TRANSCRIBED FROM THE PINE BLUFF DAILY GRAPHIC NOVEMBER 10, 1918 P. 12
Somewher in France Sept. 14-15 1918
I take great pleasure in writing my home town paper. No doubt, some people will be interested in Pine Bluf fto know that one of their boys is fighting with the Canadians and wwen through two of the greatest victories the British and Canadian armies have ever achieved. We were in the center of the fighting and had the hardest part to do.
On both fronts we advanced 45,000 yards and took 21,000 prisoners, besides capturing about three hundred guns.
There wasn’t much ceremony; each battalion had an objective and as soon as they would reach their destination another would take up the chase and I can safely say Fritz would rather face a thousand guns than to meet the Canadians in an open fight. He calls our boys who wear kilts the “woman from hell.
It’s great to see Fritz after we make him prisonr. He will stick to the machine gun post (we call it the sacrifice post) until we get almost to him, then off goes his equipment and up goes his hands, and then it is “Mercy, comrades; me poor German boy, forced to fight.” If they have any trinkets or souvenirs to offer they sure get them out in a hurry. They think we are souvnir huntrs. They say the Canadians are no bun. We sure get his wind up when he knows we are against him. But don’t think for one minute that we do not run into a snag once in awhile. He fights until we get almost to him and then he begs for mercy. My battalion carried off the biggest honors of the big pushes, so we are well satisfied with our part in it. (R. E. Thompson, B. E. F., 54th Can. Batt.)
I am in a bombing section, so I get a chance every now and then to give him a dose of poison, and I never overlook the opportunity. I had a great chance a few days ago when my section was picked to take up an outpost in No Man’s land. We advanced in open daylight, but he soon spotted us and opened up on us with machine guns, so we had to make a dashfor it. Of course, some got there and some didn’t. I made it ok. But, believe me, we certainly could see those tracer bullets passing us a thousand miles an hour.
A tracer bullet is a flaming bullet that sets fire to air planes and ballons, but they no bon when they hit you.
We got our chance to get even. We picked a location and set our guns. Fritz soon come out of his hole, so we didn’t bother him. Pretty soon there was a gang and, oh, boy! didn’t we get him? He thought an earthquake had started. Those who were left didn’t wait for an encore. They beat it fast and didn’t bother us anymore that day.
You would be surprised to know how many folks we have in our battalion, and we are all proud to see and know that the Americans are doing a big part in the war now. The praise is all for the Canadians and Americans on this side. I tried to enlist in the American army, but was rejected on account of defective eye sight so joined up with the Canadians.
My mother, Mrs. L. Thompson, is a resident of your city so I cannot help but think of my home town with pride and hope to come back some day and visit my people. We are all fighting the same cause and it won’t be long until we will have the whole German population crying and begging for mercy.
I am writing this in a dugout by candle light, so you must excuse my mistake and blunders, as a shell bursts occasionally on top and shakes things up a bit.
I suppose there are some people who still remember me in Pine Bluff. I used to sell the Graphic and deliver papers for you people. I think Mr. Mead was over me then. I don’t suppose he is still with the paper, but tell the folks in your city there are lots of Yanks in the Canadian army and we are going to fight like hell until every German is out of France and Belgium, and as our President says, “They can’t leave anything here but their bones.”
Yours sincerely,
Pvt. Raymond E. Thompson
Somewhere in France
NOTES: Private Thompson was serving with the Canadian forces.
TRANSCRIBED BY: ISAAC WOLTER
Somewher in France Sept. 14-15 1918
I take great pleasure in writing my home town paper. No doubt, some people will be interested in Pine Bluf fto know that one of their boys is fighting with the Canadians and wwen through two of the greatest victories the British and Canadian armies have ever achieved. We were in the center of the fighting and had the hardest part to do.
On both fronts we advanced 45,000 yards and took 21,000 prisoners, besides capturing about three hundred guns.
There wasn’t much ceremony; each battalion had an objective and as soon as they would reach their destination another would take up the chase and I can safely say Fritz would rather face a thousand guns than to meet the Canadians in an open fight. He calls our boys who wear kilts the “woman from hell.
It’s great to see Fritz after we make him prisonr. He will stick to the machine gun post (we call it the sacrifice post) until we get almost to him, then off goes his equipment and up goes his hands, and then it is “Mercy, comrades; me poor German boy, forced to fight.” If they have any trinkets or souvenirs to offer they sure get them out in a hurry. They think we are souvnir huntrs. They say the Canadians are no bun. We sure get his wind up when he knows we are against him. But don’t think for one minute that we do not run into a snag once in awhile. He fights until we get almost to him and then he begs for mercy. My battalion carried off the biggest honors of the big pushes, so we are well satisfied with our part in it. (R. E. Thompson, B. E. F., 54th Can. Batt.)
I am in a bombing section, so I get a chance every now and then to give him a dose of poison, and I never overlook the opportunity. I had a great chance a few days ago when my section was picked to take up an outpost in No Man’s land. We advanced in open daylight, but he soon spotted us and opened up on us with machine guns, so we had to make a dashfor it. Of course, some got there and some didn’t. I made it ok. But, believe me, we certainly could see those tracer bullets passing us a thousand miles an hour.
A tracer bullet is a flaming bullet that sets fire to air planes and ballons, but they no bon when they hit you.
We got our chance to get even. We picked a location and set our guns. Fritz soon come out of his hole, so we didn’t bother him. Pretty soon there was a gang and, oh, boy! didn’t we get him? He thought an earthquake had started. Those who were left didn’t wait for an encore. They beat it fast and didn’t bother us anymore that day.
You would be surprised to know how many folks we have in our battalion, and we are all proud to see and know that the Americans are doing a big part in the war now. The praise is all for the Canadians and Americans on this side. I tried to enlist in the American army, but was rejected on account of defective eye sight so joined up with the Canadians.
My mother, Mrs. L. Thompson, is a resident of your city so I cannot help but think of my home town with pride and hope to come back some day and visit my people. We are all fighting the same cause and it won’t be long until we will have the whole German population crying and begging for mercy.
I am writing this in a dugout by candle light, so you must excuse my mistake and blunders, as a shell bursts occasionally on top and shakes things up a bit.
I suppose there are some people who still remember me in Pine Bluff. I used to sell the Graphic and deliver papers for you people. I think Mr. Mead was over me then. I don’t suppose he is still with the paper, but tell the folks in your city there are lots of Yanks in the Canadian army and we are going to fight like hell until every German is out of France and Belgium, and as our President says, “They can’t leave anything here but their bones.”
Yours sincerely,
Pvt. Raymond E. Thompson
Somewhere in France
NOTES: Private Thompson was serving with the Canadian forces.
TRANSCRIBED BY: ISAAC WOLTER