Life in the Front Lines

To my darling,

I have just retired from the front lines and all I can say is that that experience has been utterly horrifying. Hell. That place was hell. I have never dreaded 48 hours more than I had in there. My fellow soldiers and I spent our times in fear and distress, as the realization dawned upon us that any second we could be issued to ‘go over the top’, over No Man’s Land. We were always on our guard in the front trenches, as we were always in danger of getting killed. Our enemy has a vast amount of supply of gas shells. I’ve heard what that gas can do, and it is not a pretty picture. Apart from the panic, it causes a lot of agony, as one is easily blinded from the heavy gas that sinks into our trenches. If the poisonous gas fills into one’s lungs, consider them dead. We never know when it’s coming either; with all the smoke from the gas flames, fires, and explosions, it could be easily mixed up. Mercifully, we have been handed out gas masks that we are to wear at all times for prevention. The worst thing in the front lines is not the mustard gas, the mud, the explosions, the pests.. it is the dead bodies of all the soldiers, who were once just like me. We all come from different places but we all serve the same purpose; to fight for our nation, for our people, for our country’s pride. All these people, they don’t deserve to die. My friend Marc was shot yesterday; he was commanded to pass No Man’s Land. His other friends have gone into shell shock, barely eating or communicating with anyone. In fact, many soldiers are in that depressing psychological state. All the talk that took place before is gone. You can’t blame them though, watching your friends die like that, anyone would be. Higher ranks call them cowards, I personally call them heroes. The generals don’t permit us to move the bodies yet. Although the odour and rotting of the cold, pale faces is unbearable; the bodies themselves still keeps us safe, acting as a shield, as we are still quite exposed to danger. I finally get to rest for four days in the reserve trenches before I am pulled up again to the supporting and front lines. I hope time can somehow slow down, delaying my duties in the front.

Jacques DuBois

 

 

Sources:

Canadians at War 1911-1918 By: Donald M. Santor

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm

Trench Warfare

My Dearest Mary,

Everything is gone. All that excitement and anticipation that had built up before arriving to our destination has now vanished into thin air. Two days. That’s all the time that has passed by so far in these horrible trenches. With full assertion, I can say that these days have been the most nightmarish time of my entire life. It is just so awful, I cannot think of where to begin. It rains quite often. It is raining now, and I must say I don’t appreciate the rain as much as I did back home. You see, the rain pours down to our trenches from above, mixing with mud as it floods our homes. It hammers against the rocks, the bodies, everything and anything that lies on the bare ground. Quite soon, it will reach our knees and once again I’ll wonder what would happen if it never stopped. Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I can hear the rain today. Usually, one can only hear the explosions and gunfire nearby, or the new aircrafts buzzing overhead. These sounds are so frequent that they are barely noticeable anymore. Love, if that sends shivers up and down your spine; imagine lice swarming all over your clothes and skin, sucking on blood, which fills them with life. That is exactly what is happening as I write this. I’ve already lost so much blood from the injuries in warfare, and I doubt I have any left in my veins. But those little pests just don’t understand, do they?  My fellow boys and I pick them out whenever we have time, usually in the sunlight. All our clothes are already infested by these nuisances. We know it’s no use, they’ll just keep coming back; it just gives us something to take our mind off of other things from. No wonder soldiers have short hair here. There is no need of any more infestations then what we are already dealing with. As if that’s not enough, we are also accompanied by rats that scurry around in these deep trenches in search of food. I know love you may be thinking, what food would they find down here? Food is quite scarce. However, they feed on the meat of the dead, lifeless bodies that surround us. These pale faces bring the realization that any one of them could be me. Two days, only 48 hours and my life has completely changed. It is now time to shift into the front trenches. I’ve heard many drastic stories about the front lines... I guess I’ll have to experience them myself now. Don’t worry though Mary, you know me. I’m quite strong, and I ain’t going anywhere without seeing your lovely face again.

 

Jacques DuBois

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Canadians at War 1911-1918 By: Donald M. Santor

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm

Propaganda

Dear Mary,

I have never felt so deceived in my entire life. Lies! All those posters back home consists of lies! Being recruited here, I have now finally realized this. The government has been using these posters and slogans to brainwash us into believing that serving for our nation brings exciting opportunities. I assure you they are very wrong. The grass is not always greener on the other side as they make it seem. The newspapers, radio, and posters that are spread all throughout the country are used to change our perspective of war and make us believe, have hope. I’ve heard from others that the common types of methods they use are plain folks, or ‘jumping on the bandwagon’. If everyone else is doing it, why shouldn’t I? That’s what one thinks when they see that poster. I’ve heard the government also uses something called, name calling, which arouses hatred in our blood towards the Germans. Honey, when I look at the German army during warfare, I don’t see monsters as I depicted from the posters. Instead, I see humans losing lives. We are all equal, so why are we fighting? My love, I have never felt more hopeless than I do now. It’s taking all of my will to keep myself together and trust myself to return to you. I love you, Mary. Please take care.

 

Jacques DuBois

 

 

 



Sources:

Canadians at War 1911-1918 By: Donald M. Santor

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/propaganda_and_world_war_one.htm

 

 

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