Dear Mary,
How are things going right now? For me, I wish I could say that we're proud to have triumphantly won a town called Passchendaele when it seemed unthinkable to even try. The reality is, we were only able to take it from the Germans by making frighteningly huge sacrifices. By the way, I'm currently writing this letter in a hospital. During the
battle, an enemy soldier managed to shoot me; the bullet grazed past the side of my
left leg after I had sent one through his chest. It stings a bit but it's
nothing compared to the wounds of the other thousands of unlucky men here. Perhaps I can tell you more about how we won Passchendaele at a later time. I admit that this
battle was unbelievably challenging and much more stressful than the other times we've been through, even
for me while I deem myself to be a rather brave and committed soldier.
Maybe my morale has slightly dropped too but I have yet to break down unlike most of my friends that did not die in this fight. I'm sure I'll feel better soon so don't worry about me. For now, I can just tell you what I did in the battle. We were
placed in the front lines except when we had to rotate. When dawn came, I
guarded the front line trenches with many other soldiers.
A photo of me guarding the trench
If nothing happened
or seemed suspicious, we would simply have some breakfast then I usually helped
fill up sandbags before getting to work. We had a little leisure but when
nightfall came, we had to be prepared for the risky and intense war in
darkness. We would either go on night patrols to try to learn something new
about the enemy or fix our defenses like the barb wires in no man’s land. At this
time, you really had to be on guard. Since the night time is more eventful, some men will enjoy the adrenaline rush from the dangers and still others will suffer from shell shock. We use this term for the soldiers who can no longer function properly
because they’ve had enough of the brutalities in war and are unable to handle
all of its pressures. Like I've mentioned earlier, I’ve seen it among a lot of men here and it’s devastating but one might say that the higher-ups aren’t as sympathetic. Some just think that the
soldiers are acting up and nothing has actually wrong gone with their brain,
but I completely disagree. With all of the gory things we see on a daily basis like our
own friends lifeless on the cold, hard ground soaked in a massive amount of
blood, it’s not too hard to fathom. In the battlefield completely littered with
shrapnel shells, bullets and hundreds of used artillery scattered all around,
we kill and destroy endlessly with only a few sources of motivation.
My pals playing baseball
We can
play sports and drink some rum to feel better for example. Also, you should
know that you and Sammy never leave my mind; even during the busiest times, my
thoughts always come back to you guys. Like plenty others, I am able to remain
determined mainly because of the comfort I get from your letters and with hope
of coming back home soon. So on that note, I will be looking forward for your
uplifting stories and until then, please be well.
Love, James Carter
(Sources:
- http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/guerre/passchendaele-e.aspx#2.C
- http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/guerre/daily-routine-e.aspx)
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