TRANSCRIBED FROM THE DEQUEEN BEE MAY 18, 1917 P. 1
Tankerton Hospital.
Whitstable, Kent, England.
My Dear Sister: Just a line to let you know I am still alive. I am wounded and in the hospital, but it is good to be away from that awful fighting line in France, even if I am wounded.
I am getting good food and good treatment, in fact everything is just kindness itself here.
I am getting on very nice just now, although I had a few days that were pretty tough.
I was wounded on the 9th of April at the great battle of Arras, France, where two million men were involved in the battle. It was an awful affair. The Germans found out that the Canadians and English were to much for them.
At 5:30 o’clock on the morning of April 9, fourteen thousand and one hundred guns of ours opened up rapid fire on a twenty-mile front, while about one thousand machine guns were firing rapid fire at the same minute. Our troops began to advance, our guns lengthening their range from time to time, so we fould not get into our own barrage.
One by one, as we came to the lines of German defenses we found nothing but a maze of shell holes and dead and wounded Germans. All that could not find shelter in dug-outs built under ground had been killed or wounded and those that were in dug-outs were taken prisoners.
It was a hard blow at the Germans. Our loses were very slight in comparison with the great success we had achieved.
Well, I must close for this time.
With best wishes to all.
Your loving brother,
Sergt. J. R. Davis,
No. 434199, Tankerton Hospital,
Whitstable, Kent, England.
NOTES: Davis is writing to his sister, Mrs. Josephine Morgan of Route 1 out of DeQueen. He was wounded at Vimy Ridge in the Arras battle. His letter was dated April 21.
TRANSCRIBED BY JARED GILLIAM
Tankerton Hospital.
Whitstable, Kent, England.
My Dear Sister: Just a line to let you know I am still alive. I am wounded and in the hospital, but it is good to be away from that awful fighting line in France, even if I am wounded.
I am getting good food and good treatment, in fact everything is just kindness itself here.
I am getting on very nice just now, although I had a few days that were pretty tough.
I was wounded on the 9th of April at the great battle of Arras, France, where two million men were involved in the battle. It was an awful affair. The Germans found out that the Canadians and English were to much for them.
At 5:30 o’clock on the morning of April 9, fourteen thousand and one hundred guns of ours opened up rapid fire on a twenty-mile front, while about one thousand machine guns were firing rapid fire at the same minute. Our troops began to advance, our guns lengthening their range from time to time, so we fould not get into our own barrage.
One by one, as we came to the lines of German defenses we found nothing but a maze of shell holes and dead and wounded Germans. All that could not find shelter in dug-outs built under ground had been killed or wounded and those that were in dug-outs were taken prisoners.
It was a hard blow at the Germans. Our loses were very slight in comparison with the great success we had achieved.
Well, I must close for this time.
With best wishes to all.
Your loving brother,
Sergt. J. R. Davis,
No. 434199, Tankerton Hospital,
Whitstable, Kent, England.
NOTES: Davis is writing to his sister, Mrs. Josephine Morgan of Route 1 out of DeQueen. He was wounded at Vimy Ridge in the Arras battle. His letter was dated April 21.
TRANSCRIBED BY JARED GILLIAM