[transcription and footnotes have been provided by the collection donor]
December 8/17[159]
Dear Father & Mother:-
Received your long looked for letter to-day with $2.00 enclosed. The letter was dated Oct 16th. It has been following me for about a month. I suppose I will get all your other letters soon. I wrote you a few days ago so will not have much to say. I am at the base now[160] and am getting along very well. I haven't heard how Walter is getting along for about two months and of course you know about Tom[161]. It is getting rather cold here[162] now. I had hoped to spend the Winter in Blighty but no such luck this time. I suppose you must have been rather worried when you heard I was wounded but there is no used worrying, Mother. I haven't heard from the Halsalls for some time. I won't be shy in asking for anything. So Theodore Larson[163] has enlisted has he. Well, I should like to tell you what I think and perhaps I will some day. I have changed my mind a lot lately and I differ with Father's views altogether about conscription[164]. My address will be the same. I don't suppose this will get there before Xmas but anyway I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Your Loving Son
911016 R. W. Mercer
Footnotes
[159] The Borden Battery is stationed in Pernes, France. The War Diary stated the following on December 1917, "unsettled, Training in Camp as per Syllabus. #487161, Sergt. F. Fair - proceeded to G.H.Q.S.A. School Branch for Course of Instruction .#910018, Corp. Laughland, F. returned from Can. Corps. Gas School.." The Canadian Corps took a special interest in thee training of its troops to deal with poisonous gas environments.
[160] Pte. Richard Mercer has returned from hospital after being wounded at Passchendaele
[161] This is an indirect reference to the recent death of Private Tom Tracy at Passchendaele.
[162] This letter dated 8 December 1917 was probably written between 3-6 December 1917 inclusive based on the weather comments contained in the Borden Motor Machine Gun Battery War Diary.
[163] Theodore Larson is a young man from Theodore, Saskatchewan. More details remain to be researched regarding his military experiences.
[164] Many of the Canadian soldiers at the Front "were content to fill their ranks with conscripted 'slackers' if it brought victory closer and improved their own changes of survival." P. 244, When Your Numbers Up, Desmond Morton, 1993. As Pte. Mercer's father inherited his family wealth it might be assumed he was politically conservative and probably in favour of conscription if only to see other son's to serve as was his only son. However, Pte. Mercer is part of a highly trained unit where the thoughts and actions of every man are very important to everyone's survival. It is possible that Pte. Mercer, in this instance, is opposed to conscription to dilute the quality of the men in his unit. This assumption is speculation at this time. It is also interesting to note that he is reluctant to offer any political comment in this letter.
[transcription and footnotes have been provided by the collection donor]
December 8/17[159]
Dear Father & Mother:-
Received your long looked for letter to-day with $2.00 enclosed. The letter was dated Oct 16th. It has been following me for about a month. I suppose I will get all your other letters soon. I wrote you a few days ago so will not have much to say. I am at the base now[160] and am getting along very well. I haven't heard how Walter is getting along for about two months and of course you know about Tom[161]. It is getting rather cold here[162] now. I had hoped to spend the Winter in Blighty but no such luck this time. I suppose you must have been rather worried when you heard I was wounded but there is no used worrying, Mother. I haven't heard from the Halsalls for some time. I won't be shy in asking for anything. So Theodore Larson[163] has enlisted has he. Well, I should like to tell you what I think and perhaps I will some day. I have changed my mind a lot lately and I differ with Father's views altogether about conscription[164]. My address will be the same. I don't suppose this will get there before Xmas but anyway I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Your Loving Son
911016 R. W. Mercer
Footnotes
[159] The Borden Battery is stationed in Pernes, France. The War Diary stated the following on December 1917, "unsettled, Training in Camp as per Syllabus. #487161, Sergt. F. Fair - proceeded to G.H.Q.S.A. School Branch for Course of Instruction .#910018, Corp. Laughland, F. returned from Can. Corps. Gas School.." The Canadian Corps took a special interest in thee training of its troops to deal with poisonous gas environments.
[160] Pte. Richard Mercer has returned from hospital after being wounded at Passchendaele
[161] This is an indirect reference to the recent death of Private Tom Tracy at Passchendaele.
[162] This letter dated 8 December 1917 was probably written between 3-6 December 1917 inclusive based on the weather comments contained in the Borden Motor Machine Gun Battery War Diary.
[163] Theodore Larson is a young man from Theodore, Saskatchewan. More details remain to be researched regarding his military experiences.
[164] Many of the Canadian soldiers at the Front "were content to fill their ranks with conscripted 'slackers' if it brought victory closer and improved their own changes of survival." P. 244, When Your Numbers Up, Desmond Morton, 1993. As Pte. Mercer's father inherited his family wealth it might be assumed he was politically conservative and probably in favour of conscription if only to see other son's to serve as was his only son. However, Pte. Mercer is part of a highly trained unit where the thoughts and actions of every man are very important to everyone's survival. It is possible that Pte. Mercer, in this instance, is opposed to conscription to dilute the quality of the men in his unit. This assumption is speculation at this time. It is also interesting to note that he is reluctant to offer any political comment in this letter.
