Alma Russell Letters
Letters of British Columbia men on active service with Canadian and British Expeditionary Forces, 1914-1918. Learn more.
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spattered, unshaved and faces smeared with mud and dirt. We had sand-bags over our rifles which were comparatively clean and serviceable. When we got here we at last got dry quarters — an old german dug out, roomy and quite dry, a Paradise after being through such conditions, dirty dugout as it was.
We stripped off everything bar shirts, borrowed a couple of bundles (500) of dry sandbags from R.E’s., and put our feet in 3 or 4 of these which reached to our "stummick” and were as warm as you like. We stretched ourselves down and in a second had given up the ghost, in so far as outward appearances went. I slept for twelve solid hours and awoke like a giant refreshed. I would suggest the above course as a complete cure for insomnia!
I am “just a plain blunt man and only speak right on”, but from what I have recounted you can guess what the fighting man in the front line things of these non combatant corps and conscientious objectors and such like, when he is up against conditions such as I have tried to describe. We have now been 14 months in the trenches, and, except 5 or 6 week’s rest, have been in the trenches practically all that time and nearly always in the front line, and after such a long spell and seeing such changes I fell, like Queen Katherine in the play. “I have no words to speak”.
But, enough of such things! only let me apologize for not writing oftener. God knows the spirit is willing and flesh also, but the time, place and conditions are against letter writing, it is almost impossible to write letters, such are the distractions and worries around here. This into thy ears, and where the offence lies, let the great axe fall !
I am so glad David received those little books alright, but a letter to you is long overdue — I sometimes feel inclined to cease writing altogether, one gets despondent and loses heart altogether at the sights and scenes on the field of battle. If we knew definitely the war would end a certain date, say Dec. 31/1916, we would keep our end up with a stout heart, but it is the uncertainty that kills as the war looks like it would last another 5 years.
June 30/1916
Am continuing letter today.
Tonight we return to Firing line from these reserve trenches, weather conditions still wretched. It is more like February than June.
We had two or three dirty rough nights of it last time we were up, a week ago, in front line. One night about dusk the germans put up a mine, blowing up a sap, advance post and part of our firing line, where our “B” Co. was. The order came along “every man stand to” and we jumped up on the fire step with our rifles or bombs as the case may be. We were expecting the germans to attack, rushing the trench blown away and occupying the mine crater - our “B” Co. boys, however, were too quick, they rushed up iron plates into crater and held the line
BC Archives, MS-1901 Box 1 File 5 / RUSSELL, Alma M., 1873 - 1964. Victoria; librarian. / Letters and associated items from Private Jack A. Gunn, 1915 - 1916.