice cushy wound in the shoulder.
We had a pretty quiet time up the pike but a week ago today we had a little excitement. Fritz seems to favour Sunday to do his strafing and the last Sunday he sure lived up to his regular form. he lashed up over a hundred heavies into the town close by our dressing station and we were very fortunate in getting off as luckily as we did for a whole Battalion was billeted in the town and only 2 or 3 were killed and about half a dozen wounded. i helped carry one of the seriously wounded down to the surgery but he died shortly after reaching there. There were about 40 or 50 men eating their supper in a house when a shell burst right in the place. Most of the casualties occurred here. I can hardly see how any of them came out alive.
There has been no Canadian mail in for a long time and I have no letter to answer this week yet. I have had one from Bill (Skilling) though and he is haveing a pretty fair time. He was becoming anxious about me as three of my letters had gone astray and it was about 5 weeks since he had heard from me. After the heavy fighting at Ypres, he thought i must have cashed in.
It seems funny up around our A.D.S. to see all the gardens growing behind the wrecked houses. The civilians have all been ordered out and only come back occasionally to look after their gardens etc. Once in a while a .... roots a few potatoes but they have to take a chance on that. Some of the fields around the fighting are plugged full of duds (that is what shells are called that do not explode on striking the ground but just bury themselves). sometimes just a slight jar will detonate them and they are not disturbed at all as too many lives were lost at the beginning of the war by trying to dig them up. There will be some of these Belgians blown up after the war when they begin ploughing those fields.
The weather here is just typical June weather and is great for fighting. Apparently, the Russians are having similar weather for they are showing up the Austrian and German armies over on that (Eastern) front. Opinion over here seems to that the next month or two will see the climax of the war. We ought to make a good showing for we are about as well prepared as we can expect to be and are able to give Fritz as much or a little more than we get from him.
Well, I'll write again when I get your letter to answer. I am real well and hope everyone at home is the same. Hope Norma makes our o.k. in her exams and also Orville in his case with the lawyer.
Lovingly,
Harold
18 June 1916 Flanders
Dear folks,
This is Sunday morning just before dinner and I must try to get this started at least for we never know what time we can call our own and when a letter is started is seems easier to go back to it.
I am up the pike now at the Advanced D. S. and it is fairly quiet just now but there is plenty of work reinforcing our dugouts with sandbags and covering them up with green sods to make them inconspicuous. Then at night there is guards to do, a 3-hour stretch every other night and we take a day each in the cook house. There are 3 stations to run: the A.D.S. and two regimental aid posts. Most of the work is done at night as we are almost under the nose of Fritz observation balloons and anything that escapes him is pretty well concealed. They turn the artillery on pretty well everything that looks suspicious and no battery dare fire when an enemy balloon is up especially is the day is anyway bright. Of course, our balloons show the same little courtesies to Fritz. As a result of this strict observation, there is comparatively little to do in the daytime and as there is very little night these days everything is crammed into the few hours of darkness.
We have the new daylight saving time in force over here now and so save another hour of daylight. It came into force about a week ago.
I suppose the papers over there are all crammed full of the accounts of the latest fighting around Ypres. it was about the worst that the Canadians have been through and the casualties were very high with a larger percentage than usual killed. I was on guard night before last and saw one of the fiercest bombardments that has taken place for a few days. It only lasted for about an hour before dawn. I was on the 1 to 4 am shift and it started at 2:03 and lasted to about 3. it was on a front of about 1/2 a mile and the sky was lit up continuously with great livid flashes. The roar of the high exploding shells bursting is enough to strike terror into the most iron-nerved man that ever lived. The cases of shell shock are becoming more frequent and the bombardments are becoming more severe.
There were some German prisoners through town the other day and they say that we don't know what a bombardment is. The place to see the effects of a severe shelling is to get on their side of the line. They were taken prisoner in the midst of heavy bombardment and that is how they know what shellfire is on our side of the line.
The prisoners were all taken and given a shower bath in the divisional bath house and got a clean change of clothes.
Well, there is a fatigue being called to fill sand bags and I'll have to ring off and post this on the ration waggon.
I was glad of Mae's success in Massey Hall. I got the papers from Rose but the one of May 24th with the account of the competition was missing. All the other days were there. Hope Norma succeeds in her exams. Tell her to write & tell me all about them etc.
Lovingly,
Harold
This is Sunday morning just before dinner and I must try to get this started at least for we never know what time we can call our own and when a letter is started is seems easier to go back to it.
I am up the pike now at the Advanced D. S. and it is fairly quiet just now but there is plenty of work reinforcing our dugouts with sandbags and covering them up with green sods to make them inconspicuous. Then at night there is guards to do, a 3-hour stretch every other night and we take a day each in the cook house. There are 3 stations to run: the A.D.S. and two regimental aid posts. Most of the work is done at night as we are almost under the nose of Fritz observation balloons and anything that escapes him is pretty well concealed. They turn the artillery on pretty well everything that looks suspicious and no battery dare fire when an enemy balloon is up especially is the day is anyway bright. Of course, our balloons show the same little courtesies to Fritz. As a result of this strict observation, there is comparatively little to do in the daytime and as there is very little night these days everything is crammed into the few hours of darkness.
We have the new daylight saving time in force over here now and so save another hour of daylight. It came into force about a week ago.
I suppose the papers over there are all crammed full of the accounts of the latest fighting around Ypres. it was about the worst that the Canadians have been through and the casualties were very high with a larger percentage than usual killed. I was on guard night before last and saw one of the fiercest bombardments that has taken place for a few days. It only lasted for about an hour before dawn. I was on the 1 to 4 am shift and it started at 2:03 and lasted to about 3. it was on a front of about 1/2 a mile and the sky was lit up continuously with great livid flashes. The roar of the high exploding shells bursting is enough to strike terror into the most iron-nerved man that ever lived. The cases of shell shock are becoming more frequent and the bombardments are becoming more severe.
There were some German prisoners through town the other day and they say that we don't know what a bombardment is. The place to see the effects of a severe shelling is to get on their side of the line. They were taken prisoner in the midst of heavy bombardment and that is how they know what shellfire is on our side of the line.
The prisoners were all taken and given a shower bath in the divisional bath house and got a clean change of clothes.
Well, there is a fatigue being called to fill sand bags and I'll have to ring off and post this on the ration waggon.
I was glad of Mae's success in Massey Hall. I got the papers from Rose but the one of May 24th with the account of the competition was missing. All the other days were there. Hope Norma succeeds in her exams. Tell her to write & tell me all about them etc.
Lovingly,
Harold
Thursday, June 6, 2013
12 February 1916 Somewhere in Flanders
Dear Mother, Father and everybody,
I received mother's and Maude's letters okay a couple of days ago and was very interested as usual. Maude said that Bill had received word that he would be leaving February 1. According to that, he should be in England in a day or so, or perhaps by now. We were two weeks on our way from Toronto to Bristol and were on a very slow boat at that. I will be looking for a letter from from him some of these days. I hope he was able to get home before leaving.
There has been lots of artillery fighting this afternoon over by Ypres and they certainly have meant business judging by the sound. It is just one continuous roar. All the papers say in a time like that is "there was a slight artillery bombardment about Ypres yesterday ".
Maude was asking in her letter if Uncle Will (William Skilling, his father's brother) sent me a check at Christmas. Yes he did, for five dollars and wrote me a nice letter too. I got it cashed the other day over at an estaminet for Fr.25. That is losing a little bit on it but it was the best I could do and was glad to get that for it.
Say mother, you can try some of your new domestic science cookery on me if you like ha! ha! I wish you could do up a nice juicy apple pie like you used to make on Saturdays during the winter and send it over. "Can't be did though".
Tell some of the people in Toronto to send some of Eatons overseas chocolate or some other plain chocolate i.e. Cadbury's etc. not milk or nut. It is very hard to get decent stuff like that over here at any decent price and it is never issued to us. I wish they would give us that instead of some things that are issued to us.
How did Orville make out with his auto case? Tell him to write and tell me all about his business. I guess you will find find it hard to get help now. I guess I'll not know the twins when I get back or Grace either (his brother Orville's children).
I have lost the fellow who was with me on the desk job and have more of it now. It is not a very slavish job and the only thing about it that I do not like is that I have to stay inside most of the time and the hours are long but then there is nothing to do outside anyway. So what is the diff. There is a concert company at Bailleul that gives concerts nearly every night to infantry brigades that are resting there. I am going to try and get a pass some night and go down for a couple of hours. They get off some pretty original stuff.
I must try and get one of the papers published by some of the battalions. They are pretty amusing and get some idea of the way the soldiers live in the trenches etc. There are movies in most of the villages where troops are billeted now and shows are held quite frequently. Some class to war nowadays, eh?
I am anxious to hear from Bill for if there is no chance to get with him I want to get into something else for the "spring opening". Sure the British used gas at the Battle of Loos and it was fairly good success too although it was the first time it had been used extensively.
What do the people around home think of the fire at Ottawa? Are there any new theories? We have not heard very much about it yet nor just how much damage was done. Did it stimulate recruiting any?
Well I must ring off for now and get to bed. Hope everyone is well. I am fine.
Heaps of love to everyone.
Harold Skilling
I received mother's and Maude's letters okay a couple of days ago and was very interested as usual. Maude said that Bill had received word that he would be leaving February 1. According to that, he should be in England in a day or so, or perhaps by now. We were two weeks on our way from Toronto to Bristol and were on a very slow boat at that. I will be looking for a letter from from him some of these days. I hope he was able to get home before leaving.
There has been lots of artillery fighting this afternoon over by Ypres and they certainly have meant business judging by the sound. It is just one continuous roar. All the papers say in a time like that is "there was a slight artillery bombardment about Ypres yesterday ".
Maude was asking in her letter if Uncle Will (William Skilling, his father's brother) sent me a check at Christmas. Yes he did, for five dollars and wrote me a nice letter too. I got it cashed the other day over at an estaminet for Fr.25. That is losing a little bit on it but it was the best I could do and was glad to get that for it.
Say mother, you can try some of your new domestic science cookery on me if you like ha! ha! I wish you could do up a nice juicy apple pie like you used to make on Saturdays during the winter and send it over. "Can't be did though".
Tell some of the people in Toronto to send some of Eatons overseas chocolate or some other plain chocolate i.e. Cadbury's etc. not milk or nut. It is very hard to get decent stuff like that over here at any decent price and it is never issued to us. I wish they would give us that instead of some things that are issued to us.
How did Orville make out with his auto case? Tell him to write and tell me all about his business. I guess you will find find it hard to get help now. I guess I'll not know the twins when I get back or Grace either (his brother Orville's children).
I have lost the fellow who was with me on the desk job and have more of it now. It is not a very slavish job and the only thing about it that I do not like is that I have to stay inside most of the time and the hours are long but then there is nothing to do outside anyway. So what is the diff. There is a concert company at Bailleul that gives concerts nearly every night to infantry brigades that are resting there. I am going to try and get a pass some night and go down for a couple of hours. They get off some pretty original stuff.
I must try and get one of the papers published by some of the battalions. They are pretty amusing and get some idea of the way the soldiers live in the trenches etc. There are movies in most of the villages where troops are billeted now and shows are held quite frequently. Some class to war nowadays, eh?
I am anxious to hear from Bill for if there is no chance to get with him I want to get into something else for the "spring opening". Sure the British used gas at the Battle of Loos and it was fairly good success too although it was the first time it had been used extensively.
What do the people around home think of the fire at Ottawa? Are there any new theories? We have not heard very much about it yet nor just how much damage was done. Did it stimulate recruiting any?
Well I must ring off for now and get to bed. Hope everyone is well. I am fine.
Heaps of love to everyone.
Harold Skilling
Monday, March 25, 2013
30 November 1915 Somewhere in Belgium
Dear Mother,
Received your letter of 7th inst. on Sat. and was glad to get it. It was a little late but it won’t be so long to wait for the next one. The parcels came along ok. I got 2 in 1 mail (the ones in the tin boxes) and they sure were a treat. Thank you ever so much. The doughnuts were pretty well dried out but the other things were in fine shape and certainly were good. The boxes were not damaged the least bit and there was absolutely nothing wasted. I used the cloths that the boxes were bound up with to clean my dixie (Slang for British Army camp kettle) and the tin boxes we hammered them out flat and nailed them over holes in the wall. The fudge and beech nuts were ok. Several fellows who had not been out to Canada very long did not know what they were and had never even heard of them before. Most of the old country fellows in our unit had always lived in cities in Eng. and so of course stuck to the large places when they emigrated to Canada. It is surprising just the peculiar ideas some of them have of the country in Canada.
I hope Geo. is coming along alright. It would be great if his eyes would get better now. There have been a few eye cases come in to us occasionally and they always cause the patients more suffering than any other wound. I remember at Dranoutre one fellow had a small piece of steel in his eye-ball, and we could not do anything for him. The poor fellow just wriggled around all night with the pain of it the whole night.
Since I wrote last we have been getting more sick than anything else. On Sun. night we had only one slight flesh wound and none at all last night. One slight (ly) wounded case in 2 nights and 13 killed is a good deal different proportion to what we have been used to. The 21st (21st Battalion) have lost 12 men killed and 1 other Batt. got only 1 in the same period. They were nearly all sniped too, as the artillery has been pretty inactive just around here this last few days.
There have been from 10 –16 cases of trench feet and colds coming in this last few nights and the sick ward of our dressing station was pretty crowded. No very serious cases came in, mostly colds and trench feet.
Don’t bother sending very many clothes because we are not very likely to need much more than what we are issued with in the line of scarfs etc. It appeared on orders that there was a shortage of sox in the division and asking that all the dirty sox be taken to the bath when we go. Some fellows have been getting clean sox from the bath and not handing in the dirty ones so the supply was running out. We have been issued with woolen gloves the other day, the same as we got last winter in Toronto.
You hit it on the head when you guessed that we would like the war to end. There are no soldiers over here but wish that peace would be declared to-morrow. Of course not peace on any terms. What I mean is that they are tired of the war. I wish the Kaiser could be stuck in a trench half-full of water and made to do duty there for a 6 day shift, same as a Private, and then when he is just about dead with cold and wet clothes making him so stiff that he can hardly crawl when it comes time to change battalions, and just as he is getting out of range, for a sniper to put a bullet through some place that is not vital for instance his thigh or shoulder and (if) he could be granted the pleasure of lying in the mud for about 12 hours before being dressed and treated. If he had to go through all that – and it is not an uncommon occurrence for it to happen – I think the rotter would want to sign pretty nearly anything they stuck before him.
I guess there will be skating at home by the time this reaches there. There have been some real cold nights here during the last week or 10 days but it has been comparatively dry till last night when it started to rain. It cleared up this morning again but us very muddy now. There is so little news to tell that I’ll have to ring off now and send this as it is nearly mail time. It is always collected at noon. I am not in bed this morning because I had a good sleep last night because there was no work to do in our surgery, but those in the sick ward were very busy.
I guess that you will be sending these letters on for I do not write to the others very regularly and I guess they look for them from home. Well I had better ring off now and shave before dinner. Hoping everyone is real well at home, I am
Your loving son,
Harold
Received your letter of 7th inst. on Sat. and was glad to get it. It was a little late but it won’t be so long to wait for the next one. The parcels came along ok. I got 2 in 1 mail (the ones in the tin boxes) and they sure were a treat. Thank you ever so much. The doughnuts were pretty well dried out but the other things were in fine shape and certainly were good. The boxes were not damaged the least bit and there was absolutely nothing wasted. I used the cloths that the boxes were bound up with to clean my dixie (Slang for British Army camp kettle) and the tin boxes we hammered them out flat and nailed them over holes in the wall. The fudge and beech nuts were ok. Several fellows who had not been out to Canada very long did not know what they were and had never even heard of them before. Most of the old country fellows in our unit had always lived in cities in Eng. and so of course stuck to the large places when they emigrated to Canada. It is surprising just the peculiar ideas some of them have of the country in Canada.
I hope Geo. is coming along alright. It would be great if his eyes would get better now. There have been a few eye cases come in to us occasionally and they always cause the patients more suffering than any other wound. I remember at Dranoutre one fellow had a small piece of steel in his eye-ball, and we could not do anything for him. The poor fellow just wriggled around all night with the pain of it the whole night.
Since I wrote last we have been getting more sick than anything else. On Sun. night we had only one slight flesh wound and none at all last night. One slight (ly) wounded case in 2 nights and 13 killed is a good deal different proportion to what we have been used to. The 21st (21st Battalion) have lost 12 men killed and 1 other Batt. got only 1 in the same period. They were nearly all sniped too, as the artillery has been pretty inactive just around here this last few days.
There have been from 10 –16 cases of trench feet and colds coming in this last few nights and the sick ward of our dressing station was pretty crowded. No very serious cases came in, mostly colds and trench feet.
Don’t bother sending very many clothes because we are not very likely to need much more than what we are issued with in the line of scarfs etc. It appeared on orders that there was a shortage of sox in the division and asking that all the dirty sox be taken to the bath when we go. Some fellows have been getting clean sox from the bath and not handing in the dirty ones so the supply was running out. We have been issued with woolen gloves the other day, the same as we got last winter in Toronto.
You hit it on the head when you guessed that we would like the war to end. There are no soldiers over here but wish that peace would be declared to-morrow. Of course not peace on any terms. What I mean is that they are tired of the war. I wish the Kaiser could be stuck in a trench half-full of water and made to do duty there for a 6 day shift, same as a Private, and then when he is just about dead with cold and wet clothes making him so stiff that he can hardly crawl when it comes time to change battalions, and just as he is getting out of range, for a sniper to put a bullet through some place that is not vital for instance his thigh or shoulder and (if) he could be granted the pleasure of lying in the mud for about 12 hours before being dressed and treated. If he had to go through all that – and it is not an uncommon occurrence for it to happen – I think the rotter would want to sign pretty nearly anything they stuck before him.
I guess there will be skating at home by the time this reaches there. There have been some real cold nights here during the last week or 10 days but it has been comparatively dry till last night when it started to rain. It cleared up this morning again but us very muddy now. There is so little news to tell that I’ll have to ring off now and send this as it is nearly mail time. It is always collected at noon. I am not in bed this morning because I had a good sleep last night because there was no work to do in our surgery, but those in the sick ward were very busy.
I guess that you will be sending these letters on for I do not write to the others very regularly and I guess they look for them from home. Well I had better ring off now and shave before dinner. Hoping everyone is real well at home, I am
Your loving son,
Harold
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
18 November 1915 Somewhere in Belgium
Dear Mother,
Received your letter ok on Tuesday & the tube containing the magazines came to hand on the same mail as well as a Teeswater News. I also got a Teeswater News again today again (Oct. 21) almost a month old but very welcome. I got the parcel from Toronto yesterday and yours containing the doughnuts etc. has not yet arrived. I had a letter from Gert on Monday and also one from a Mrs. Minnie Skillings of #1 Thompson Yard, Gorge Street, Castle Road, Scarborough, England. The address on the envelope was ok in every respect except she had Skillings instead of Skilling.
I made out from that letter that she was looking for a brother or brother-in-law whose address she did not know and she had written to the War Office for it and had received mine. I answered the letter and enclosed the one she sent. I told her about Bill being in a Batt. at Toronto and also that there were 2 other men in that same Batt. whose names are Skilling but of no relation to us that we could find. She did not seem to have a very good education and her spelling and writing were not very good. The letter was composed not too badly however.
Well, I was glad to get your letter and have been trying ever since to answer it but this is honestly the (1st) chance I have had to get at it. I have been on the sanitary squad ever since last Sunday and besides that work I have to work the rest of the day on making a barricade for the hospital. We had to fill 500 sand bags and pile them 10 high and 4 feet out from the wall & gradually sloping in to about 3 feet at the top and then fill earth into the space enclosed. It has taken nearly all of our spare time for nearly the whole week and none of us are very sorry because we have have been sitting around so long that we have been getting soft as clams.
It has been a fairly decent week as far as weather goes although it is muddy and I only got a new pair of shoes today. It was not before I needed them either for my feet were wet continually and it was mighty lucky for me that I had 2 or 3 pairs of sox. I had to take a pair of big 7’s as it was as they had not gotten any 6’s in but with a pair of insoles and thick sox I guess I can fill them. I can get my old ones fixed up and wear them if we have any marching to do.
There has not been very much doing here for some time. I got a few souvenirs from a few shell holes where a few shells had dropped a day or two ago and also a shell head from an anti-aircraft gun that fell close to the incinerator last week.
I’ll be in the hospital next week I expect (our section I mean) and will likely be there for some time probably a month. We not only have the wounded to fix up here but also the sick. Where we were last there were 2 different buildings for the sick and wounded. It will be a lot more work as it is now especially for whoever is on day duty.
This is on Friday night and I have just received a letter from Maude. She said there was one coming from Mae also but it has not arrived. But as there is a Canadian mail in again not doubt some more will be along tomorrow.
From her letter I learned that G.A. Mc. had been operated on for appendicitis and a time of posting was still in a critical condition. I hope that before now that he has recovered and is regaining his strength. He is certainly having his own share of troubles. I guess Mae would be pretty worried.
Say I think I must have been putting a terrible lot of emphasis on the “eats” for Maude says there is going to be a regular cargo of grub coming for me anytime now. I guess I’ll be able to get away with it alright but do not go to very much trouble about sending stuff for it is so expensive and it takes so long for things to get here. I only got the parcel on Tuesday and it was sent fully a month ago. There were a few of the apples enclosed that were spotted & one was all mushy. I was glad to get it however and there was nothing in it that was injured.
It came out on orders that we can draw 50 francs anytime between now and Xmas but did not say whether we could draw that much in addition to our regular pay or not. It is $10 in a normal money market but I do not think a franc is worth 20 cents just now. I do know that we cannot get 20 cents worth of stuff for it here – at present prices at any rate. Everything is an outrageous price here and our 30 francs a month does not last long.
I am pretty sure we will be taking charge of the hospital tomorrow and no doubt will be extra busy for a few days until we get used to things. I have been on the incinerator job all day and am grimy with smoke. We can only get cold water to wash in and it is so hard that it curdles the soap and we cannot get clean no matter how hard we rub.
Well say I think I’ll have to ring off now & get ready for bed as there is a big day’s work in the morning for me and probably all night tomorrow as well. We will likely have a better chance to write in the hospital than we have here so I’ll try and get another letter away by the first of the week.
I am real well and feeling fine. Hope everyone is the same at home.
Your loving son,
Harold
Received your letter ok on Tuesday & the tube containing the magazines came to hand on the same mail as well as a Teeswater News. I also got a Teeswater News again today again (Oct. 21) almost a month old but very welcome. I got the parcel from Toronto yesterday and yours containing the doughnuts etc. has not yet arrived. I had a letter from Gert on Monday and also one from a Mrs. Minnie Skillings of #1 Thompson Yard, Gorge Street, Castle Road, Scarborough, England. The address on the envelope was ok in every respect except she had Skillings instead of Skilling.
I made out from that letter that she was looking for a brother or brother-in-law whose address she did not know and she had written to the War Office for it and had received mine. I answered the letter and enclosed the one she sent. I told her about Bill being in a Batt. at Toronto and also that there were 2 other men in that same Batt. whose names are Skilling but of no relation to us that we could find. She did not seem to have a very good education and her spelling and writing were not very good. The letter was composed not too badly however.
Well, I was glad to get your letter and have been trying ever since to answer it but this is honestly the (1st) chance I have had to get at it. I have been on the sanitary squad ever since last Sunday and besides that work I have to work the rest of the day on making a barricade for the hospital. We had to fill 500 sand bags and pile them 10 high and 4 feet out from the wall & gradually sloping in to about 3 feet at the top and then fill earth into the space enclosed. It has taken nearly all of our spare time for nearly the whole week and none of us are very sorry because we have have been sitting around so long that we have been getting soft as clams.
It has been a fairly decent week as far as weather goes although it is muddy and I only got a new pair of shoes today. It was not before I needed them either for my feet were wet continually and it was mighty lucky for me that I had 2 or 3 pairs of sox. I had to take a pair of big 7’s as it was as they had not gotten any 6’s in but with a pair of insoles and thick sox I guess I can fill them. I can get my old ones fixed up and wear them if we have any marching to do.
There has not been very much doing here for some time. I got a few souvenirs from a few shell holes where a few shells had dropped a day or two ago and also a shell head from an anti-aircraft gun that fell close to the incinerator last week.
I’ll be in the hospital next week I expect (our section I mean) and will likely be there for some time probably a month. We not only have the wounded to fix up here but also the sick. Where we were last there were 2 different buildings for the sick and wounded. It will be a lot more work as it is now especially for whoever is on day duty.
This is on Friday night and I have just received a letter from Maude. She said there was one coming from Mae also but it has not arrived. But as there is a Canadian mail in again not doubt some more will be along tomorrow.
From her letter I learned that G.A. Mc. had been operated on for appendicitis and a time of posting was still in a critical condition. I hope that before now that he has recovered and is regaining his strength. He is certainly having his own share of troubles. I guess Mae would be pretty worried.
Say I think I must have been putting a terrible lot of emphasis on the “eats” for Maude says there is going to be a regular cargo of grub coming for me anytime now. I guess I’ll be able to get away with it alright but do not go to very much trouble about sending stuff for it is so expensive and it takes so long for things to get here. I only got the parcel on Tuesday and it was sent fully a month ago. There were a few of the apples enclosed that were spotted & one was all mushy. I was glad to get it however and there was nothing in it that was injured.
It came out on orders that we can draw 50 francs anytime between now and Xmas but did not say whether we could draw that much in addition to our regular pay or not. It is $10 in a normal money market but I do not think a franc is worth 20 cents just now. I do know that we cannot get 20 cents worth of stuff for it here – at present prices at any rate. Everything is an outrageous price here and our 30 francs a month does not last long.
I am pretty sure we will be taking charge of the hospital tomorrow and no doubt will be extra busy for a few days until we get used to things. I have been on the incinerator job all day and am grimy with smoke. We can only get cold water to wash in and it is so hard that it curdles the soap and we cannot get clean no matter how hard we rub.
Well say I think I’ll have to ring off now & get ready for bed as there is a big day’s work in the morning for me and probably all night tomorrow as well. We will likely have a better chance to write in the hospital than we have here so I’ll try and get another letter away by the first of the week.
I am real well and feeling fine. Hope everyone is the same at home.
Your loving son,
Harold
Saturday, March 16, 2013
10 November 1915 Somewhere in Belgium
Dear Mother,
Received your welcome letter of Oct. 24 on Sunday and was very glad to get it. On Monday I got one from Vern and was glad to hear from him also. Write often Vern and Norma and tell me all about what is going on at school etc.
I have been getting my letters fairly regularly but a parcel that Mae sent from Eaton’s has not arrived. She said it was sent the same day as the letter that she mentioned it in. I got the letter nearly 2 weeks ago. Also I have not received any Teeswater papers for nearly 3 weeks or those magazines you spoke of sending. Several other fellows have been having the same trouble so I guess the mail must be congested and they will be along in good order some of these days. If parcels are being held up now I wonder what it will be like at Xmas.
The address of Mrs. A. Jeffs is 34 Dalebury Rd., Wandsworth Common, Upper Tooting, London, S.W. Bill has the address and you can get it from him if you lose this.
(This pen needs a good cleaning out so excuse any extra blots. )
There has not been very much doing on the line for several weeks now and it is just a case of stay here and put in time for the field ambulances.
The rain that we have been getting lately has caused quite a bit of trouble in the front line trenches both on ours and the enemy’s. The fellows brought in from these trenches say the walls are so soft that they are coming in and all they get to do is to repair them.
We expected to take over the hospital last week, but it didn’t come off. I think probably it will be this Saturday instead. I wish we were there now for I am awfully sick of hanging around putting in time and not doing anything. It would not be so bad if it did not get dark so early. The sun sets here about 4 o’clock now and by 5 it is too dark to be outside and so it makes the evening pretty long. We must be inside at 8:30 and lights out at 9:30. We are nearly always in bed long before that time though, but when we do so little we do not feel much like sleeping. We cannot go more than 400 yards away from the hospital without a pass and there is roll call at 6:30 am, 11 am and 3 pm to see that we are all here and also to hand out small jobs.
On Sat. last we had our first bath in 2 weeks. A bath out here is a very momentous occasion and even if it is done in record time and in a place where mud is the most predominant thing, we generally feel a little more like human beings. A new bath house is being constructed, and while it is being built, the only place that could be gotten anywhere near were some tents. There were 4 tubs in a bell tent and when a pail full of hot water was put into each tub it made so much steam that we could hardly see anything.
After we got our duds off and were into the tub, a man came around to the tents and collected all our dirty underwear and gave us clean in its place. After we were through, or rather after the attendants thought we ought to be through, the tubs were dumped right on the ground and we had to get dressed without getting any mud on us as best we could. Of course it was about as impossible as to walk on eggs without breaking them.
Say wasn’t that a great piece of work by the P. Society on Trafalgar Day. Teeswater did splendidly considering what she has been doing right along. The million that the Province raised will come in fine before the winter is over.
We have been issued with capes (waterproof) & sweaters. Also we expect to get long boots & waterproof coverings for our tops. I have never been bothered by the cold yet or the rain either, for that matter, as we have not had to be out in it very much.
Our grub is not too bad just now. If we manage properly and do not get too greedy, we can generally have butter for every meal and we get lots of jam and bread and biscuits. Fried meat comes nearly as often as stew now and by boiling the bacon instead of frying it, we can get a bigger piece each & it is better than being all shriveled up.
Well how does Bill like it in barracks? What part of the Ex. are they in? Do they have permanent passes? I guess he will be writing soon and telling me all about it. What do the people over there think of the Balkan situation? We do not get the papers regularly enough to follow things. When Kitchener gets over there he will likely start things moving in the right direction.
I had to stop this last night as my candle got too low and I want to get this finished before noon so that it will go on today’s mail. They have a new system now for outgoing mail. It is collected at 12 noon instead of 4 pm. By doing it like that, it can be censored in the afternoon and sent away to the rail-head the same day. It saves 24 hrs. by the new system.
It is a fine clear day and there are a lot of airplanes up this morning. Favourable weather is so scarce now that they have to make the best use of any day that the clouds are not too low. We got another one the other day - Taube I mean.
The sky had been very dull and dark all day but about 3 or 4 it cleared up rather suddenly. Almost immediately airplanes from both sides were busy. I counted 7 all in a very small area. They had several machine gun duels and the bur-rrrrrr of the machine guns could be heard distinctly. We did not lose any machine guns but the Germans had one of theirs winged.
I am on barrack room fatigue and have been nearly all morning sweeping and cleaning up. We can go over the floor every hour and get about a peck of mud. It is a day’s work and a different man is appointed each day.
Well it is mail time so I will have to get this into the box. I am real well and trust you are the same. Send this on as I have not got any more green envelopes so will have to economize. I got 4 or 5 extra ones at the chateau and along with our own issue I have been pretty well supplied.
Your loving son,
Harold
Received your welcome letter of Oct. 24 on Sunday and was very glad to get it. On Monday I got one from Vern and was glad to hear from him also. Write often Vern and Norma and tell me all about what is going on at school etc.
I have been getting my letters fairly regularly but a parcel that Mae sent from Eaton’s has not arrived. She said it was sent the same day as the letter that she mentioned it in. I got the letter nearly 2 weeks ago. Also I have not received any Teeswater papers for nearly 3 weeks or those magazines you spoke of sending. Several other fellows have been having the same trouble so I guess the mail must be congested and they will be along in good order some of these days. If parcels are being held up now I wonder what it will be like at Xmas.
The address of Mrs. A. Jeffs is 34 Dalebury Rd., Wandsworth Common, Upper Tooting, London, S.W. Bill has the address and you can get it from him if you lose this.
(This pen needs a good cleaning out so excuse any extra blots. )
There has not been very much doing on the line for several weeks now and it is just a case of stay here and put in time for the field ambulances.
The rain that we have been getting lately has caused quite a bit of trouble in the front line trenches both on ours and the enemy’s. The fellows brought in from these trenches say the walls are so soft that they are coming in and all they get to do is to repair them.
We expected to take over the hospital last week, but it didn’t come off. I think probably it will be this Saturday instead. I wish we were there now for I am awfully sick of hanging around putting in time and not doing anything. It would not be so bad if it did not get dark so early. The sun sets here about 4 o’clock now and by 5 it is too dark to be outside and so it makes the evening pretty long. We must be inside at 8:30 and lights out at 9:30. We are nearly always in bed long before that time though, but when we do so little we do not feel much like sleeping. We cannot go more than 400 yards away from the hospital without a pass and there is roll call at 6:30 am, 11 am and 3 pm to see that we are all here and also to hand out small jobs.
On Sat. last we had our first bath in 2 weeks. A bath out here is a very momentous occasion and even if it is done in record time and in a place where mud is the most predominant thing, we generally feel a little more like human beings. A new bath house is being constructed, and while it is being built, the only place that could be gotten anywhere near were some tents. There were 4 tubs in a bell tent and when a pail full of hot water was put into each tub it made so much steam that we could hardly see anything.
After we got our duds off and were into the tub, a man came around to the tents and collected all our dirty underwear and gave us clean in its place. After we were through, or rather after the attendants thought we ought to be through, the tubs were dumped right on the ground and we had to get dressed without getting any mud on us as best we could. Of course it was about as impossible as to walk on eggs without breaking them.
Say wasn’t that a great piece of work by the P. Society on Trafalgar Day. Teeswater did splendidly considering what she has been doing right along. The million that the Province raised will come in fine before the winter is over.
We have been issued with capes (waterproof) & sweaters. Also we expect to get long boots & waterproof coverings for our tops. I have never been bothered by the cold yet or the rain either, for that matter, as we have not had to be out in it very much.
Our grub is not too bad just now. If we manage properly and do not get too greedy, we can generally have butter for every meal and we get lots of jam and bread and biscuits. Fried meat comes nearly as often as stew now and by boiling the bacon instead of frying it, we can get a bigger piece each & it is better than being all shriveled up.
Well how does Bill like it in barracks? What part of the Ex. are they in? Do they have permanent passes? I guess he will be writing soon and telling me all about it. What do the people over there think of the Balkan situation? We do not get the papers regularly enough to follow things. When Kitchener gets over there he will likely start things moving in the right direction.
I had to stop this last night as my candle got too low and I want to get this finished before noon so that it will go on today’s mail. They have a new system now for outgoing mail. It is collected at 12 noon instead of 4 pm. By doing it like that, it can be censored in the afternoon and sent away to the rail-head the same day. It saves 24 hrs. by the new system.
It is a fine clear day and there are a lot of airplanes up this morning. Favourable weather is so scarce now that they have to make the best use of any day that the clouds are not too low. We got another one the other day - Taube I mean.
I am on barrack room fatigue and have been nearly all morning sweeping and cleaning up. We can go over the floor every hour and get about a peck of mud. It is a day’s work and a different man is appointed each day.
Well it is mail time so I will have to get this into the box. I am real well and trust you are the same. Send this on as I have not got any more green envelopes so will have to economize. I got 4 or 5 extra ones at the chateau and along with our own issue I have been pretty well supplied.
Your loving son,
Harold
Monday, March 11, 2013
4 November 1915 Somewhere in Belgium
Dear Mother,
Received your welcome letter of Oct 17 yesterday and also Norma’s and Maude’s enclosed. I had one from Bill and another from Mae and Maude on Sunday.
So Bill has gotten into the 81st. It is only a newly organized Batt. I understand, so it will not likely be sending over drafts for sometime. He will no doubt be relieved from carrying a pack in the band, but I don’t know whether I would rather blow a horn or carry a pack. I know I would a hariged (?) sight rather carry the infantry kit than that of the Fd. Amb. In the infantry the pack is placed on your shoulders where it does not bother your movements but we carry most of our stuff bandolier fashion and it presses on the chest and passes under one arm.
Well we have been doing very little this last 2 weeks and we are getting pretty soft. It has been very wet and so we have not been able to get out very often. I was up to a village about 3 miles away yesterday and when I got back I was pretty tired. I am getting awfully fat as all I have had to do was help keep the hut clean and after that there was not much to do but eat. We get all we can eat but there aren’t many frills. Mostly bread, stew, tea and bacon in the morning and jam at night. And to crown it all, we have been getting a tin (1 1/2 lbs.) of butter between 10 men nearly 3 times a week. We have a stove now that we picked up as we passed through “Wipers” (Ypres) and so we can make toast. We are living like princes and if it was not so wet and muddy we would be “jake” (ok).
We are being issued with waterproof capes (long ones that fasten closely around the neck and come down to the boot tops). They have a slit for the arms and so we can be dry and warm now. I expect an issue of new boots soon so we are alright now as far as the wet and cold goes.
Oh no, we are not in as dangerous quarters as the infantry . Of course when the infantry are in the reserve or line trenches is the only time they are in any real danger and when they are in the billets, they are further back than we are. In the trenches there is not much chance of getting hurt if you are careful and do not go sticking your head up over the parapet. There is more danger from civilian snipers than the German snipers. There are a few unscrupulous Belgians who snipe at British soldiers every chance they get. A young lad 16 years old was caught red handed and was shot after a court martial.
The Red Cross is not much protection and the ambulances go around with big bags hung over the red crosses painted on the sides of the car. The fellows who are issued with Red Cross arm bands soaked them in strong tea for awhile so they would not show so much because when they are new they show up too well and offer a good target for the snipers. However we have had no casualties yet and only one man slightly sick.
Say there are a terrible lot of words scratched out in this letter but it is very dark in the hut as we have no windows and I can hardly see what I am writing.
Everyone is asking me what they should send me. Even Uncle Will (William Skilling) and Aunt Aggie (Agnes Skilling Orford) have been very anxious to send me some things, but if everyone was to start sending me a lot of stuff, I would be overloaded. I’ll tell you something – not to bother sending what we can get here. Medicine like aspirin, court plaster etc. chocolate. As a matter of fact the small shops in the villages are much like those of the English villages except that things are very dear and we cannot buy very much before we are broke as 1 franc a day(20 cents) is all we draw in 2 pays a month amounting to 30 francs a month. Small bars of chocolate cost from 2 d. to 6 d. apples from 1 1/2 d. to 2 1/2 d. each other things very much in proportion.
No Norma, we do not have much of a chance to “parlez-vous” where we are now. The Belgians just here speak Flemish which is very much like Dutch. They say “nien” and “yaw” and go clacking around in their wooden shoes. I got a small pair the other day and am sending them home along with a painting I picked up at “Wipers”. We get fooled sometimes when we are trying to display our knowledge of French and get a perfectly good English reply from the woman in the shop. They all tell us that they learned English since the soldiers came last fall.
If you can get a good map with a small scale of Flanders and Belgium, you will be able to follow the places where we go from time to time as we are at liberty to tell our friends where we were a month from the date of writing. A month ago today we were running a Dressing Station at Dranoutre. In a letter to Ettie a while ago I outlined a few of the places we had been and she will no doubt let you know what they are.
Did I tell you that the King and Prince of Wales along with King Albert and Field Marshal French (Foch) had been to review the 2nd Ambulance Division a while ago. We only sent 4 men and a Staff Sergeant and all the other units sent the same proportion of their strength.
Congratulations Norma for becoming President of the ? out of such a large class. I guess the new (Teeswater) Town Hall will be quite an improvement. Does it seat any more? Where did they hold the Fall Show Concert?
I suppose you send these letters around to the rest. I will not have so much time to write after we take over the hospital as I have had this last week and I’ll address all my letters home and then they can be seen on from there.
I am enclosing a few picture cards of some of the places we have been at. I sent a few last week and will put the rest of them in this letter.
Well I think between this and the letters I sent to Orville and Bill you will have all the news of the week so I’ll ring off for this time. I am feeling fine and hope everyone else at home is just the same.
Your loving son,
Harold
Received your welcome letter of Oct 17 yesterday and also Norma’s and Maude’s enclosed. I had one from Bill and another from Mae and Maude on Sunday.
So Bill has gotten into the 81st. It is only a newly organized Batt. I understand, so it will not likely be sending over drafts for sometime. He will no doubt be relieved from carrying a pack in the band, but I don’t know whether I would rather blow a horn or carry a pack. I know I would a hariged (?) sight rather carry the infantry kit than that of the Fd. Amb. In the infantry the pack is placed on your shoulders where it does not bother your movements but we carry most of our stuff bandolier fashion and it presses on the chest and passes under one arm.
Well we have been doing very little this last 2 weeks and we are getting pretty soft. It has been very wet and so we have not been able to get out very often. I was up to a village about 3 miles away yesterday and when I got back I was pretty tired. I am getting awfully fat as all I have had to do was help keep the hut clean and after that there was not much to do but eat. We get all we can eat but there aren’t many frills. Mostly bread, stew, tea and bacon in the morning and jam at night. And to crown it all, we have been getting a tin (1 1/2 lbs.) of butter between 10 men nearly 3 times a week. We have a stove now that we picked up as we passed through “Wipers” (Ypres) and so we can make toast. We are living like princes and if it was not so wet and muddy we would be “jake” (ok).
We are being issued with waterproof capes (long ones that fasten closely around the neck and come down to the boot tops). They have a slit for the arms and so we can be dry and warm now. I expect an issue of new boots soon so we are alright now as far as the wet and cold goes.
Oh no, we are not in as dangerous quarters as the infantry . Of course when the infantry are in the reserve or line trenches is the only time they are in any real danger and when they are in the billets, they are further back than we are. In the trenches there is not much chance of getting hurt if you are careful and do not go sticking your head up over the parapet. There is more danger from civilian snipers than the German snipers. There are a few unscrupulous Belgians who snipe at British soldiers every chance they get. A young lad 16 years old was caught red handed and was shot after a court martial.
The Red Cross is not much protection and the ambulances go around with big bags hung over the red crosses painted on the sides of the car. The fellows who are issued with Red Cross arm bands soaked them in strong tea for awhile so they would not show so much because when they are new they show up too well and offer a good target for the snipers. However we have had no casualties yet and only one man slightly sick.
Say there are a terrible lot of words scratched out in this letter but it is very dark in the hut as we have no windows and I can hardly see what I am writing.
Everyone is asking me what they should send me. Even Uncle Will (William Skilling) and Aunt Aggie (Agnes Skilling Orford) have been very anxious to send me some things, but if everyone was to start sending me a lot of stuff, I would be overloaded. I’ll tell you something – not to bother sending what we can get here. Medicine like aspirin, court plaster etc. chocolate. As a matter of fact the small shops in the villages are much like those of the English villages except that things are very dear and we cannot buy very much before we are broke as 1 franc a day(20 cents) is all we draw in 2 pays a month amounting to 30 francs a month. Small bars of chocolate cost from 2 d. to 6 d. apples from 1 1/2 d. to 2 1/2 d. each other things very much in proportion.
No Norma, we do not have much of a chance to “parlez-vous” where we are now. The Belgians just here speak Flemish which is very much like Dutch. They say “nien” and “yaw” and go clacking around in their wooden shoes. I got a small pair the other day and am sending them home along with a painting I picked up at “Wipers”. We get fooled sometimes when we are trying to display our knowledge of French and get a perfectly good English reply from the woman in the shop. They all tell us that they learned English since the soldiers came last fall.
If you can get a good map with a small scale of Flanders and Belgium, you will be able to follow the places where we go from time to time as we are at liberty to tell our friends where we were a month from the date of writing. A month ago today we were running a Dressing Station at Dranoutre. In a letter to Ettie a while ago I outlined a few of the places we had been and she will no doubt let you know what they are.
Did I tell you that the King and Prince of Wales along with King Albert and Field Marshal French (Foch) had been to review the 2nd Ambulance Division a while ago. We only sent 4 men and a Staff Sergeant and all the other units sent the same proportion of their strength.
Congratulations Norma for becoming President of the ? out of such a large class. I guess the new (Teeswater) Town Hall will be quite an improvement. Does it seat any more? Where did they hold the Fall Show Concert?
I suppose you send these letters around to the rest. I will not have so much time to write after we take over the hospital as I have had this last week and I’ll address all my letters home and then they can be seen on from there.
I am enclosing a few picture cards of some of the places we have been at. I sent a few last week and will put the rest of them in this letter.
Well I think between this and the letters I sent to Orville and Bill you will have all the news of the week so I’ll ring off for this time. I am feeling fine and hope everyone else at home is just the same.
Your loving son,
Harold
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
2 November 1915 Somewhere in Belgium
Received your welcome letter today and I guess it is the ‘advance party’ of a new Canadian mail. So you have at last gotten rid of the bally books. Can easily imagine how war will be almost a picnic compared with a whole summer of book selling. So you are in the 81st Battalion band. Say it is rather an uncommon coincidence to have 2 other Skillings in the same Batt. isn’t it? I guess before this you will be back in Toronto and in barracks at Ex. (Exhibition Grounds Camp). I think you did well to fight shy of the Field Ambulance and whatever you do keep out of the A.M.C. for they are the most grumpy and grouching bunch I ever had anything to do with. I guess they get the same kind in every corps. I think ours is the worst because there is so little to do and they get sitting around doing nothing and kick at the grub etc. for pastime.Dear Bill,
I believe the bands are acting as regimental stretcher bearers and some of them are in the ranks doing duty as riflemen. The regimental Stretcher Bearers are not protected by the Red Cross but wear a band around their arm with S.B. on it. There are no bands over here acting as bandsmen (musicians) near the trenches but they bring their instruments over and sometimes play their battalions on route marches or give concerts back in the billets.
The only objection to enlisting with the C.F.A. (Canadian Field Artillery ) is that they will not be as much chance of getting over here as in the infantry. I don’t know whether you would be able to get a quick draft over here from the band or not for bandsmen are apt to be scarce and they might want to keep you. Is there any chance of the Batt. coming over as a unit? If you could, get into the C.F.A. as a signaler or into the Signal Co. of the 81st. In the C.F.A. you would have a horse to ride and no pack to carry and there is more to learn than in the infantry and a good deal more interesting. (Harold is concerned about his brother as he knows he has a rheumatic heart.)
I have been trying to get a transfer out of the 5th Field Ambulance but it is too late for that I’m afraid. It is fine for you to be in Toronto for the winter. If you ever get over to France we will try and see if you could get a claim put in for me. There is some regulation to the effect that an older brother can claim a younger especially if the elder is in a senior unit.
There is a spell of rotten weather on here just now. It has rained nearly every day for about 2 weeks and is still drizzling away. The huts we are in have no windows and we have to either burn candles or open the door.We got a stove the other day as we passed thru’ “Wipers” (Ypres). It is a terribly racked place.
This is Thursday morning and I have been cleaning up the place ever since I got up until now and I want to get this finished before dinner. We have not been doing anything yet this week except the ordinary work around the huts. I think we are going to take over the hospital tomorrow.
There are not many surgical cases coming in, mostly sick last night for instance there were 2 wounded and 16 sick (mostly from being in the wet trenches). There was also a young girl about 18 years old brought in. The Germans had been searching the ground around her house for a concealed battery and a high explosive shell hit their house. Her father and mother were both killed and she will lose both legs and probably an arm if she gets better which is very doubtful. Her legs were just a pulp.
I am sending home an oil painting I picked up at ‘Wipers’ and also a pair of Dutch wooden shoes that I bought from a man who makes them. I also got a dog skin up at the dead city and am keeping it as a sort of cushion. It makes the floor just a little bit softer to sleep on.
Well I must ring off now and write home. Do they send my letters onto you people at Toronto? Tell them to send them for I’ll not have so much time to write when we take over the hospital.
Write and tell me how the 81st is getting along. what are your officers and NCOs like? I saw the photos of a couple of them in the Star Weekly. One seems to be a regular youngster.
Write soon.
Lovingly,
Harold
Sunday, March 3, 2013
27 October 1915 Somewhere in Belgium
Dear People in Toronto,
I have an hour or two this evening that I will be able to devote to writing letters etc. I wrote home on Sunday but it was not much of a letter and it was so cold in our hut that I could not sit still and besides I had no table to write on so I just had to stop and went for a walk to a village further up the road that had received its quota of shells and was in a rather dilapidated condition.
On Sunday night it started to rain and been keeping it up ever since on and off, except yesterday which was a fine day till late at night. It is very muddy and everything gets damp but if it is possible to become accustomed to wet weather, we may as well do so , for we have not much good weather ahead of us till the spring , except occasional days of no rain.
I expect we will soon be issued with the famous sheepskin coats of the 1st Division, and also waterproof cloaks with new boots soon. We haven’t had any new boots since the 24th of May when we got our big overseas ammunition boots. That was the day we moved our camp from Sandling to Otterpool and everyone who wore the stiff beggars had sore feet.
I have been receiving all your letters, so I got Maude’s last Thursday and Mae’s on the Sat. preceding. Orville’s came quite a while ago but I have not heard from Bill for quite a long time. I guess he has been pretty busy with his books and getting his affairs all wound up before enlisting. What has he joined? He will no doubt be writing me all about it soon however I don’t think I would enlist in the Medical Corps if I were he. I wish I could get a transfer but I guess it is too late now. The Artillery is the best Corps. to join I think or the cyclists are good too. The infantry get all the dirty work and the most hard work. It has the most fighting to do. But in this war the infantry just finish up what the guns start and then the ambulance steps in and has to carry most of them back – those who have that much luck.
In that engagement Mae referred to being reported in church as being won by the British and French was on while we had charge of the dressing station in Belgium, and was a considerable distance south of us. We could hear the bombardment for 2 or 3 days and when the guns ceased their incessant roar, there was hardly anything left to oppose our infantry. Not until they had penetrated a long distance into the German lines and as you will have seen by the casualty lists, they apparently met with some opposition back there.
The 28th (Northwest) Battalion has been most heavily hit of any 2nd Division so far. They have had the name of being the hoodoo ? Batt. of the 2nd Div. all along and have certainly lived (or died) up to it since coming over here. They had 490 some killed in a section of trench that was blown up by a mine. The other units have been comparatively lucky.
Orville was asking in one of his letters if the report he had from Geo. Christensen about the discontent among the Canadian munitions workers (was true). As far as I can make out from the papers here they are not being used as well or getting as much pay as they were led to believe they would receive. I saw a case of one of them taking his case into court, but judgement was not given. It appeared from the report in the report in the paper that the future action of a lot of the Can. munitions workers depended on the result of that case.
That was a pretty rotten trick of Dennis’. How are you making out with him now? Is business affected in Toronto this fall? Eggs here are 60 f (?) a doz. or 2 1/2 f (?) each. they have been that price all summer and do not seem to vary at all.
There was an inspection by Kings Albert of Belgium and George V accompanied by French Field Marshal (Foch?) and hosts of staff officers of all tanks today at a small village about 3 miles from here. Of course it would not be very practicable to have all the troops of the 2nd Div. out at one time so just 10 (?) men from each 50 (?). We sent 4 men and a staff Sargeant from our unit.
We had a trip last night to a dead city. I will not be able to give you a complete description of our trip but it was an experience I will not forget very soon. We had been sending parties up for 2 or 3 nights back for the purpose of getting bricks and fire wood. etc. and I was lucky enough to get going up last night.
The moon was just rising as we entered the ruins. All the way along the road the fields on either sides were full of big shell holes a sort of prelude to the sort of thing we were to see later on. Every building of any size that we encountered showed some signs of being shelled at some time or other. As our waggons got near the entrance of the place, we were held up by a guard for a moment and then we passed on through into the most terrible evidence of what has been going on here since last fall.
Wherever we went through the whole city (he is talking about Ypres/Leper), there was not a house left that had not been ruined so much that it was just a heap of bricks. Some have 2 or 3 walls standing but a roof is a rare thing to see. I had seen a lot of photographs and picture cards of the ruins. They all looked pretty bad but I was of the opinion that they were taken from some of the worst parts of the city. These kind of pictures can be photographed in any part of the city. The big square in the centre of the city is strewn with bricks and debris from the surrounding buildings and the road itself is torn up in several places by the big shells falling there and bursting. The famous ‘cloth hall’ which I suppose you know of and where it is, has been wrecked completely and a Jack Johnston hole big enough to bury a couple of big motor cars is right outside the main entrance. The big convent college, several large hotels, cathedrals and a great big railway station have all been shelled time after time and even yet they occasionally drop a “coal box” down just to let us know they have a few to spare, I guess. We have a few batteries concealed there and probably they are the targets.
I had to stop last night as my candle was getting low and I had to put my blankets down yet. This is now Thursday afternoon and I want to get this finished before the mail leaves. I only have a minute or two to start in too.
There was a German aeroplane brought down near here on Tuesday. I saw the whole fight from the time it came into view, till the bally thing lighted near our trenches. It was attacked by an Allied machine and headed back toward the trenches again but when the Br. machine came close the anti-air guns were afraid of hitting it so they ceased fire but in a few minutes the Taube started back again and as they make better time than the Biplanes, he was getting away from our airman so he turned back and let our guns at him again. And didn’t they make him dodge. He began to descend in a very short time and was not long in coming down.
Well I got some more letters today. One from Orville and Rose, mother and Ettie. I am sorry Orville that Dennis is giving you such a hard rub.He won’t last long probably, if he gets a line of bum stuff. Doesn’t he ever get any trouble about the change of the wrapper on the butter etc.?
It is dandy snap of yourself and the youngsters. They sure are healthy looking and I can see a big difference in their size. have the other one too. You were asking about games etc. We don’t get much chance to play ball of any kind and now the rainy weather started we don’t get a chance to do anything in the sport(s) line. There is no window in our huts and only 2 small candles allowed a day so when it is wet and cold we have to keep all the places closed and burn candles. They cost a penny each to buy them and we can’t afford that very often on 1 franc a day. However I think we are going to get a lantern now but the difficulty is getting oil.
There comes the mail man so will have to ring off. Write often.
Lovingly,
Harold
I have an hour or two this evening that I will be able to devote to writing letters etc. I wrote home on Sunday but it was not much of a letter and it was so cold in our hut that I could not sit still and besides I had no table to write on so I just had to stop and went for a walk to a village further up the road that had received its quota of shells and was in a rather dilapidated condition.
On Sunday night it started to rain and been keeping it up ever since on and off, except yesterday which was a fine day till late at night. It is very muddy and everything gets damp but if it is possible to become accustomed to wet weather, we may as well do so , for we have not much good weather ahead of us till the spring , except occasional days of no rain.
I expect we will soon be issued with the famous sheepskin coats of the 1st Division, and also waterproof cloaks with new boots soon. We haven’t had any new boots since the 24th of May when we got our big overseas ammunition boots. That was the day we moved our camp from Sandling to Otterpool and everyone who wore the stiff beggars had sore feet.
I have been receiving all your letters, so I got Maude’s last Thursday and Mae’s on the Sat. preceding. Orville’s came quite a while ago but I have not heard from Bill for quite a long time. I guess he has been pretty busy with his books and getting his affairs all wound up before enlisting. What has he joined? He will no doubt be writing me all about it soon however I don’t think I would enlist in the Medical Corps if I were he. I wish I could get a transfer but I guess it is too late now. The Artillery is the best Corps. to join I think or the cyclists are good too. The infantry get all the dirty work and the most hard work. It has the most fighting to do. But in this war the infantry just finish up what the guns start and then the ambulance steps in and has to carry most of them back – those who have that much luck.
In that engagement Mae referred to being reported in church as being won by the British and French was on while we had charge of the dressing station in Belgium, and was a considerable distance south of us. We could hear the bombardment for 2 or 3 days and when the guns ceased their incessant roar, there was hardly anything left to oppose our infantry. Not until they had penetrated a long distance into the German lines and as you will have seen by the casualty lists, they apparently met with some opposition back there.
The 28th (Northwest) Battalion has been most heavily hit of any 2nd Division so far. They have had the name of being the hoodoo ? Batt. of the 2nd Div. all along and have certainly lived (or died) up to it since coming over here. They had 490 some killed in a section of trench that was blown up by a mine. The other units have been comparatively lucky.
Orville was asking in one of his letters if the report he had from Geo. Christensen about the discontent among the Canadian munitions workers (was true). As far as I can make out from the papers here they are not being used as well or getting as much pay as they were led to believe they would receive. I saw a case of one of them taking his case into court, but judgement was not given. It appeared from the report in the report in the paper that the future action of a lot of the Can. munitions workers depended on the result of that case.
That was a pretty rotten trick of Dennis’. How are you making out with him now? Is business affected in Toronto this fall? Eggs here are 60 f (?) a doz. or 2 1/2 f (?) each. they have been that price all summer and do not seem to vary at all.
There was an inspection by Kings Albert of Belgium and George V accompanied by French Field Marshal (Foch?) and hosts of staff officers of all tanks today at a small village about 3 miles from here. Of course it would not be very practicable to have all the troops of the 2nd Div. out at one time so just 10 (?) men from each 50 (?). We sent 4 men and a staff Sargeant from our unit.
We had a trip last night to a dead city. I will not be able to give you a complete description of our trip but it was an experience I will not forget very soon. We had been sending parties up for 2 or 3 nights back for the purpose of getting bricks and fire wood. etc. and I was lucky enough to get going up last night.
The moon was just rising as we entered the ruins. All the way along the road the fields on either sides were full of big shell holes a sort of prelude to the sort of thing we were to see later on. Every building of any size that we encountered showed some signs of being shelled at some time or other. As our waggons got near the entrance of the place, we were held up by a guard for a moment and then we passed on through into the most terrible evidence of what has been going on here since last fall.
Wherever we went through the whole city (he is talking about Ypres/Leper), there was not a house left that had not been ruined so much that it was just a heap of bricks. Some have 2 or 3 walls standing but a roof is a rare thing to see. I had seen a lot of photographs and picture cards of the ruins. They all looked pretty bad but I was of the opinion that they were taken from some of the worst parts of the city. These kind of pictures can be photographed in any part of the city. The big square in the centre of the city is strewn with bricks and debris from the surrounding buildings and the road itself is torn up in several places by the big shells falling there and bursting. The famous ‘cloth hall’ which I suppose you know of and where it is, has been wrecked completely and a Jack Johnston hole big enough to bury a couple of big motor cars is right outside the main entrance. The big convent college, several large hotels, cathedrals and a great big railway station have all been shelled time after time and even yet they occasionally drop a “coal box” down just to let us know they have a few to spare, I guess. We have a few batteries concealed there and probably they are the targets.
I had to stop last night as my candle was getting low and I had to put my blankets down yet. This is now Thursday afternoon and I want to get this finished before the mail leaves. I only have a minute or two to start in too.
There was a German aeroplane brought down near here on Tuesday. I saw the whole fight from the time it came into view, till the bally thing lighted near our trenches. It was attacked by an Allied machine and headed back toward the trenches again but when the Br. machine came close the anti-air guns were afraid of hitting it so they ceased fire but in a few minutes the Taube started back again and as they make better time than the Biplanes, he was getting away from our airman so he turned back and let our guns at him again. And didn’t they make him dodge. He began to descend in a very short time and was not long in coming down.
Well I got some more letters today. One from Orville and Rose, mother and Ettie. I am sorry Orville that Dennis is giving you such a hard rub.He won’t last long probably, if he gets a line of bum stuff. Doesn’t he ever get any trouble about the change of the wrapper on the butter etc.?
It is dandy snap of yourself and the youngsters. They sure are healthy looking and I can see a big difference in their size. have the other one too. You were asking about games etc. We don’t get much chance to play ball of any kind and now the rainy weather started we don’t get a chance to do anything in the sport(s) line. There is no window in our huts and only 2 small candles allowed a day so when it is wet and cold we have to keep all the places closed and burn candles. They cost a penny each to buy them and we can’t afford that very often on 1 franc a day. However I think we are going to get a lantern now but the difficulty is getting oil.
There comes the mail man so will have to ring off. Write often.
Lovingly,
Harold
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