Deborah Florence Glassford Letters and Memorabilia
Letters written to Deborah Florence (Leighton) Glassford of Vancouver by men serving overseas, including some cards, programs and memorabilia. Learn more.
*All transcriptions are provided by volunteers, and the accuracy of the transcriptions is not guaranteed. Please be sure to verify the information by viewing the image record, or visiting the BC Archives in person.
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There are lots of good courses going here. 3 months Staff Course machine gun courses are in[?], & I want to take them, & if I pass high I may manage to get a good job over in France. A war Staff Course is just about to start to follow the 3 months course, & last week 30 names were called for from the Division to take an Exam (equal to the final at the end of the 3 months course) the best 15 to take a 6 weeks Staff course. I havent[?] had the 3 months course, but I thought "nothing venture nothing win" and I applied. As I was the only one from the 63rd applying I got in as one of the 30 to take the preliminary competitive Exam - Well, I got all the notes, from a man I know, of the 3 months course, which he took when he went through it, & I [?]ootled at them for 2 days & in fact tried to do a 3 month course in 6 hours.
Well, last Thursday we had the Exam, & I did fairly well, & there is just a chance that I may be one of the first 15 - still I hardly dare hope to be. If I am, then do well in the Exam at the end of the course, I've got something to go upon. It may be followed by a 6 weeks course in the trenches in France.
6 June 1916
Since I wrote the above quite a lot has happened which has put quite a different complexion on everything. First you will no doubt be pleased but very surprised to hear that I came out Top in the Exam & I start the course tomorrow. As this Exam is for the whole Division here I'm very pleased. Secondly at the end of last week there has been a devil of a scrap & we hear there are 12000 Canadian casualties - this of course smashes[?] up the 4th Division, & they are calling largely on the Battalion in it for reinforcements which are being rushed over immediately. This would have happened to us even if we had managed to get with the Fourth so it was only a case of being broken up a month earlier by not getting in. Today we have heard news of the death of Lord Kitchener & that following. the not very satisfactory naval battle makes this week a very black week indeed.
BC Archives, MS-0089 Box 1 File 4
GLASSFORD, Deborah Florence (Leighton). Vancouver Correspondence inward, 1916.