Women's Letters From the War

To: Mrs. Broome (George's mother)
From: O. Chubb

King George Hospt.
Waterloo, S.E.
9.XI.17

Dear Mrs. Broome
I felt I must write to tell you how grieved I am for you. Your boy Pte. George Broome was such a dear, bright boy, always so cheerful and considerate. When he was transferred we missed him so but felt it was a step to getting near home so he might see you and his father & brothers and sisters.
I know how good a home he had he so often told me and his joy when he got letters was great. It is hard to think it I know but he is happier now than he would have been had he lived, it would have been so hard for him to have been an invalid all his life. God has spared him this and taken him to Himself.
You have my great sympathy.
Yours sincerely
O. Chubb

U.S. Base Hosn 31, France
"Finio La Guerri" - Hurrah!

November 23, 1918
Dear Mother:

Now that the war is over we can tell where we are and what we have been doing. At present we are up in the mountains about 50 miles from Chaumont. While I was with the Mobile unit we were under shell fire all the time. They bombed all around us and over us. We were never allowed off the post without gas masks and helmets. The troops were stationed in the woods behind us and Fritz made life very interesting for us all; but we got used to it and did not mind it.

We were only a mile and a half for the front line German trenches, and four of us were the first women to cross what had been "no man's land" for four years. We saw a mountain off the top of which they had blown sixty feet. We made the trip in a car and had a terrible time, as the roads were all torn up and full of shell holes. The Major invited us to dinner, but before we had finished Fritz started to shell the troops behind us, so the Major put us into the car and we rushed up nearer the front and made a wide detour to get away, which we did safely. It certainly was an experience but one I would not have missed for any money.

Yes, I was up for the St. Mihiel drive. We were awake just as soon as the barrage started at 1 a.m. They kept up a steady stream until five. Then the boys went over the top at 5:30 and we operated on our first patient at 9:30 - not so bad, was it? The we moved up near Nancy and Pont-a-Mussen. The troops were back of us and Fritz kept up a steady stream of fire all the time, but the night the hospital was burned we had a bad time. He flew all around and over us, but we got all our patients out safely, but could not get to our underground shelter, so we had to stand out on our cross in plain sight of Fritz. Every base has a large cross 60X15 feet. The cross is mud, but the corners are filled in with white stones so they can see it. We looked like Belgian refugees standing there with our belongings around us. After it was over we picked up our blankets and went into a shack and slept till morning.

I enjoyed both trips to the front. We were all over the ground the Germans had occupied, saw their dug-outs, barbed wire entanglements, their camouflaged guns, machine guns, tanks, etc.

I am very glad it is over. There will be no more poor broken bodies brought to us. We had a trainload of patients yesterday who had all been prisoners, and oh, my, how they hate the Germans!

We leave here in a few days for Chaumont, a drive of sixty-five miles, then on to Paris where we expect to eat our Thanksgiving dinner. The King is to be there, so we will have a gay time for a few days. The we go to base 20 at Chatel-guyon. I don't think I will be home till early summer, as there is lots to do here yet.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Love to all.

May Grenville, A.N.C.
U.S. Base 20, A.E.F., France

To: Margaret
From: Agnes

13 Argyle St. Stratford
August 28/18
Wednesday Evening

My Own dear Aunt Maggie

I just can't help writing to you to night, because my heart goes out to you as it never has before, darling, and I wanted you to know how I love you, and how proud I am of you for giving Murray up to go and fight so nobly, in the first place. I never realized before what a hole must have been left in your heart, when you let him go off to the war, but you're a truster in Jesus, I know, or you never could have been so cheerful, and bright, and He is still with you, dear, even more than ever and He tells us Himself, in John that He will not leave you comfortless but will come to you a gain. In times of troubles He is surely with us, or how could we live and He knows always what is best for us, and I'm not saying this from my mouth it's coming from my heart and soul, for I have grown to love Him so much greater, this while back and with my love comes trust and so I pray that He will be with you, and Murray's mother, and the others when You need Him so much, and I know He will make better the poor little broken, crushed heart.

Murray, was a grand noble boy, and I believe no one on earth knows it better than you but we others saw what a life he had, and admire him, and love him for it, too. How grand it must be to feel that such a chap, was the man you loved, and how worthy you are of the love of such a chap. I can realize this from the love you have given me all through my weak, and helpless life.

Never shall I forget what Murray gave for our freedom, and in order to prove these words, I shall try from now on to do something to help the other chaps, a bit for his sake, and not be such a slacker, as I have been.

I feel that this letter cannot bring to you my feelings, as I would have it, but I trust you shall feel better after you have read it.

I am truly,
Your loving niece,
Agnes

Gimli, Manitoba
April 17, 1917

My Darling Boy

Oh how will I commence this letter Dearest Archie as we are all thinking of you and pray for your recovery and that you will be able to come back to us again Dearest Boy of mine your Father got a Letter-Gram saying you were seriously ill and wounded. Oh how we all felt sad but we hope for the best and as I sayed before Pray to God you will be spared us. Your Father is so anxious about you as we all are. Oh if we could only be near you and help to nurse you my own Darling Boy. And all your friends and it seems every body here is your friend as the whole town seems anxious about you and express their regrets. If only we could be sure this and other letters could reach you and we could feel we could do some thing for you my own Darling Boy.

We are all pretty well at home here but all thinking of you. Old Mrs Saff said she had just been sick when she herd you were wounded and so were others. I'm not going to say much about you my self, but there is one thing I want to be worthy to be a mother of a brave Soldier Boy. Oh how proud we all are of you my own Brave Boy.

Well my Darling Boy I can't thinking much news for this letter as I can only think of you I'm going to send Mrs Flints letter to you for you to read so as to make this feel more like a letter. All the children are standing around me while I'm writing this to you. God be with you and I pray him to spare you if it his Blessed will that I might Clasp you again in my arms

Your own loving mother,
E. Polson

271 Cobourg Place
Springham
Glasgow

29/4/17 (Sunday)

My Own Dearest Hubby,
I was so glad to get your letter last Monday morning to say you were in rest camp but my dearest I have had no news since then. I am sure you have been in the trenches dear again. I do hope I shall have news in the morning it is so worrying love. Now dear Jack I sent off a box to you last Wednesday. I had quite a time over it as you are not allowed to send over 7 lbs in weight to France. You see dear I got your odds and ends your asked for in town but failed to get a British battery no. 1678 as you asked. I sent what was supposed to be even better and the same size Jack so I do hope it will be all right. Then for the lice-killer I would have to visit the herbalist for those Sabadilla Seeds [?] so I sent a substitute meantime. I had purchased quite a few things for you (eats dear) but could not send them the box was too heavy. I bought a tin box and after it all sealed it was over-the weight and they would not accept it. So I had to get a pasteboard box dearest that you might get a little of something to eat. Mother made the dumpling. It is lovely hot. If you could fry it in a little fat you would enjoy it sweetheart. I am going to send you a box of eats this week seeing I had so little in your last box in that line. I was at church today my love and oh! how my thoughts were full of you. Our minister preaches a lovely sermon it would do you good to hear him he is so sincere Jack. I had my new hat and new shoes on dear. I felt dressed you know. Is it cold dear Jack where you are? The weather is mild here but cool yet. Mother & I were out to tea on Friday afternoon and on our way home we met a poor wounded English soldier who has been in hospital 8 months past and no sign of getting better. His leg is broken about the knee. Margaret's little feet touched his and I apologized and so that is how we spoke. He is in the hospital 3 minutes walk from our house so we promised to visit him Tuesday. Oh! if I could fly to you my love and share all the danger with you how happy I would be. I often wonder when I lie in bed what dangers surround you and here I am snug in bed. I would give anything some nights to be with you and help you my dear one. It is not to be and I can only pray that God will shield you and give you strength to come through each battle and hasten the day when peace shall reign once more. Everybody is in bed dearest so I must hurry and get too. It is 11 pm. Our little darling is fast asleep oh! so tired Daddy. She has grown so big everybody thinks she is much older that she is. You should hear her scold Sonny and box him too. We have great fun watching them. She steals his toys and smacks him then kisses him then scolds him, calls him a bad boy. She is ever so wild dearest. Her teeth are coming in shaped like Mabel's Jack. They look cute. Yesterday (Sat 28th) was Canada's Flag Day in Glasgow. Since this great victory at Vimy Ridge Jack dear everybody is talking about the Canucks you know. They had to have a Flag Day to get comforts for the boys in France so I am enclosing a Flag for you dear. They realized over £1600. I think I will close here sweetheart till next mail. I do hope I shall have a letter tomorrow. I am so anxious dear how can I help myself being so. This is such a horrible war. I have been reading several little articles lately of the German treachery. How they left helmets lying with bombs under them so when the British boys thought they had captured a souvenir they were blown to atoms when they touched them. Then they left poisoned chocolates and different things behind in the trenches. Oh! it is altogether dreadful dearest to think about it. I hope W. Berry and F. Darrow are still well. Do write me love just as often as you can even a post card. I know you will try dear hubby. Wishing you good night dear and a refreshing sleep. Hurry home to your wee darling & your lonely wifey. With heaps of love and kisses and a great big hug.
from
your ever loving wifey
always yours
Kitty
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Goodnight God Bless You
XX and Keep you safe XX

[note:  he had already been killed by the time she was writing this letter to him]

853 Naussau St. Winnipeg
Manitoba, Canada
July 31 - 17.

My poor Will,-
I just received the casualty message this morning - 10 days coming. It said you were "severely wounded in arms and legs" - and if we could only know, how badly, and all about it. You must have, and still be, suffering, but oh, I hope and pray it is not too bad, and that you will be spared to come back to us. It is so hard, to think of you, so far away, and not a thing we can do but watch, and wait, and pray. I know you will get the best care to be had there, and it is a comfort to know you are in a hospital - and not left in the battlefield like the poor lad you told us about in your letter yesterday. You were not left long after poor Mr. Pryor, and I was almost looking for it.

Your soldiering is done now, dear Will, and, we shall be looking forward to your coming home, needing some nursing and coddling. Your little daughter will be an attentive nurse, and the poor laddy will be glad to have his daddy again. They have talked, talked, talked about you today.

The neighbours have been kind. Some one saw the boy coming with the message, and came in - Mr. Woods' sister, - and the soldier's wife down beyond us, and Mrs. Gunn. Gertie was away to Jeffries.

I had just got my mail, & Mother asked for your address now, so I sent her & Ricky & Hattie our addressed envelope because they would likely write.

Oh, Will, my heart is just breaking. We want you back - your poor broken body. We are loving and hugging you, - but [?] so far away. It will be long before we get any more word and the suspense is to hard to bear. The message said "further particulars would be forwarded as received", - but I shall be so afraid if another message comes.

You will know, poor Will, we are thinking about you all the time, hoping and praying that you are all right. The kiddies are trying so hard to comfort me: they do not seem to take it in at all - only they don't like to see me crying.

I shall keep on writing to the hospital, until I get word where to send it. It will be three weeks nearly before you get this: it takes so long. I will say good-night, now, dear Will, and I hope by the time this reaches you you will be well along to recovery. May God bless & keep you, and spare you to come back to us soon.

Good-bye - love and kisses from us all. Your wife, Betty.
Billy & Shirly have been writing too - Billy is all better now.
Bye-bye

To: Arthur Leighton
From: Alice Leighton

November 15, 1918

Dearest Pal
I have just finished your Peace letter of the 11th. Like you I can hardly believe it is true though we are all beginning to settle down to the idea. It seems too marvellous that it is all over at last and that I shall have my darling at home with me again. The helmet came all safe and is such a beauty - the men were all so interested in it and I have promised to photograph most of them with it on.
I have just come home from the Coliseum. I took five of the men and when we got out in the street to come home there was such a jam I didn't know how I should even navigate them along. Buses were out of the question and so we decided to try the tube and by going around back ways to avoid the throng we came out at Charring Cross. It looked so jammed I was almost in despair when I saw a taxi unloading just beside me. I rushed up and told the taxi man I had five blind soldiers and must get home. In a [?] he was quite agreeable in spite of a demand from the other side that he should go to Victoria. We all filed in and drove home in comfort and I was so pleased and relieved that I gave him ten shillings. He nearly fell off his perch but I felt it was worth it. Besides it is peace week!
You must feel at rather a loose end having nothing to do after all the excitement. The last week dearie has been the hardest I have had for I was so afraid something might happen at the very last. I went down on my knees dearie when I knew for sure you were coming back to me.
All love and kisses from your little pal Alice Leighton.