Letters From the Front

Dated: September 16, 1917

George Maben writes to his mother, Sept. 16, from Can. M.G. base, 4th Co., A.P.O., Sect. 18, B.E.F., France:--

Dear Mother,

Just received your most welcome letters dated August 5th and 13th. I was very glad to hear from you and to hear that you are all well. This is the first mail I have received from you since I was wounded. It has travelled all over France but it has found me at last. I am glad to say I am in the best of health. My arm is all right again but it swells up a little once in a while. The shrapnel is in it yet but it will get all right after a bit.

I had a letter from Billy yesterday and two cards.¹ He is getting along fine. He has been looking all over for me. I wrote him when I was hit, but I guess he never got my letter. So he will not know till he gets my last letter that I have been in the hospital. The last time I went in the line I passed his company. They were all lined up the side of the road, but I did not know he was there at the time, or else I would have stopped and spoken to him. We had lots of time, but I expect to see him before long. I will soon be going back to the Company again. I have not heart from the McIlwraith boys yet. I hope they came through the Loos scrap all right. That is the place where Fritz got me.

We have been in some very tight places and had some very narrow escapes since we came over here, but I did not want to tell you as it would only make you worry more over us, and I did not want to do that, but I see that I will have to give in since Bill Mc has told his father all about it. But the main thing is that we have come through them all safe. I got a bit of a scratch but that was nothing compared to what some of the boys got. I will only be thankful if I come through the rest of the war as easily as I have gone through the other places. The noise of the big guns gets me once in a while, but my nerves have not given in yet. I am just as steady as ever but more on the alert. Once bit, twice shy.

I guess Billy Mc will have got your letter by the time I see him again. He will be glad to hear from you. It is surprising what those two McIlwraith boys have come through. I know that I am bigger and stouter built than they are and I sometimes have all I can do to handle the work laid out for me, but they are always willing to do a job and it does not matter how hard Fritz is shelling a place, if they have to go through it they go without saying a word.

I am great on the sleeping stunt all right. As soon as I lay down I dose off, but I can't say about this snoring, I have never listened to myself but such things happen.

Well, mother, I think that conscription would help us out a lot. I would give the old men in the line a chance of a rest, but as it is we are out one day and in the next. So, if we had the men out here it would help us out a lot.