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Date: July 8th 1916
Newspaper Article

PTE. R. GALE A
PRISONER IN GERMANY

Queens County Man Sends Postcard to His Parents.

The Globe’s correspondent at Water- [line/s obscured] date of July 7, says:

The home of Mr. and Mrs. George Gale was gladdened the other day by the receipt of a card from their son, Ralph C. Pte. Gale is a prisoner of war at Dulmen, Westf., and later Mr. and Mrs. Gale received a letter from Major C.H. McLean when his fate was uncertain, which is as follows:

FLANDERS, June 7, 1916.

Dear Mr. Gale, – Before this reaches you, you will probably have been notified that your son Ralph has been missing; it may be possible that he is a prisoner, as the Germans claim to have captured a number of our men on the date he disappeared. If this has happened you will receive news of him from the war office. If he is dead it may be some consolation to know that he died a soldier’s death, refusing to retire against terrible odds. The Germans had smashed our front lines to pieces with artillery, and the few men left advanced to meet the German infantry who were advancing on our line. Our men were either killed or taken prisoners.

Ralph was a sniper and was considered one of the best rifle shots in the regiment. His loss will be keenly felt by his comrades, who are all anxious to get news of him.

Sincerely yours,
C.H. McLEAN, Major,
4th C.M.R.

Up to this date Mr. and Mrs. George Nevers of Lower Jemseg have not heard anything further from their son Rolfe, who has been reported missing. Pte. Nevers was also a member of the 6th C.M.R.

It is requested that other papers copy this letter.

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