Lettres de poilus

Letters

14-18

Mme Browaeys - 1èreS1

Private Ryan Smith 3rd Battalion of infantry 17th December of 1915 General John Forsyth Battalion HQ, Dear General, Problem on the front I am writing to you to ask a very important request I want to leave the front and go back home in Britain.

Indeed, in September 1914 when I was volunteer, I thought the would be short and I went here to Ypres to defend my country. I left my five young children, my wife and my farm.

Secondly, I discovered the horrible condition of life in the trenches. I live everyday in the mud with rats everywhere: in your « bed », in your shoes, …

I see lots of dismembered bodies overwhelmed by the blood everywhere.

Life is appalling when you wait for the attack with the noise of the shells. I change my uniform for the last time in October because I stayed on the front line during two months !

Last week, two friends of the Battalion wanted to take a friendly contact with the Germans.

It was considered as a cowardice in the face of the enemy. They were sentenced to death.

They were shot at dawn this morning as an example. For the regiment, the psychological stress is so hard to stand.

However, I'm not a coward and I hate the deserter. But two days ago, I received a letter of my wife.

She has tuberculosis and my first girl is dead.

So, I may leave the front and go back-home but I'm not guilty of cowardice because I ask for permission.

Looking forward to reading from your soon.

Yours sincerely.

Private Smith

PrivateJames Smith First Battalion, Trenche 45, Ypres The 29th deciember 1915 General John Forsyth First Battalion HQ, Ypres Dear General , requirement to go back home.

I’m writing to you to deal with my injuries.

First of all, I’m seventeen years old but I’m a brave soldier.

I’m always on the front so my physical condition is tough. But last month, I lost one foot, three fingers and one eye. I try to wage war but it’s impossible for me.

Moreover, I can’t sleep at night and I begin to have a lot of shakes. The rats in the trenches try to crawl over my injuries so I think I have got an infection. I need to go back home just some months to sleep and find a good health.

Then, I’m very sad because my twin brother died when a german’s shell explosed. My heart is broken, I have lost a part of me and I must announce this death to my parents so I must go back home.

It’s important that you know that life condition in trenches is very difficult for us.

There was a lot of rats, soldiers who are dead, it’s very cold in winter, we are sick. But for me it’s more difficult with my injuries.

Then, I miss my parents, my little sister, my nerves are shattered, I will be dead if I stay in trenches. I’m afraid by weapons, shells, shot, everything.

Finally, I feel deeply concerned by this war, I want to defend my country, but for this moment, I need to leave the front just some months and come back after. I hope you will understand my situation.

Looking forward to reading from you soon.

Yours sincerely.

Private James Smith.

Private Jack Smith 3rd Regiment Battalion North December 17th, 1915 General John Forsyth Officer of 3rd Regiment Battalion North Dear Genral Forsyth, I am writing you to ask if you would permit me to leave the front.

Indeed, you have maybe heard that I have been hospitalized for two months since last October. I suffered from a serious case of disentry that, luckily left me weak but alive. It was terrible yet the doctors told me I was saved so I returned back to the trenches last week. The first days, I combatted but one of my closest friends was killed by a shell just before my eyes and I just can not handle this anymore. It has been four days I have barely slept because everytime I try, his face appears to haunt me and I always have the same nightmare.

What is more, my whole body is often taken by uncontrollable and violent shakes which last a few minutes and which I hardly bear. It is difficult for me to write this letter.

Yet, I tried to combat with the others but I can not even hold my bayonet without thinking that our weapons do exactly the same damages to our ennemies than theirs do to us. I am supposed to kill Germans I have never met and who are living the same ordeal than me.

By the way, even if I could I would not try to leave the front but the point is that I am overwhelmed by all the violence of this war.

Looking forward to reading from you soon.

Yours truly.

Private Jack Smith

Soldier Sam Wiston 1st Battalion in West London 12th March 1915, London in the trenches General John Forsyth London Dear Sir, A favour.

I am writing to you to ask you a favour. I want to leave the front and go back home.

Indeed, I was volunteer to fight for my homeland and my country.

However, I am seventeen years old, I am young soldier and us the soldiers, we were not prepared to fight in these horrible conditions.

Furthermore, the new weapons like the shell are very dangerous. My friends, who work with me in the trenches, die of cold or they have been shot by the ennemies. This Warfare represent the human brutality and other officers and I ,were overwhelmed by that brutality. It is very complicated. I am afraid of violence and blood.

What is more, I am ashamed to tell this but I am going to see the new doctor, who helps the Military Medical Services on the war front, and he tells me that I have a neurological and psychological problem.

The noise and shakes provoked on me a health problem which is a post-traumatic stress syndrom. I must be cured but for this, I must go to a hospital and run away from the front.

Moreover, my family miss me and they are pennyless because during this war, the life is complicated for the army and the civilians too.

Yet, I am not a coward ! I am just a dismembered soldier who are not necessary in the trenches. It is unfortunately but realistic and I can run away to be cured immediatly. I hope for the best to have your permission to leave.

Looking forward to reading from you soon.

Yours sincerely.

Sam Wiston

Private John Smith Westminster Battalion The 3rd May 1915 General Andrew Hamilton Westminster Battalion Trenches 8 Dear Sir Permission to leave the front I am writing to you to ask the permission to leave the front and go back home.

First of all, I hope you will not consider me as a coward. You can ask the officer of my trenches, I am the most couragous soldier. I know it will be complicated for you to understand my decision but I will try to explain it to you.

Everyday it is a warfare for us. Indeed, I am so tired to control my nerves when I wake up and have rats crawling over my face or when I see my friends becoming unbalanced or worst, blown to bit. I cannot stand any more seeing them crying like a child because of a shell shock, learning that this or this soldier has been court-martialed. I know I had to control myself, but I felt inside me that I will not bear it any longer.

Moreover, I cant’ stand to be so far away from my family. I miss them so much. Their letters are not enough for me, I need to kiss them for real, and not through a letter. I become depressed by this absence and I don’t want to die of sadness. Please, let me go back home, I want to see my child growing up, I want to become old with my family. I feel so lonely!

However, becoming Private John was a honnor for me. But I think, it is enough or I will die from combat stress reaction. I am appalled by gaz, by explosion, by death, by mud. I don’t want death to ravish my mind. I am too young for that. I killed lots of Germans but I haven’t got any regret because they were enemies and I hate them. Like I said before, struggling in this war, be your soldier was a honnor. Now, I just want to leave.

Looking forward to reading from you soon, Yours Faithfully, Private John

Private ThinkerFirst Battalion The Front Wednesday, 15thOctober, 1915.

General John ForsythFirst Battalion The Front Dear Sir, Requirement to leave the Front I am writing to you to ask you if you would let me leave the Front and go back home.

Indeed, I am only fifteen so I am too young to fight. I know, if I stay here, I will die or get injured so I won’t be able to fight. I think you cannot send young people to death because if you do that, you will kill a big part of our English population.

Besides, as I am very young, I cannot fight at all, I am not enough strong and I don’t know hom to use technical weapons. I am sure germans will kill me easily. Thus, I am not useful for you.

Then, since I have been here, I have had nightmares every night and I keep on hearing shell explosions, even when shells are not exploding.

You might guess it is a shell shock syndrom and if you let me at the Front, this sickness will increase and I really won’t be able to fight.

Furthermore, I miss my family. You have a family, haven’t you ? So, you will understand me. Six months ago, my father was sent to the Front, and we never had any letter, any clue to hope he is still alive.

Today, my mother is alone with my two little sisters who are only two years old. She is overwhelmed : she has to work in a factory, to feed my sisters, to care for them and to care for herself. If I were with her, I would help her and work for the arms factory so I would be more useful for her and for you than I am here.

That is why I beg you to let me go back home and leave the Front very soon.

Looking forward to reading from you soon.

Yours, sincerely, Private Thinker

Private Smith 1st Battallion Yorkshire Wednesday, 17th December 1915, Verdun General John Forsyth Officer of 1st Battallion Yorkshire Dear Sir, Presence on the war front.

I am writing to you to tackle the issue of my presence on the war front.

In fact, I want to leave the front and its misery and go back home, next to my family. I am here since more than a year, and I cannot wage war anymore.

Furthermore, there are many aspects of the war I cannot tolerate anymore. I am appalled of everything. The war is too much different than what I was imagined. The violence is always next to us, the weapons are in my nightmares, when I can sleep. I always saw the soldiers on the ground, in the mud, with blood everywhere. Yes, you will tell me that it’s the war, but anybody can live here, in the front. But above all, the most complicated is when friends are dying in front of you, and you cannot do anything. When I see people armless or legless, a little voice said in my mind that the next time, it’s my leg which might be in the mud. Believe me, I cannot live here a day more nor an hour, here, with the rats, the noise and the blood. I don’t want to die.

Moreover, I am sick. In fact, I have many injuries caused by the weapons, such as the shells. I am completely overwhelmed by the force of this arm. Many of us are hurt because they were next to the bomb. So I have problems to walk and uncontrolable shakes too. I don’t know why but I can’t keep to wage war with this condition. In my opinion, I have nerves problems, but I am not a doctor. If I go back home, I can cure it.

But above all, my family miss me. My mother was terrified when she had know that I will go to the war, so she will be very happy if I go back home. I am very impatient to see the smile in her face. I have a girlfriend too. I love her so much and she loves me. We will have a child but if I die in the war, we cannot, and I don’t want her to be sad. I know that all the soldiers are like me, but it’s a reason more to leave the front.

Yet, I know that I take risks to writing to you, that I can be executed, or accused of cowardice. But I can’t continue to wage war anymore.

Looking forward to reading from you soon, Yours faithfully, Private Smith

Private Martin Smith 3rd paras battalion 12/12/1915 To: General John Forsyth Officer on duty of 3rd battalion

Dear General Forsyth, Getting back to England I am writing to you in order to deal with my return home.

Indeed, I would like to go back home because my wife is having serious medical problems and my son can’t help her alone. Besides, I am injured and I can't walk as well as before, also the mud doesn't help me healing at all and I am overwhelmed by this situation.

Finally, I keep on remembering my brothers in arms being shot or hit by a shell and this makes me have nightmares that make me terrified or I can't even sleep.

I am looking forward to reading from you.

Yours faithfully.