Enlistment

Quebec
October 1914

Bayonet Drill. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012.http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2744340

War Volunteers Are Trained / Rifle /1914. Photograph.Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012.http://quest.eb.com/images/109_116756

WW1 / Propaganda / Remember Belgium…. Fine Art.Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 11 Dec 2012.http://quest.eb.com/images/109_171139

Dear Mother,
I have been at Camp Valcartier for nearly a month now, and have been receiving basic training along with “30,000 volunteers from across Canada” (Cranny 32). I have gotten to meet many fine young lads all the way from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island (Cranny 33). Having worked with them for weeks now, I must say that I feel a greater sense of pride for my country, and I believe that many of the other lads share the same nationalistic sentiments. I can truly say that I am proud to be a part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Before enlisting in the army, I felt no strong ties to French Canada or any place other than British Columbia, but I now see that the men from those regions are not too different from the chaps in British Columbia. We are all Canadians.
Please do not worry about me, Mother. Conditions have not been terrible here, and you would be glad to know that “meals [are] prepared daily for [us]” (Queen’s). I still remember the day that I first decided to enlist in the army. You had such conflicting feelings about me leaving for war. I was adamant on serving our mother country, though, and the propaganda posters everywhere strengthened my determination to serve. Later on, when Prime Minister Borden passed the War Measures Act for the reason of protecting Canada’s “security, defence, peace, order, and welfare” (Cranny 34), I began to feel a stronger need to protect Canada, too. Although Prime Minister Borden stated that “there would be no conscription” (Cranny 49), I felt very patriotic anyway and wanted to fight for the British Empire. The idea of fighting for one’s country has always appealed to me as well.
Anyway, I believe that the war shall not go on for too long. I expect to be back home by Christmastime, so do not fret. I hope to hear from you soon.

Your loving son,
Arnold

Weapons

France
March 1915

A Coastal Defence Soldier Priming Mills Bombs Grenades In Preparation For Any Enemy Invasion Of Britain. (Photo By Fox Photos/Getty Images). Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012. http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2823294

Dear Mother,
After having gone through the training exercises with guns, rifles, and grenades at Valcartier, I feel much more competent in using weapons than I did a few months ago. I have never feared exercising the power of arms as a pacifist would, but I now carry greater confidence with employing arms, especially with bayonets. Although machine guns have become more widely used against approaching armies than bayonets, I have learned that bayonets can be quite useful as “personal offensive [weapons]” (“Bayonet: First World War”) and when enemies retreat (“Bayonet: First World War”). Conversely, some men, out of desperation, have even gone over the top with bayonet charges (“Bayonet: First World War”). Of course, machine guns such as the Lewis Gun remain “standard support [weapons] for the British infantry” (“Lewis Gun”).
While I feel capable in using weaponry, I must confess that I do not always trust the stability of the weapons themselves.
As you may have heard from the news, Sam Hughes is “in charge of Canada’s armament industry” (Cranny 34), but he has done a dreadful job of managing munitions manufacturing. Some shells have been of the lowest quality that they have exploded before even being fired, and some teams have consequently been tragically killed (Cranny 34). I sometimes think that we soldiers would be better off in making jam pots from old tin cans instead (“WW1 Weapons”). A hand grenade that does work well, though, is the Mills Bomb, which the British troops have started to use more often (“Grenades”). Unlike jam pots, the Mills Bomb is relatively “safe to use [and creates] maximum damage to the enemy” (“Grenades”) because of its lever activation (“Mills Bombs”). Technology has certainly advanced, as illustrated by the additions of the “central spring-loaded firing-pin and spring-loaded lever” (“Mills Bombs”) to the grenade.
The Ross Rifle is also a terrible weapon that Canadians have been equipped with. It is despised by us all because of its frequent jams; as a result, we Canadians try to claim the “British Lee-Enfield rifles from dead soldiers [whenever] possible” (Cranny 34).
I hope I have not bored you too much with all this talk of weaponry, Mother. Perhaps the new innovative war technologies even worry you, but I assure you that I have been vigilant about my surroundings.
I hope all is well back home.
Your loving son,
Arnold

Battles

France
November 1916

Battle Of The Somme. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012. http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2728999

World War I – Battle Of Ypres.. Photograph.Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012. http://quest.eb.com/images/113_922367

Dear Mother,
I believe in one of my earlier letters to you I mentioned how I originally thought that fighting for one’s country would be something appealing and glorious. However, I no longer feel this way.
I have become quite disillusioned by war. The Battle of Somme was ultimately a failure, despite the fact that “Canadian troops distinguished themselves during [this battle]” (Cranny 38) and the Triple Entente gained “13 kilometres of land” (Cranny 38). I have been told that we Canadians shall likely lead more attacks in the future (Cranny 38), but I do not look forward to such prospects. I have witnessed far too many deaths during this battle, and although some may argue that this battle does not measure up to the horrors of the Battle of Ypres, I am extremely regretful of the tactics that were used in Somme. While nobody was prepared for the poison gas in Ypres “because it [had] never happened before” (“Total War – Everyone’s a Target”), the Triple Entente commanders could have prevented many deaths had they not chosen absurd tactics.
Although there were clearly significant losses “on the first day of battle—including nearly 58,000 troops” (Cranny 38), General Haig still demanded that attacks be continued on the German front-line (“The Battle of the Somme”). I have also seen commanders order troops to march into no-man’s land (Cranny 38), which is truly the equivalent of sending soldiers to their death. The Germans, without hesitation, simply gunned them down line by line. I was horrified by the ridiculous tactics on our side, which were obviously ineffective in trench warfare. Even though “huge bombardments failed again and again” (“The Battle of the Somme”), Haig continued to “[order] many bloody battles in this War” (“The Battle of the Somme”).
My view of war has undoubtedly changed. Did our slight gains actually justify our losses? Does our newfound reputation as a distinguished force compensate for the sacrifices of our men?
I continue to fight in this war, but with a weary heart. This war has not only physically worn me out, but has also taken a toll on my mental and emotional state.
Your loving son,
Arnold

Medical Treatment

France
April 1917

Fatally Wounded In French Field Hospital. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012. http://quest.eb.com/images/109_131441

Canadian Fighter Ace. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012.http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2746258

Dear Mother,
I am currently being treated at a hospital right now, but luckily I have not suffered any open wounds or fatal injuries (“Frederick Joseph Bird”). Although my back is in agonizing pain from the shrapnel shell and “my nerves are badly shaken up” (“Frederick Joseph Bird”), I shall probably recover in due time. The images of war may never escape me, but nonetheless, I will, at least, recover physically.
The nurses have been very comforting and have tried to reassure me that I will return home a healthy man (Queen’s), but I have doubts. This hospital, like many other ones, is “overcrowded and understaffed” (Queen’s), but the nurses do their best to raise the spirits of the wounded. I think that these women in the Western Front are also quite incredible in the way that they are eager to play a role in the war effort despite the “army rules and social constraints” (Queen’s). Their fundraising efforts are, indeed, admirable.

The particular nurse who has been tending me has also been keeping me up with current news, and has explained to me how the costs of war are being covered. The government has implemented an income tax, which requires “affluent individuals and families… [to pay] a tax between 1 and 15 percent of their income” (Cranny 45). Additionally, many people on the home front as well as workers in the hospitals, have started honour rationing, which forces individuals to use less sugar and butter to save supplies (Cranny 45).
Also, the other day, an injured fellow next to my bed began talking to me, which was slightly unusual, for most men keep to themselves (Passchendaele). He was an ace who had actually met the famed Victoria Cross winner Billy Bishop before. The ace whom I talked to was recently shot down, and suffered some severe injuries, but he admitted himself that he was lucky to be alive.
Anyway, Mother, please do not fret. My injuries are not life-threatening, and I believe that I may even be discharged soon.
Your loving son,
Arnold

Survivors

Diary Entry
Canada, May 1917

Shell Shock. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 12 Dec 2012.http://quest.eb.com/images/115_888422

I have been discharged from my post now as I have been deemed physically unfit to fight with my injuries.
Now that I have returned home, I feel as though I do not belong in society. Returning to civilization has felt odd, and I do not think that I can ever live normally again. Sometimes, when Mother gently taps me on the shoulder, I become very defensive and immediately go into combat mode. It’s a natural instinct. I know that I have no reason to fear for any enemies as I am back home now, but the training tactics that I picked up during war have affected my behaviour and actions.
Here in Canada, suspects of enemy aliens are immediately imprisoned or deported (Cranny 34). Some people here are even more hostile towards German and Austrian-Hungarian immigrants than we soldiers were to our enemies in war. People have been calling Germans names such as “Huns” and “Crouts,” and some have even vandalized their houses (Passchendaele).
Doctors and nurses call what I am currently experiencing neurasthenia (Passchendaele) or shell shock. Most soldiers, if not all, become so scarred by war that they continue recovering from the horrors of it all at home.
I do not ever wish to return to war again. I believe that I have fought the best that I could for my country, and the horrors of war have disturbed me beyond my imagination. Unfortunately, I believe that many more young soldiers shall continue to choose to go to war as I did, and they shall suffer from the atrocities that I have observed. I only hope that the military leaders soon realize that too many lives have already been lost and that all the countries will eventually need to find a way to recover from destruction.