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Letter from Sergeant Mc Illree, dated June 16th. Cadet School, General Headquarters, British Ex. Force, France.

No doubt the above address, has set you thinking, and wondering if I am crazy, but here I am, back at school, twenty five miles from the firing line. In fact I was recommended for a commission, along with six others in the Battalion, and am now taking a course back here; so there will be nothing doing till July 10th, when we finish with five days leave to England, 'what do you think of that?' The school was started sometime ago, in quite a small way, but there are now two big Chateaux, full of students, who come from all Regts., but principally from the Artist's Rifles. We are divided into Divisions of about eighteen, each under an Officer. We do most of the work ourselves, and all are equal, regardless of rank. One day you are in charge of your Division, and the next you are a mess Orderly. Everything we do is severely practical, and there are no examinations. So far we have done map work, drawing to various scales, and taking observations, which is mostly arithmetic, therefore I was away out of my depth. The country round about is lovely, with not a single shell bursting. There is a fine little village close by, and a big town two kilometres away. I do not remember where it was I wrote last, but I think it was before we went into the trenches, which were most marvelous affairs, miles of them going in all directions, behind the front line, and all named after streets in London. For a time we were in dugouts, about 500 yards behind, and as the trenches are on the top of a plateau, and well back, we were out of sight, but of course, the usual attack was arranged, to be made by our Territorial neighbours, and the Germans got wise, and shelled everything in their usual lavish

BC Archives, MS-1901 Box 1 File 10 / RUSSELL, Alma M., 1873-1964. Victoria; librarian. / Selected letters from Sergeant John Raymond McIllree, 1915.