Letters From the Front

Dated:

Letter from Signaller Faught
Somewhere in Belgium,
Dec. 2, 1915.
Dear Friend:-
I have just found out to-day who it is that has been kind enough to send me the Speaker every week, so I thought I would drop you a line just to let you know how much I appreciated your kindness, and to thank you for so doing.
I was up to see Billie Thomas and Fat McLean this morning. They are both enjoying the best of health. I also see Claude Kennedy quite frequently.
[missing] having very wet weather [missing] the present, consequently [missing] is very bad, but we have been issued rubber boots and capes so we are prepared for the coming winter.
I suppose by thetime you receive this the skating will be in full swing. I guess we shall have to wait until next winter for this pleasure.
Everything is going fine out here. We have it over the Germans forty ways, and I feel quite confident that we shall not be out here very much longer. We are all wishing that they would let us make the big drive and get it over with, but I suppose we shall have to wait until the spring for that now, but the authorities have some big move up their sleeves which will, without a doubt, prove highly successful.
There are beautiful moonlight nights out here when it isn't raining, consequently we have to be very careful when patrolling the telephone wires near the infantry trenches, in full view of the enemy. Some of their snipers are pretty good shots, and again some couldn't hit a barn ten feet away; quite different with our boys. Once they get a bead on a Hun it isn't long until he is counted out of business.
I saw a great aerial duel this morning, between one of our aeroplanes and a German plane. It was fought about 1500 feet up in air. Our plane came out best, and the German was forced to land within our lines. The Pilot was killed, and the observer slightly wounded, but the machine was hardly damaged at all. It wont be very long before we have it repaired and doing work for us. I also witnessed our antiaircraft gun bringing down a Hun machine the day before yesterday. They only fired two shots. One was a little too high but the second was a direct hit, and down he came, but there wasn't enough of the machine left to make a respectable moose trap. It sure was great shooting considering the target was about 3000 feet up in the air.
Giving Mephistopheles his due, the Tueton terrorists are rather shrewd fiends. Their trenches are on a higher territory than ours, and they dammed a creek for a week, then let it go one night and flooded our trenches, but it wasn't very long until we had gasoline pumps going and our trenches dry again.
It is very seldom you see a man who was one of the original bunch who came down with the 97th from the North. Most of them are prisoners in Germany since the hard fighting we had at Ypres last April, and the nature of each individual seemed to have changed in quality, every man appeared to have a particular feud to avenge the wrong which was done to Belgium. It seems rather odd to me what a large number of people there are in this world who don't seem to care to undertake to hold their little end of responsibility as a citizen of this earth. If it is acase of being nervous of stopping a German souvenir, they needn't worry over that, for if a shot or piece of shrapnel is made for them they wont get it.
Allow me this opportunity of wishing you and all the boys a very happy Xmas and a bright and prosperous New Year.
Again thanking you for your kindness, I remain
Signaller T. J. FAUGHT,
1st Can. Division,
2nd Artillery Brigade,
Headquarters, Staff, B.E.F.

No. C 41648 France.