Enlistment

To my wonderful wife Mary,

I always knew a day would come where I would have to leave you and our beloved children. I promise I won’t be gone long; I will surely be back soon. There was absolutely nothing we could do anyways, our Prime Minister, Robert Borden was in a situation where he was compelled to pass the Military Service Act. After all the horrifying casualties and number of Canadian soldiers dead, no one would want to go to war and risk their lives. Therefore conscription was necessary. I realize that it was originally for single men, but as the need for more soldiers in the army increased, they had to extend the bill for married men as well. Of course, not everyone is forced to fight. We all undergo a medical examination first, which determines our health. No army wants a weak soldier. Another way to get out of conscription is if a recruit’s religion and beliefs are severely against war. I’ve heard of many men lying about their religion to get out of becoming a soldier. I bet that has created much chaos and a lot of riots back home. Take care of that darling, be careful. I am currently enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the CEF. Our general, Major General Louis Lipsett, is quite ambitious I must say. He is a good man though. We are treated fairly, we are served meals daily, and mostly it is meat, vegetables and anything that helps build our strength. We are also served a lot of bread every day. I haven’t gone in the trenches yet but I’ve heard the food there is quite repulsive in comparison. I remember a few months back how the young men of our countries often lied about their age to get into the army. They were all so motivated to fight for our Nation, to explore the vast countries that lay outside our continent, and to meet new people. For them, this whole trip was an adventure, was it not? Eventually their thinking changed after the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme as they started to realize how dangerous and serious it actually is to join the army.

Jacques DuBois

Sources:
Recruitment to the British Army during the First World War - Wikipedia
http://www.canadahistory.com/sections/war/wwi/recruitment.htm