Letters From the Front

Dated: May 14, 1915

Letters From The Front

W. J. Broughton received the following letter Monday last:

France, May 14th, 1915

Dear Dad and Mother,---

I received two letters from you this week, and am pleased to hear that you are all keeping well. I am glad that you sent those newspaper cuttings, as they are very interesting. I suppose by now you will know definitely about making that ammunition, and I hope that you get a good big order. I almost wish that I could be there to help you to make it. Anyway we will make good use of the effects of it after the artillery get through with it. Make plenty of it, and make it fast, for we can do with it all. I only hope that the powder in the shells will make a whole lot bigger stink than that the Germans use. Their stink shells, as we call them, are fierce. It is just like putting your head into a bunch of sulphur fumes.

You got the news about Major Sandeman¹ very quick. The reports regarding him are very conflicting, for we heard yesterday that he is not dead, but of course that is not official news. He was wounded very bad, and I don't see how he could possibly pull through, for he was hit in seven different places. There were eight or ten casualties in the Red Deer contingent. One of them, named Jack Masson², was a friend of Mr. Carr's, and another called Wightwick³, who used to work in Lord's, was a friend of Jim Halloway's. He was killed.

You will see by the accounts that our little bunch were in the thick of it, and have done good work. Those of us who are left are anxious to be into it again, so that we may be able to square accounts.

Lieut. Page⁴ deserves very great credit for his coolness during the fight, for we lost all the officers in our company except him, and of course that put a big responsibility on his shoulders. He got us out of a place where it looked as if it was impossible to get out alive with the coolness of an old veteran. After all that has happned we would all follow him anywhere.

I remain, your loving son,

COLIN.