Further letters from the Front, continuing on from “A Sunny Subaltern, Billy’s Letters from Flanders.”

The young Canadian officer continues his adventures, in and out of the trenches. He begins with a quick note to his mother to confirm that he was recovering well from shrapnel wounds in London. After a brief convalescence, he is back in the thick of the fighting, sending one letter to his mother postmarked “In the Field (of mud)”. His naiveté of the first volume is still evident, but is beginning to wane as he becomes almost fatalist in tone toward the later part of the book. In hospital once again with appendicitis, he emotionally recounts his meetings with the many casualties with him, including those gassed and blinded. His letters are packed with the details of his service such as dug-outs, observation posts and the “dreary ditch known as ‘The line.’”. His letters offer a fascinating insight into the First World War at the Front.

Collected and posthumously published by his mother, they make for a gripping and atmospheric read.

Author — Anon “Billy”

Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in Toronto, McClelland, Goodchild and Stewart, 1917.

Original Page Count – 121 pages.