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.
Current Page Transcription [edit] [history]
OFFICERS MESS 62nd OVERSEAS BATTALION,C.E.F.
BRITISH COLUMBIA 62 CANADA
now in France, with reinforcements, let alone forming a fourth division, & keeping that supplied. The replacements coming are estimated at from 10 to 15% per week, & you can quite realize the nbr of men required to keep pace with this awful wastage for weeks & months perhaps years.
However, much against the opinions of officials here, a new fourth division is being formed at Bramshot, & it is possible to supply reinforcements to the 3 divisions during the next few months without touching those Battalions, it will go over probably abt October -
We did our damnedest to get into it, but the "fourth" we heard was not strong enough, unfortunately -
The authorities don't know what the devil to do with the thousands of Colonels & Majors & Captains at Shorncliffe, their practically out of work & all being paid by the Canadian Govt. Subalterns are sometimes sent over.
The officers who were keen to go to the front are absolutely brokenhearted -- they have [illegible] their men, whom they have been training for perhaps 12 months, suddenly taken from them, they are left to [illegible] their heels without any hope of anything more -- they become absolutely despondent, then more or less resigned to their fate, & without ambition set themselves to enjoy loafing, & that of course results in rather disgraceful behavior, & giving them & the Canadians as a whole a bad name.
I have a scheme on, & think with a bit of luck, I shall get over -- I'm not allowed to revert to a Subaltern or to the ranks
BC Archives, MS-0089 Box 1 File 4 / GLASSFORD, Deborah Florence (Leighton). Vancouver / Correspondence inward, 1916.