Letters home from Private Edward Ray Jackson who joined the 160th Bruce Battalion of the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Forces in 1916, 8 months before his 18th birthday. He served as a gunner in France with the 1st Battalion of the 1st Canadian Division under Marshal Ferdinand Foch and was wounded in action at Arras on August 30, 1918.
Ray is now in Witley Camp where he writes to his mother of the weather, the countryside landscape, driving on the left side of the road and the great number of "inns" or pubs he sees.
For a young guy, he did a good job of telling the family about the countryside - noticing the things he thinks they'd like to know. It's interesting too that he thinks the English ways are old-fashioned.
And -- there was nothing "temperance" about England.
Mary, Thanks so much for your comments and reading all the letters. It is interesting for me to get to know him as a very young man as I only knew him as a quiet old man. No doubt his war experience changed him greatly.
For a young guy, he did a good job of telling the family about the countryside - noticing the things he thinks they'd like to know. It's interesting too that he thinks the English ways are old-fashioned.
ReplyDeleteAnd -- there was nothing "temperance" about England.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments and reading all the letters. It is interesting for me to get to know him as a very young man as I only knew him as a quiet old man. No doubt his war experience changed him greatly.