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Lance Corporal Colin Broughton died 26 July 1916. A number of his letters home appeared in the Red Deer News. The transcriptions to Broughton's other letters may be viewed here.
Dated:
Letter from the Front
The following letter from Lance-Corporal Colin Broughton was received by his father a few days ago:
Belgium, April 14, 1914
Dear Dad and Mother, -- I received your most welcome letter last night and am pleased to hear you are all well. The boys of the 89th seem to be havng a good time of it, and they are very lucky to get a month's holiday to go seeding. I expect that about the time they are putting in the crop we shall have started harvesting. (Germans I mean).
I heard from Bill Mallory1 the other day. He is a good correspondent and I shall have to write to him soon, he has had tough luck but doesn't grumble, we all realize this war is no picnic, and we try and make the best of what ever comes along, you people at home have no idea what the conditions are like out here, and when you consider the great number of men in the field it is certainly marvellous that everything runs so smoothly.
I have seen quite a number of Red Deer boys lately, Art Carswell,2 Phil Galbraith3 and Bill Scott, who used to drive the fire team, came over to see me a few days ago, I did not have much time to talk to them as I was Orderly Corporal for the week and I was busy. The boys were all looking well and I think this life agrees with them very well. I have also seen Fred Bliss,4 Dave Bliss5 and Teddie Roberts.
You will have heard that Corp. Des. George6 has been killed, I feel very sorry for his people, for they will miss him very much and he was a real good fellow. I had a letter from the Doctor the same day he was killed.
Jack Forrest is groom to our Captain and has got a pretty good job, he does not go into the trenches now, but of course is not out of the danger zone. I am glad you enjoyed the "Listening Post" Jack sent home, I will send you some more later on.
I had to smile when I read mother's letter about keeping a bedroom waiting for me. It is so long since I slept in a bed that I have almost forgotten what it is like, we are so used to sleeping on the soft side of a board now, to talk about beds, seems to be like talking about heaven.
Well, the way things are going now, I expect to get leave again in about eight or ten weeks, it is an awful long time to look forward to, but it will be alright if nothing happens between that time and this.
Newspapers arrived O.K.
Your loving son,
COLIN
1William Mallory, 5th Battalion Saskatchewan Regiment.
2Corp. John Arthur Carswell, P.P.C.L.I.
3Lance Corp. Francis Philip Galbraith, P.P.C.L.I.
4Sgt. Frederick Bliss, 31st Battalion C.E.F., died 24 Sept. 1916.
5David Henry Bliss, enlisted with the 1st Canadian Pioneers in Edmonton, Alberta.
6Corp. Desmond St. Clair George, 31st Battalion C.E.F., died 04 April 1916.
Transcribed by: M. I. Pirie