{"id":10998,"date":"2015-04-07T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T10:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.royalmontrealregiment.com\/?p=10998"},"modified":"2015-04-07T06:00:15","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T10:00:15","slug":"10998-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/10998-2\/","title":{"rendered":"PRIVATE WHITBY\u2019S LATEST LETTER \u2013 PART 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, April 7, 1915<\/i><\/p>\n

Departed rest billets\u00a0northern outskirts of\u00a0Estaires<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Battalion War Diarist wrote for this day: “Left Estaires 6 a.m., Brigade march to Cassel via Neuf Berquin, Strazeele, Caestre; arrived Cassel about 3 p.m. and billeted in eastern outskirts.\u00a0 Men stood march very well.”\u00a0<\/em>[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"07<\/a>THIS DAY IN RMR HISTORY:\u00a0PRIVATE WHITBY\u2019S LATEST LETTER \u2013 PART\u00a02<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe R.M.R. is now very much at home in the trenches.\u00a0 Canadian initiative is well to the fore.\u00a0 \u2018Dug-outs\u2019 constructed by ex-habitues of St. James and St. Catherine streets would fill a British Tommy (if he were not too good a sportsman) with envy.\u00a0 It is literally true that, after a while, being shot at seems to be the most natural thing in the world.\u00a0 Men grow careless about keeping under cover, so, unfortunately, several have been picked off by snipers when thoughtlessly exposing themselves above the parapets.\u00a0 News reached us today that Corporal A.V. Brown has died at the base hospital, following the amputation of his arm.\u00a0 He had been promoted to corporal only a few days before being struck by an exploding shell.\u00a0 He was most popular with the men of No. 3 Company (formerly 3rd<\/sup> V.R.) \u2013 his keenness, good humour and coolness made him an excellent N.C.O.\u00a0 Oddly enough, Lance-Corp. Evan Cameron (of the McGill Cricket Club), who was standing beside him when the shell burst, although knocked down and partially deafened, escaped without other injury.\u00a0 War is not without its humors.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The other afternoon the Germans turned a trench mortar on a party bringing ammunition into our trenches.\u00a0 The detail arrived safely, handed over the boxes, and prepared to depart. \u2018We\u2019ll go back this way,\u2019 said the sergeant. \u2018I think the way we came would be the best,\u2019 volunteered an argumentative private.\u00a0 \u2018Silence,\u2019 roared the sergeant, leading his flock out into the open.\u00a0 Just then a shell burst to their left, a fragment bowling over the argumentative one, giving him a nasty gash in the head.\u00a0 He staggered to his feet, bleeding profusely, and in a towering rage put his face up close to the N.C.O.\u2019s, \u2018I told you the other way was best,\u2019 said he!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Jam Tin Bombs \u2013<\/p>\n

\u2018The Damson and apple jam, so plentifully supplied to the Canadian warriors, is made by one Tickler.\u00a0 Henceforth he will be doubly famous.\u00a0 The tin receptacles of this delicious compound, when empty, are filled with high explosives, fitted with fuses and used as bombs, or hand grenades.\u00a0 Hence the men specially detailed for bomb-throwing are now known as \u2018Tickler\u2019s Artillery.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 A certain number of men are selected from each company for this gentle pursuit, which is rather a dangerous one.\u00a0 When the trenches are close enough, the grenades are slung across.\u00a0 If an attack is made, the bomb throwers go ahead and slay as many \u2018Bosches\u2019 as possible before the men with fixed bayonets arrive.\u00a0 Sergeant Hardwicke (of the Vics, who in private life is with the Marconi Company in Montreal) is an enthusiastic follower of this form of warfare.<\/em><\/p>\n

General Alderson, in command of the Canadian Division, is a familiar figure nowadays, frequently exchanging greetings with the rank and file as he rides past. His geniality makes him very popular with Canadians, who might not appreciate the traditional stiffness of manner of the British officer of the old school.<\/p>\n

\u2018A painful topic, but one which exacts a great deal of attention in and out of the trenches, is the prevalence of \u2018unwelcome guests.\u2019\u00a0 Some euphemistically refer to them as \u2018a rash.\u2019\u00a0 None escapes them, officers and men alike are their unwilling hosts.\u00a0 Whence they come no man knows, but when they come, they come to stay.\u00a0 The parasites are officially recognized, and the first day after coming out of the trenches is devoted to a bathing parade.\u00a0 Tubs full of hot water are provided and the regiment washes itself by platoons.\u00a0 Clean underwear and socks are given out, the cast off clothing is burnt, and the platoon departs clean and unspotted.<\/em><\/p>\n

Masters of Espionage \u2013<\/p>\n

\u2018As has been said, the Germans are a wily people and masters of espionage.\u00a0 The Canadian Division has, curiously enough, been utilized by them for their own nefarious ends.\u00a0 Before the contingent had even landed in France, Teutons were circulating through the British lines, wearing Canadian uniforms and posing as officers of the advance party.\u00a0 Several were captured and shot.\u00a0 Only last week a motor drove up to headquarters, containing two officers, immaculately uniformed.\u00a0 They asked for certain information and the senior gave his name, quite readily, as Major So and So of the Canadian Artillery.\u00a0 Headquarters\u00a0quietly telephoned, discovering that the real major was still in his billet.\u00a0 That night there were two German spies the less.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Spring is well on the way.\u00a0 A few apathetic peasants plough all day long within some hundred yards of the front.\u00a0 They seem to care little for the shells that often fall quite near them.\u00a0 The country is marvellously fertile, due, no doubt, to the fine system of irrigation.\u00a0 One sees on all the fields intersected by road signs reading: \u2018Please do not ride on the growing crops.\u2019\u00a0 It is strange, nature quietly fulfilling her great function \u2013 replenishing the earth, while on every side man is hard at work devastating unceasingly. \u00a0The farm houses, the barns, the little wayside inns, are all shattered ruins now, but the young wheat peeps above the ground as tenderly green as in those springtides before the old order of things passed away.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 [3]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0\u00a0 War Diary, 14th<\/sup> Canadian Battalion, The Royal Montreal Regiment<\/em>, April 7, 1915.\u00a0 Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa,\u00a0http:\/\/data2.collectionscanada.ca\/e\/e044\/e001089714.jpg<\/a><\/pre>\n
[2]\u00a0\u00a0 Google Maps<\/pre>\n
[2]\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDog Betrayed German Sniper,\u201dThe Gazette<\/em>, Montreal, Quebec, Tuesday, April 6, 1915, pg. 4, col. 3.<\/pre>\n
 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wednesday, April 7, 1915 Departed rest billets\u00a0northern outskirts of\u00a0Estaires The Battalion War Diarist wrote for this day: “Left Estaires 6 a.m., Brigade march to Cassel via Neuf Berquin, Strazeele, Caestre;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-this-day-in-rmr-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10998\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}