Feature Letter of May 18th, 2025
Rowat, Thomas Alexander
France, 1917
We have had good weather here since Apl. 24th but day before yesterday it rained as we came in here, but sunshine prevailed again to-day, and trees certainly look very green and nice. There are lots of wild flowers out now and strange to say there are quite a lot of partridges around the battle area. Last night we saw four, two of them seemed quite tame. It is contrary to orders for men to do shooting of any kind except on a rifle range or in the front line at the Hun. Last time we were in the second line and two of our men shot partridges and cooked then for breakfast in the trenches, the men in the first line complained about it, and we had to warn them to cease. I saw two rabbits too between our first and second lines, last time we were in. They were shelling at the time and when a shrapnel shell would burst near them they would run as if terrified almost to death.
Why Support Canadian Letters & Images Project
As we move away in time from past conflicts and as our veteran population declines, it becomes increasingly difficult for Canadians to understand the sacrifices that men and women made, both on the battlefield and on the home front, during wartime. The Canadian Letters and Images Project has been sharing their stories, and Canada’s story, for the past quarter century.
These are the experiences of Canadians as seen through their eyes and their words. This is history in the raw, without a lens of interpretation added through time. I invite you to spend some time reading their letters, seeing their faces in the photographs, or listening to an audio letter, to appreciate why their experiences must be preserved for now and for future generations.
Donations, large and small, ensures that The Canadian Letters and Images Project can keep this important content freely available for this generation and for future generations. Please help us to preserve their stories.
Donate
