I recently took the time to list the number of family members that have been in the military. I was surprised at how long and varied a list it is.
Veteran’s Day, my grandparents always called it Armistice Day, "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.
What follows is part of a 93-year-old letter I found in some family papers. This letter was written in reply to my great grandfather living in the USA from his brother Amos, fighting with the British Expeditionary Force in France March, 1917. One final winter still remained in that war.
A letter from the war to end all wars…
I am hoping that this terrible war will soon cease & I can settle down again, I think the news are looking fairly well soon [sic] & I sincerely hope this summer will see the close, for I’m sure I don’t want to spend another winter out here, the people here say it is the worst winter they have witnessed for many years & I can tell you what with the hard weather & the conditions we have had to put up with has been terrible, but still we must keep smiling & hope, we long to come out victorious.
Dear Brother you ask me if there are any small comforts you could send me? It seems almost impossible for you to send me anything out here seeing that I was more than 5 weeks getting this letter, but I thank you very much for your offer as anything we receive out here from relatives are a luxury. I am pleased to tell you I get a box from home every fortnight which help me out considerably. …… but I guess there is scarcely a family in England not represented here, but I do hope we shall see a speedy& victorious conclusion………
I think I must now close for this time with fondest love & best wishes from your loving brother, Amos
Better that we commemorate the peace once a year, and think of our veterans’ needs on a year-round basis.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece, BP!
Did the writer of that letter make it through that awful war? Not many British soldiers in the front line did.
Yes, you’re right bp, it is amazing. Be interesting to discover whether he made it, what he did during it, and after that awful and useless slaughter. Family history can actually be fun.