Letters From the Front

Dated: September 27, 1916

My Dear Brother:

Just a few lines to let you know how we are getting along and what we are doing. Well to start my story, we went into the trenches on September 27th at 3 o’clock in the morning, rested up as well as we could on the 28th and got ready to go over the parapet on the 29th which we did with a will, at 12 o’clock noon, while each individual Fritz was eating his dinner, and I bet it was the hottest dinner he ever had.

We had hardly any casualties, but poor old Fritzy suffered heavily, and lost a long line of trenches. We advanced in the open about four hundred yards, which seemed about two miles, when the shells and guns were playing around one. We must have taken over one thousand yards of trenches; we also captured great many prisoners, and several machine guns, and left scores of dead Huns. I actually believe the beggars like to be taken prisoners, they certainly are willing to surrender when ever they get a chance.

We were six days at the Front and in support and working parties, did good work while up there and are getting lots of praise for what we accomplished.

I am glad I had the opportunity of being there. I wish you could have seen the way our boys went after them, say Torr it was great, but at times awfully hard on ones nerves, especially at my age, as I am the oldest man in the company, and not as young as I used to be. I, however consider that quite an honour.

We now have had a few days rest in billets, several miles back of the lines, but have orders to move up at a moment’s notice.

The trenches are very wet and muddy; it rains here nearly all the time.

I am anxious to see if you could get me a pair of long trench boots, or larrigans, about number nines, as they are the only thing to wear, and we don’t get them issued until it is too late, most of the boys are wearing them now.

I have met a great many of the 33rd, they are mostly with the 58th. We were billeted with them for a day or two.

We get our mail sent right to the firing line, had two letters given to me half an hour before we made the charge mentioned above. We are getting plenty to eat, and lots of tobacco.

Say Torr, do the people of Canada understand the hardships we are putting up with for the cause of humanity in general, and of Belgium and France in particular? If they do, then they should not let us fail for want of men to back us up. I would, figuratively speaking, love to see a continuous line of transports, each bearing a Canadian Regiment, stem to stern, from Halifax to Havre. If we were only sure of that, we Canadians would not stop until we had presented our credentials at the front door of William Fritzie’s palace at Postdam.

Kindest regards and love to all.

Your loving brother

Thomas F. Rance