Letters From the Front

Pte. Sidney M. Crickmore

Pte. S. M. Crickmore - Wounded & Shell Shocked

Toronto Star

Transcription includes original introduction as it appeared upon publication. Crickmore was a Toronto man. His attestation indicates that he was 17 years old when he enlisted.

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PTE. CRICKMORE WOUNDED.

Pte. S. M. Crickmore, of 282 Sheldrake boulevard, has been wounded and shell-shocked. His name appears in today's casualty lists. Pte. Crickmore enlisted with the 35th Battalion, but left Niagara Camp with a draft. He was 18 years old when he joined the overseas force. Writing to his mother recently, the wounded soldier said:

Dated: July 14, 1916

I came through the big battle terribly shaken and nerve-wrecked but without any serious wounds. You see we had to charge through a grove of trees, a swamp and up a hill on the other side. I don't remember just all about it. The concussion of a bursting shell knocked me into a trench and my rifle went into the ground bayonet first. When I looked up I saw a German coming down the trench. I could not get my gun out of the ground, so I grabbed him by the shoulder. He took a look at me, let out a yell, and started to run, leaving his epaulet with me. He belonged to a Wurtenberg regiment.

Transcribed by: M. I. Pirie