Letters From the Front

Dated: May 1, 1915

LED CHARGE WITH RIFLE AND BAYONET

That is How Gallant Lieut. Wright Came Through.

He Now Commands a New Company Lately Organized.

Telling in graphic style of the stirring events in which the Canadians took part in Belgium and France, Q.M.S. R. W. Hunt writes to his mother, Mrs. F. W. Hunt, Emerald street south. He especially mentions his neighbor, Lieut. Wright , son of Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Wright, Emerald street south, and tells how he, with rifle and bayonet, led the charge on German trenches, thereby saving his own life, as all the other officers of the company, save one, were killed or wounded, the Germans directing special attention to officers. The letters will be read with interest:

Belgium, May 1, 1915.

Dear Mother, -- Suppose you are wondering if we are still safe, so am writing this to let you know things are still o.k. with me, but at the present rate do not know for how long. No doubt you have read in the papers how our division just held the Germans in check and then later how our battalion, the fourth, made the charge, C Company leading with the bayonet.

How any of the battalion lived through is a miracle. Machine guns, thousands of rifles and batteries of artillery firing at us all the time, and yet we advanced. (The English say they do not know which is the craziest, the Gurkas or the Fourth Batt. Canadians.) Out of 187 men of our company, C, who went out of action Friday morning we suffered 122 casualties, besides having the company major, captain and two lieutenants wounded.

Only one lieutenant, Mr. Wright , came out. You would not know him now. He is one of the best liked and most able officers we have. The men would go anywhere with him. The reason, I think, that he came out safe was that he took a rifle and bayonet and charged with the men. The only three officers who came out safe in the battalion all did that. The rest were picked off. Practically all the old E Company men are gone. Poor old Dunc Ross¹ was killed early in the morning; so was Frank Marshall² and McHarg³.

Talk about V.C., every man should have one. J. Leslie⁴ and another fellow were carrying McHarg back who (was wounded), when a Jack Johnson burst and killed all three. All over the field men were getting killed helping others. We lost the col. adjutant, all company majors, the lieut.-colonel, and practically all officers and n.c.o.'s. Talk about awful sights - on every side were mangled remains of what once were men and horses.

I came back to this town at night, and were were packing up rations -- in fact had them packed. All the time the shells were being thrown into the town. I happened to pick up a tin of biscuits and carried into the house when a Jack Johnson burst in the middle of the street, wounding the pioneer sergeant, one pioneer, and killed the Q.M., the Q.M.S., one sergeant and six privates of the D.L.I., who were looking on. Then once having the range in came the shells thick. There was a bunch of English artillery and the Scots Greys in a field close by. They dropped a few shells on them, mussing things up. The order was given: "Get out of shell fire." In a few minutes the street was packed with artillery, infantry, cavalry and civilian refugees, and the shells dropping in amongst them. With three privates who were helping me, I ran along when I heard a shell coming, so we jumped into a ditch. The shell burst on top, killing two horses and leaving a hole big enough for a basement of a house. We were covered with dirt, but safe. We ran back a mile, shells bursting all around.

About 5 o'clock the firing died away. We came back to our billet. Some sight in the street - dead men, horses and civilians all around. We were burying them all next day. The last night the boys were up in the trenches, where they dug themselves in, after the charge, we started with the transport rations, R.E. tools, ammunition, etc., to move up to them. As we turned the corner of one road, called the devil's elbow, or death corner, the Germans started shelling. Four Jack Johnsons came over, missing us by ten yards, but caught one English wagon and some French soldiers. When the dust cleared away there was a hole big enough for a mine in the road. They shot at us all the way out, but I am safe so far, but for how long I do not know. All the way out the fields, roads, etc., are strewn with dead bodies, of men and horses, broken wagons, etc. The houses, fences, etc., are blown to pieces. It is an awful looking scene.

After the first advanced we were forced back, for a way, and we then made the charge with the bayonet, forcing them right back, capturing their trenches and four guns. The Germans bayoneted all our wounded as they retired. They also caught a C.A.M.C. man and crucified him. Our fellows had revenge, though. They captured above 100 Germans and some of the Fifth Highlanders, Montreal, were ordered to take them back. They did - brought eight in and said the rest escaped. The eight were put in a house here, and one of the German shells (when they were shelling) burst and killed all the eight. They are shelling us now, in fact since the remains of the battalion came here to be reorganized they shell us about 5 to 7 o'clock at night, and 3 to 5 in the morning. We still live though. The 23rd battalion, second contingent, came to us as a draft.

I think we move back now and have to reorganize and drill all these new men. There is not enough left of the original fourth brigade⁵ to be a backbone, so will have to start all over again, with a new colonel, lieut.-colonel, adjutant and officers. Anyway (something that will help) we have Wright in charge of the company. Well, we have had experiences. Been in one of the worst battles of the war (Balaclava was nothing), and am still alive.

Tell anyone who might want to know we have no paymaster now, so do not know when we will get any more pay. At present I have four sous. Don't think I am asking for any: I will get some somewhere. A lot of the fellows went into Ypres under fire to get tobacco, cigarettes, rum, chocolates, and even clothes from the stores. The town is deserted, half blown to pieces; dead soldiers and civilians lying all around. Our fellows walked into the stores, hotels, etc., and helped themselves. You can't loot, and there is no money amongst us. We have hard time getting even rations. Will stop here and write either you or Percy⁶ the first chance I get -- Dick.

Tell Percy⁶ to tell the Thirteenth⁷ mess that nearly all the thirteenth bunch are gone.