Victoria to Vimy The First World War Collections at the University of Victoria Libraries

Destrubé family - Letter to Maurice and Mag from Georges, January 9, 1916, France

Page Title:
Letter p. 2
Date:
1916
Transcript:
[start page] 2 [top middle] fair that at Rife you should have more or less escaped its ruinous touch, & so I think its fine to see the old place "still going on strong" - the crop & the cattle, the store & the fur. But above all may you both keep the same good health you now enjoy & no real trouble cross your door - the door of that dear snug little home that I took so much pleasure and interest in building. True I've never seen is real cosy, because I left before dear Maggie arrived to put it ship shape, but I've got it sized up in my mind's eye & nothing seems to me quite so good & peaceful a picture as that spot on the old homeshed, out in that great old wilderness that we have now become so familiar with. To me it was "home" & I know that if I ever get the chance to go over the trail up from S. Paul & get that distant view of "our place" as you come out of the jack pines, above Stoney Creek, that I shall experience the happiest moment of my life. There are things that are & will be extremely interesting & worth living through in this campaign & I am [only?] interested because there is adventure & action in it, but give me by preference an axe instead of a bayonet, & peace instead of strife - give me the industry of the Woods - trees to cut, logs to hew, & sleighs & horses to work & our dear old home to go back to, when the Sun goes down & we drop our work or if not that, then give me another alternative - a long, long trail by Winter or Summer "up north" into that great lone land, with a companion - Guy or Paul or better both - a life full of hardship - some risks but sole satisfying in the fullest degree & home as a far off dream (much as it is now) a place we long to return to - some day. [end page]


Page Title:
Letter p. 3
Date:
1916
Transcript:
[start page] 3 [top middle] We were with you in thoughts on Christmas Day & We knew you would also perhaps be thinking of us. It was quite fair & cold for an hour or two, so it was easy to picture Canada, where the Sun shines a good deal. Such thoughts of home bring cheer to the heart, but sometimes end in making one a bit blue, for the question begins to press upon one - "how long before we will see them again?" Also, it would be a bit untrue to say we thought of you constantly that day, for, if I remember right, it set in to rain in the afternoon & eventually [contrives?] to wash out all imagination from the mind, so that we become more like so many [1 word] cattle, as far as our brains are concerned. Rain, monotony & discomfort have the dampening effect of stripping you of all superfluous brain waves & sentiments & leave you just the practical human being. - That's all! The only thing that removes you a bit from the animal is a saving sense of humour, which, also in the end, gets considerably washed out. We are still at the Rest camp, where we are having Divisional Rest. It has been of two weeks duration & has been really quite a rest in spite of our adverse criticism & disgust of having to continue the same old drills that we did months ago in England. We begin work early but always knock off before dark & have therefore the evenings & nights to ourselves; and of course we now realize that a night's sleep is a real luxury. The usual rest is usually of 5 or 6 days duration. Our time is now nearly up, but we return to a different part of the line. [end page]


Page Title:
Letter p. 4
Date:
1916
Transcript:
[start page] 4 [top middle] We heard that a good deal of activity occured the night after we left the part we last held. Our billet is situated just by a canal - there are many fine canals in this part of the World - We take a lazy interest watching the lever bridge work & the barges go by; there are also a number of hospital barges (fine large ones) that go past. It is right in the country where we are & there is a village not far away, but it is "out-of-bounds" to our battalion, tho' many of us (including ourselves, of course) visit it pretty regularly of an evening. It takes a good deal of scouting to find an estaminet or cottage where the people are really nice & the place fairly free from soldiers. Naturally, all this war area is infested with British soldiers & in spite of the quantities of estaminets they are full "during hours" We often manage to find something suitable & this time have found one or two such places where we are fairly well alone & where the people are exceptionally clean & nice - quite refined. tho humble folk. - Jany 11th '16 - [right side of page] In each of these places there happens to be a pleasant & nice looking daughter (not a necessity of course, but an attraction to "artistic" chaps like Paul Guy & I!) & quite refreshing to look at, after the dirty, slovenly looking people that make up almost the majority in these poor parts. To know French is a tremendous advantage & We often get some very good [laughter?] out of it. Our own section billet happens to be a very dirty one & the water we have to drink and wash in, is perfectly filthy - just a ditch where chaps [end page]


Page Title:
Letter p. 5
Date:
1916
Transcript:
[start page] 5 [top middle] wash in and also wash clothes. We are supposed to use the water from the Regimental water case for drinking purposes, but we are not always there when it comes round. In some billets the water is beautifully clean. The barn we lie in is dirty (dirty straw) & lousy, so I believe we are all a bit lousy too. In Winter they don't get very bad, but in Summer they say there is no escape from them & they get fierce. Sometimes we are called out to do a bit of interpreting for the officers, especially when new billets are taken over. So now we will soon be back where the din & rattle goes on. The usual stay is 4 days in the trenches & 2 or 3 days out & then another 4 days in & 3 days out & so on & then finally another Rest of 6 or 7 days. The 3 days "out" that comes between the 4 days spell in are a great rest, but it does not mean that we don't go into the firing line, but simply means we get our nights rest in firing line billets & work by day in the trenches on repairing fatigues. In these firing line billets we are always under arms & often there is an alarm - perhaps the same night we have come back from the trenches & therefore need our rest rather badly - and from our heavy slumber we are roused with the unwelcome words: "Fall in", and then we scramble for our equipment & rifle and [collect?] out, in the dark road in "column formation" & perhaps before we have gone a hundred yards, a counter order comes "get back to billets, but keep equipment on, you may be needed" - [end page]


Page Title:
Letter p. 6
Date:
1916
Transcript:
6 [top middle] & no time is lost in getting back to the dab of straw & blankets. As You know a more or less continual bombardment goes on all the time but sometimes a big coal bombardment comes off for a few hours to repulse an action or to cover a local attack from our men. And on such a night, say when you are back in billet & it is a wonderful sight - to see one of these extra special bombardments come off. The racket is terrific & the darkness is lighted up like day, with continual splashes of fire. From our batteries you can see the long straight white streaks of flame that spit from these guns, one after another, in rows & sometimes altogether in "salvoes". It is like the booming of a tremendous drum - the crash & roar shake the ground you stand on & rattles doors & broken windows. It is like a mid-Summer storm with sky full of fighting. It is rather imposing sight & grand & a bit terrible too, because it spells that tragic word: War and expresses in it (in flame & thunder) all that is defiance & hate implacable. Also it means our men have gone. "over the top" or perhaps, the enemy have tried to come over. In any case, doubtless it means a number of little tragedies to some poor chaps. But I must quit now. I started this 2 or 3 days ago. We leave here to morrow or day after. I have filled this letter with a number of insignificant details, but I know you want a letter of some sort & there's nothing really to mention. I could willingly go back to the subject of you dear Maggie & Maurice & your doings & the dear old place out there, but I must quit somehwere. Well good bye & I tell you straight there's no place I think of so much nor so fondly as our old home where we've spent so many happy happy years. Well good luck & best of health dear ones Your loving brother signed Georges [end page]



Description:
Item is a letter written by Georges to Maurice and Maggie from France, January 9, 1916. In the letter, he reminisces about home in Alberta, describes his routines at the Front, alternating work in the trenches and on "rest," billets, acting as translator for the officers, and experiencing bombardments.
Subjects:
World War, 1914-1918; Destrubé family; Destrubé, Georges; Destrubé, Maggie; Destrubé, Maurice
Date:
1916-01-09
Collection:
Destrubé family fonds
Location(s):
France