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Trench Letters
August 13, 1916
My darling and loving wife Vera Words cannot describe how much I miss being in your company. I wish I could come back for just one day to see your beautiful face. This place I’m in is awful. I’m always wet with mud surrounding me and sounds off guns and artillery shooting every second of the day. At night I can barely get any sleep knowing at any moment the Germans could attack my part of the long wet, muddy trench that stretches for miles. The only thing that keeps me sane from all the shell shock, guns shooting and death is thinking of you. The trenches do get boring at times so for excitement I went on a night raid with a small group of 8 men one of the men was a friend of my name Louis Sledge who was from Quebec City. So we had orders to get as much Intel as we could. It was 1:45 am the smell of dead bodies was strong as we sneaked across no man’s land going up and over craters made from heavy artillery bombing during the day. Walking through no man’s land there were bodies scattered all over the place with limbs missing and bullet holes through all of them. We finally made it to the Germans barb wire fence that was set with tin cans all along it. We had to be careful not to let the cans bang together that would alarm the Germans, so we got the wire cut we were in the trenches of the enemy seeing that they had the same scenery as us. Our group found some maps and damaged some of their supplies, but there a German heard us and we had to start the far run for our lives back to the front line trenches. As we ran bullets were flying past us bombs were exploding all around us. I jumped in to our trench and then looked back to see the other 7 follow behind me, but 3 of them got shot 50 yards from me and one was hit with a bomb 100 yards out and my friend Louis was shot 20 yards away. I was so shocked at the sight I had just seen and was in disbelief. After that moment I lost a lot of hope in winning this battle at Somme, but then quitting would me that Louis death would have been for nothing. I hate it here I wish I could leave he conditions are terrible with lice and being wet and dirty all the time I just hope I can survive through this to hold you in my arms again. I will end this letter now and hope that this is not the last letter that I will ever send to you. I love you with all of my heart, your ever loving Husband Greg xxxx

April 8, 1917
To my dear brother Henry
The war is very different compared to how they say it is back home. All I have seen is little battles won with the cost of thousands of men. The ground around me in the trenches are stained with the blood of those who I had been fighting with in the previous days at the battle of Vimy Ridge. The conditions here are very wet and muddy. I had to spend many hours walking and resting underground in these tunnels leading to the front line. It is very dim in the tunnels and are only lite by small candles and with the bombs exploded constantly we could not sleep for that we knew we would soon be walking through that area. The British and French are saying that the cold weather we are having is the worst they have ever had, but to me and most of the Canadian soldiers here the weather isn’t even that bad compared to what we get in Canada. April 9 we are going to attack Vimy Ridge and take control of it in 7 and a half hours is the estimated time. I am feeling very nervous and scared about this attack brother because the French have already tried 3 times and on the third try they could only hold the ridge for less than 6 months. So I am worried that the same thing will happen to us Canadians. I just hope I can make it across safely so I can return back to Canada. I just want to leave so bad I heard of this one guy not too far down from where my trench section is the man shot himself in the foot so he could get out of this place. I shall end this letter with a pray of this not being my last letter to you brother.
Sincerely you best friend and brother
Mike

April 12, 1915
To my loving parents Betty and Al Sommer
Mom and dad it feels like a life time ago since we last talked and I am fine I’m not wounded or injured. A lot has happened since I left home to come to fight the war in Europe. I am in the area that is called Ypres which is in Belgium. The enemy we are up against is reckless and willing to do anything to win this battle even if it’s considered evil. The condition of these trenches that I have been spending all of my time in are terrible will mud everywhere and the smell of bodies that have littered no man’s land. Sleep was very hard to come by with constant bombing of shells exploding and gun fire all day and night. Even when I do fall asleep I get awakened by a close shell exploding every minute. A few days ago there was a cloud of something like smoke, when it hit the trench section I was in I soon realized that it was not smoke but gas some kind of poison that the Germans have unleashed on us. Panic spread fast through my body as breathing and seeing was getting harder. I thought I was going to choke to death, but then a solider was tell everyone to get out your handkerchief and to pee on it and hold it up to your face I thought the man was mad when he said it but I was willing to try anything. I did as he said and it actually was working. That solider save all our lives and held the front line. Once we finally got gas mask from the British we started to clean the mess of all the dead bodies from the gas. The smell were even worse than ever. I couldn’t believe the sights that I was seeing. The battle of Ypres to me has been the bloodiest and terrible loss in soldiers I have ever heard or seen. I hope I can make through these next days, weeks and month to come back to Canada to see you two. I love you mom and dad so much and hope to write to you soon again.
Yours truly as your son
Mark

By: Colin Nick