Letter to Mother from Somewhere in Flanders

#782373
S.W. in Flanders
30-10-17

Dear Mother:–  

I wrote Mrs Burns about Mitchel today, also a mother in Edmonton about her boy who was killed he belonged to an other batt. then I wrote Harvey Anderson about Mitchel.

I felt bad about the boys that went down in the advance and after we got releaved got away from the line we had hot soup waiting for use, and I saw the boys that were left, I was one of a very few that carried out my full equipment. I ran across a young Taylor about Teds age. I have liked him ever since I got my eyes on him when he joined our batt, I spoak to him and was tickled that he came out with out a scratch a boy standing near him says Cunningham would be smiling if some one beat him up for a half hour,

Well we marched back to supports and slept in dugouts.      This Taylor got to bed with two others and a shell came right into there dug out, in the a.m. two of them were lying about 20 ft away in another shell hole and the third we never saw any trace of, I expect to write Mrs. Taylor tomorrow. These boys never knew what happened them at all,

There is no difference where the individual man is he is just as safe going over the top as he is away back God can protect or call just as he chooses My only motive is to be ready each hour or minuit. I went forward that A.M. feeling and saying right from my heart, I will not fear what man can do onto me, and I took in every thing that happened as we advanced just like you folks would see it in a theater at home, I saw our officer go 20 ft in the air and bounce when he lit, he was dead. Our sergeant was killed with the same shell. I saw another man get nocked out in a minuit he started to move, and another shell lit beside him that sealed his doom.        no one could beleave that man could go thru alive. I thot whole sections would be wiped out by some shells and when the smoke and mud cleaned away they were steadily advancing

I have helped several boys since I came out, My Mother if God can only use me to save souls I will be the happiest man in the world. I will put up with any thing for any length of time and only to gladly, every boy that changes feels so much better