July 4, 1915 - Shorncliffe, County Kent, England

Dear People,

I suppose you would like to know where I am now so I will tell you all about this place.  We only stayed at the Otterpool Camp till about 2 o'clock last Monday, when we were loaded into motor trucks again and moved to the barracks.  This is certainly some camp.  There are about 25 buildings here, all built of brick, nicely laid off and the yard is all paved and kept clean as a whistle.  I think about eight of them are the mess quarters and the others are stables, with the exception of the cookhouse and the gun shed.  There is a very nice parade ground in the centre and a field for gun drill at the back which has become as hard as a road.


Just across the field is the Canadian hospital, a very large brick building with numerous other buildings that go to make up the hospital station.  I don't know anything about it for I have not been in there yet.  The greatest part of their cases are all kinds of venereal diseases.  The women in this country are simply rotten with all kinds of it and the men won't keep away from them.  When they get in the hospital for this, their clothes are taken from them and they get a suit of blue overalls and are confined to grounds, so you always know them.  Some don't report but there is a heavy penalty for not doing so when found out, discharge and I don't know what all if they wish to enforce it, but they need men so badly that they have not discharged any that I know of.  After treating them at the hospital for a while they are sent to a canvas hospital a short distance away and there a[re] a deuce of a lot of men there.  Then they are getting a lot of wounded from the Front, but I never hear of any dying.

This whole country is the Canadian camp for miles around and they say there are 50,000 here but I don't know for sure.  Anyway, every way you turn the country and towns are overrun with them.

Each building has from four to eight rooms, each holding 23 men.  Our room has a washroom just outside the door, a bed for each man and four tables to eat from.  Each man has his row of pegs and two shelves for his clothes.  The beds are jointed.  At night we pull the bottom half out and push it in again in the morning.  It makes a bed two feet wide and six feet long, made of iron as are the supports of the tables and benches.

There is a dry canteen where you can get anything a soldier needs and a wet canteen where you can get soft drinks and beer for 5 cents per pint.  The officers have a very fine building of red brick beautifully finished with lawns, flowers, hedges and a tennis court.  It is like a town right here, horse and mule transports, motor transports, motor ambulances, fruit peddlers and all kinds of rigs running around.  A horse would not last long in this country at fast work, everything is done by motor.

Every road in town, city or country is made of macadam and they take great care of them, never let them get out of repair.  The only fault is the roads are very narrow, especially in the country, where they are barely wide enough for one vehicle to get along.  Everyone in this country is a gardener and the places look lovely, with flowers, hedges, shrubs and trees of all kinds.  The farms are great with the evenly planted fields.  I guess the farmers are the equals of any, but no one hurts himself.  They take their time about it.  The women are the best workers.

The children are an awful nuisance and awful bums.  They drive you nearly crazy if you don't drive them away, and that is a hard job.  A soldier from Canada dare not stop hardly.  They gather around, tramp on your feet, climb up on you by your bandolier and rub their greasy hands all over you and they are always dirty except the better class.  There are a good many cripples and they all know how to beg.

We are right on the Channel and on a fine day we can see the coast of France.  All kinds of warcraft are always going back and forth and it makes a nice view.  About two miles away is an airship station and the three dirigibles and 20 areoplanes are flying overhead all the time.  Sometimes you can hardly see them, they go so high.  The propellers on the aeroplanes make such a noise you hear them before you can see them.

There are several towns around here.  On one side Sandgate, a place of 3-4,000 people, mostly a Channel port but it has a large motor works where they build the buses for between towns service.  On another side, Hythe, probably 5,000.  I don't know much about it because I was only there once.  Anyone gets tired of it, nothing going on at all there.  On another side, Chariton, a place of about 7-8,000 people.  It seems to be purely residential.  A good many soldiers spend their evenings there with girls or drinking beer, but most of them go to Sandgate and Chariton to catch a bus for Folkstone, which is the main place around here.  This place is a very large summer resort.  There is a large beach, pier, gardens, promenades, hotels and fine large residences all along the waterfront.  In fact, all the houses and stores are very fine and are kept in wonderful repair and order.

Plymouth and London had the only streetcars.  I have seen all double-deckers and all the towns have motor buses, holding about 30 people.  The buses have solid rubber tires and the rear wheels are like two tires on one wheel and are twice the size of the average tire.  After the tires get worn (from 3 - 6 inches wide) they are very hard to turn.  Some of the buses in the cities, in fact all of them, are double-deckers and they carry a big load.

There are such a lot of Canadians around here you can hardly get along the streets, especially on Saturday night.  Instead of having restaurants like we have, they have a few good places and the balance of them are fish shops where you get chips and fish, but they smell so badly I have never been in one.  Some of the men like it and you see them sitting everywhere eating from a newspaper.  Every place tries to soak a Canadian when he goes to buy anything, but if a man stops to think a minute he can do all right after an argument.

At Folkstone, you pay six cents to get on the pier.  There are two concrete floors, one for roller skating (pay six cents more to skate).  The other floor is waxed for dancing and is free.  A lady plays the piano in the centre and a crowd made up of girls and soldiers dance all the evening from 6 - 10.  Then in the building at the end of the pier there are moving pictures.  They run off six reels of pictures, then anyone can sing, dance or recite on the stage and the best performance gets a nice prize.  After that, six more reels of pictures and good night.  This is free also.  Just now they have two lady swimmers on the pier each afternoon and evening.  They take day about [is a word missing from transcription here?].  Diving in the day when the water is high and an exhibition of all kinds of swimming at night.  These girls take a collection before they enter the water and do very good.  On the pier there are all kinds of devices to get money like other summer places, but I don't monkey with any of them.  Gambling is strictly forbidden anywhere in this country, although they have all the machines that would be forbidden home - all penny slot machines.

There is a dandy rifle range on the pier where you use .22 repeating rifles at a range of 30 feet.  It is the best small range I ever saw and as I have not used a .22 since I was in Halifax five years ago, I tried and made 61 out of a possible 70.  Three of the seven were bulls, not bad without any practice.  This costs six cents.

I am sending a small book of views of Folkstone so you can see some of the places I speak of.  You get from the upper leas to the beach by means of steps and steep walks, all of stone, with benches and corners.  Everywhere, the whole side of the hill is walks and benches in pretty little groves.

If you don't want to walk down, you can take a lift which is a small car on rails (there are four).  These are drawn up and let down the face of the hill by means of a winch cable and is three times as steep as the Jail Hill at home.  I don't know what power they use, I never asked and I can't see any.

When I first came here, I was in this place every chance I got because it was strange but I have seen most of it and I don't like the ways here and it costs money to be going all the time, so I guess I will spend more time in barracks resting after this.

July 1st we got three pounds (about $15.00) and some of our boys are nearly broke now.  I still have a little of the money I had when I landed and have not touched mine yet.  About the 15th of July we will get the balance along with pay for this month to that date.  By that time our pay books will be ready (everyone carries one) and we will get squared up.  The money I signed home is paid to me here for the month of June, but it will go home after this.  I don't know where from.  I suppose they thought we would like some extra money to start on in a strange country.  They tell me if a man goes to the Front and loses his pay book he can't get any money till the war is over!  But I believe the wounded who get home leave have been able to get some money before leaving.

Now then, for the routine here.  We rise at 5:30 and fall in in any old dress at 5:45.  Then do the horses till 6:45.  Then we get breakfast and dress in full with the exception of pants.  We march to the parade ground and get our instructions for the day.  Drivers to the stables and gunners to gun drill till 12:00 o'clock.  Then dinner and fall in at 1:45 for the same thing till 5:30, then supper and free till 12:00.  We have a M.N. Pass (privileged characters), but they don't care what time you come in as long as you are there at 5:45 a.m., so some stay out all night.  There is only one guard near the officers' quarters and there are a dozen roads into Barracks.  Lights out at ten (gas) and no roll call.

Each town is patrolled all night by a picket of ten men and an N.C.O. to keep order and some English military police who wear a blue uniform with a red cap.  These are dirty men, you bet.  Last night I saw one of them try to pull a Canadian off a bus in Folkstone because it was too crowded.  They were both big men.  The Canadian got down and asked him who he was pulling.  The E.M.P. said he was pulling him, so the Canadian drew back and hit him full in the face.  He lit fifteen feet away.  They carried the cop away and the other man got on the bus laughing.  There were enough Canadians there to clean up the town.  They are the only soldiers around here for miles.  This whole country for miles is the Canadian Station.

The first three days here we got a rifle course and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we go to the ranges to shoot (six miles away).  Walk and stay all day.  Those that pass are through, the others do some more.  We go by stages from the 3rd to the 2nd then to the 1st Battery when we are ready for the Front.  A draft of 200 men go this week.  When they go, we drivers expect to get our saddles, harness and team.  When we do, we will start riding and manoeuvering with the guns (we have four and four wagons).  Up to now the drivers have mostly done nothing but clean dirty harness that was sent down from Salisbury Plains and was never cleaned before.  They were in such a hurry to get the men away.  Every officer has his horse and there are a lot of them, too, but we are short of gun teams, expecially the 3rd Battery.

The officers are very nice men, so are the N.C.O.'s with the exception of our two sergeants who came with us.  No one likes them (overbearing and ignorant and show it).  One is an Irishman and the other an Englishman.  One was bawled out for saluting an officer from the cap with a rifle on his shoulder.  He should simply place the hand on the stock of the rifle across the body.  The other got the same twice, once for carrying his rifle wrong (he looked like a young rooster trying to fly), and again for marching a body of men in front of our Major's Parade.  The last is the Englishman and the worst of the two.  He had his experience pounded into him years ago in this country and if something doesn't happen to him I don't know.

The gunmen have nothing to do with the horses, so spend their time on the guns.  The drivers have nothing to do with the guns yet, so spend their time around harness trying to look busy till we get something to work with.  Saturday is a bad day on fatigue because the colonel holds an inspection and it fell on me.  Talk about scrubbing floors and cleaning up, well I guess we had to, but she was clean.

There are two men to a room, so while the men have half a day Saturday room orderlies stay around to draw rations and watch the room.  Then our little bunch of drivers have to do stables today at 6:00, at 11:30 and 4:30.  Then I am on picket tonight with no time off, so I am getting it in the neck these three days.  But the life is not hard yet, only the hours are long!  Thursday was the 1st and we had to work all day, but by not pushing myself forward I got a bare-back ride in the morning away out in the hills and we had a great time.

That morning the fog was so heavy you could see it come over the bank from the sea like smoke, you could not see down the valley 100 feet.  The air is so full of the ocean and salt air that you have to shine your buttons twice a day to keep them right.  We have to be in full dress for all parades (except the 5:45), but not shined.  But at church parade on Sunday we have to be shined and shaved.  And have a moustache, too, or you get an awful bawling out right before all the men from the brigade sergt.-major.  He is fine soldierly man, very neat and covered with colors for service, but there is nothing too sarcastic and saucy for him to say to a man when he finds a fault.

Perhaps you would like to hear of our meals.  Breakfast: tea, bread, and either bacon, eggs or salmon.  Dinner: roast meat, gravy and either peas, beans, or cabbage.  Supper: tea, bread and either jam, cheese or peaches or pineapple (canned).

This week we get an issue of everything, so I may be sending some clothes home after I wear them a little to make them second-hand.  I'll let you know later.  I got three pairs of heavy socks from the ladies of Fredericton.  I think we must have between 150 and 200 horses, I don't just know.  I can get washing done very reasonable here.  I sent fatigue shirt and pants, 2 pr. socks, 2 handkerchiefs, 1 towel, 1 top shirt and a change of underwear to a wash woman and had it back in three days for 48 cents.  There are half a dozen boys around gathering up laundry every day.  There is a laundry at Chariton but it doesn't give satisfaction, so we send it to the women.  Even these people soak you.  One boy's pants were 24 cents, but mine were only 12 cents.  I am getting onto this money now, but in writing I will speak of it as in our own and you can understand it quicker.

Now I have said all I can think of.  I hope you are well.  I am feeling better all the time and gaining.  I have a fine red moustache now, but no hair.  I had it clipped close on the boat but it's starting to grow now.  I have talked with wounded drivers from the Front.  They all get wounded from the hips down and these men say a driver very seldom gets killed.  Now I will have to go on duty soon, so must eat.  Write as often as you can.  It will keep me in touch with home.  Now in case you did not get my right address here it is, and I think it will take about one month for me to get an answer to this.  A long wait.

With love, Clarence

Driver C.A. McCann
No. 90152 3rd Battery
Canadian Artillery Reserve Brigade
Ross Barracks
Shorncliffe, County Kent, England

(This is for Everybody...Be sure that Ada gets it too)

© Copyright 2011 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission

June 7, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father,

I received your letter Saturday noon and the parcel this noon.  If I had got the parcel with the letter I could have saved 35 cents for writing material which I bought Saturday night.  But no matter, it won't spoil and I can use it sometime.  The only money we can draw here is the $6.00 the major gives us between the 15th and 20th of each month and everybody gets that , so if I come home I will have to save what I can from pay day and the rest will have to come from home.

I did not think last summer that Henry Ward would ever work again, he was too sick at times.  I am sorry to hear that C. Sellon and J. Currie are dead, but it is as likely to be them as anybody.  I notice mostly all of the casualties are in the infantry.

When I spoke of my boots being rough on the inside I meant it was the untanned side of the leather, so there is nothing I can do to make them better.  However, I like them fine and they fit me perfectly.  I used a lot of grease called Dubbin on them when the weather was wet and they got very dark, and when the weather got dry and warm (it has been awfully hot here lately) I tried to clean them and get them a lighter color to shine but I could not do it, although I tried soap and warm water as well as gasoline.  However, on Saturday they issued us with our second pair and I got a pair of Slaters (regular dandies), size 7, just the right length but a bit narrow so I sent them to the cobbler this morning to have them stretched.  I like to have boots that fit.  So many here have them too big and they wrinkle all up and look like the deuce.  Of course, the quartermaster tries to make you take the first pair of your size he finds and there are so many makes made on so many different lasts that sometimes you can wear 6's in one make and have to have 8's in another, so I just stand and holler till I get what I want.

I am on picket today, went on with three others and an N.C.O at five last night.  My tricks were from 5-7 and 11-1, last night and the same today, up and down, mostly sit down out by the horses to see that they are all right.  Two hours on and four off, when on guard we have two on and six off.  But it's only play with no rifles to carry, only it's a bit lonely at night becuase the rest of the picket are 150 yds away, whereas the guard beats right alongside lots of company.  There is a draft of 42 men ordered for England from this Battery at any minute with Mr. Muirhead (Lieut.) in charge.  I don't know whether I go or not yet.

Clarence

P.S. Mr. Muirhead started to make out the list of men he would take, 20 gunners, 15 drivers, 6 N.C.O.'s and himself, and he had me down as one of the best drivers, but the major took the reins himself and does not know the men's work at all so I don't know whether I go or not, but I will let you know as soon as I can...I thought you all might like my photo so I had it taken Saturday.  They cost me $2.50 and you will get them the last of the week.  Do what you like with them, but see that Ada gets one.

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.

May 25, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father,

I don't know when I will come home, it's a question of money, but I want to go home before we go across.  I would come now if I had the cash.  The talk is that we can expect to go to Sussex any day now and that will be 25 miles nearer home.  We are getting lots of hard drill now.  The weather is much better here now than it ever is home at this time.  In mid-summer it's very hot (110 degrees in the shade they tell me), and much colder than elsewhere in the winter.

Drake should have paid the bank charges on that draft, I added them to it at the bank.  It is queer you have had no money yet.  Ada has been sick so she could not get in.  You drive out some night and see her about it.  The other boys from home tell me their people have got the money they signed home.  They got it about the same time we got ours here, so Ada may have it.

I don't know anything about the separation allowance.  I signed all the papers here and that's all I can do.  I suppose the government takes its own time, they have the upper hand.

They discharged McInnis this morning, could not get any satisfaction out of him.  Yesterday, the major gave any who were frightened the chance to get out and about twelve are going if they let them go.  It doesn't seem possible, but they say that is the custom.

We are all trimmed up today expecting Col. Sam Hughes here to inspect us.

Don't worry about those bells, they will have to wait till you can do something for them.  Another letter and roll of photos with them.

Clarence

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.

May 24, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father,

With this letter you will get two photos of the Battery.  About twenty of the men are not in the picture because they were away on leave, and the captain was away also.  However, it compares very well with one like it of the Ammunition Column.  These cost me $3.00.  Raise a little collection if you can because it about bused me.

(P.S. I am perfectly well, barring a slight cold which I have had since coming here.)

Part of the A. Column called the A. Park have gone across (about 20 men).  All the Columns have been issued with their steamer shoes.  They are not allowed to wear the military boots on the steamers on acct. of the hobnails, and though they have been going away for six months past they expect to leave soon, possibly this week.

One of our N.C.O.'s was home on leave and he says there are 80 horses in Sussex waiting for us, so it looks as if we would go there soon.

We have a full holiday today after striking because they only intended to give us half a day.  They always give us Saturday afternoon off, but last Saturday they worked us all day.  The A. Column had a day on Friday, Saturday and all day today.  So we thought we should have more and kicked.

John Bustin is here now and I had quite a talk to him yesterday.  He expects to be home in a week.  Our major is awfully hard, gives us the deuce about everything.  The officers are altogether different.

Keep one of the pictures and give one to Ada.

Clarence

May 15, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father,

That envelope that Ada got was my assigned pay and she will get the separation allowance very soon now for the major took the final facts in each case today and I think the papers will only go to Halifax.  The money will go to Ada, all of it, and she will get it to you so it does not matter much.

I think that acct. of Drake's ran nearly 12 months.  Anyway, that was only the second in 24 months.

Nearly everyone here keeps a horse or colt and you see many men breaking them at night (all trotters).  We don't know anything about feeding horses until we come here and see how a V.S. does it.  Six qts. of oats, 4 qts. bran and a very small feed of hay.  Three times a day and every horse as fat as a hog.

I will write Aunt Bessie soon.

They are always collecting a crowd to play base- and football in spare time and as they won't let a man alone it is hard to get chance to write.

That colt you said Worth had is after Aerial Wood and out of that sorrel trotter the Porter boys had and should make a good one.  $150 is cheap and I wish I had it.

Clarence

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.

May 1, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father,

Received your letter O.K. with instructions about my money, but it is too late.  Wes signed the pay sheet the other day and Ada had told me what Mr. Russell said about my money, so I changed my assigned pay from your name to hers on our major's advice.  This will take effect this month and we expect our money between May 1 - 5, so she should get this at the same time.  Then the government takes a hand and says a man must send half his pay to his beneficiary and that would be her.

The separation allowance of $20.00 should be paid in about five weeks from the time I came here, so the Sergt.-Major told me.  It is stormy here - snow, hail, rain, and we have had two days off.

They never found that boy, supposed to have been drowned.  Some of the people are cleaning up their gardens here but no planting yet.  I paid A. Mathewson all we owed him long ago.

I have all of my uniform now except gloves, waist cartridge belt and spurs, that is all I know of.  Our uniform consists of two suits underclothes, two pair socks, 1 pr. boots, 1 pr. rubbers, 1 pr. puttees, 2 top shirts (grey), 1 toque cap, 1 sweater coat, 1 fatigue shirt and pants, 1 tunic, 1 pr. riding breeches, 1 great coat, 1 dress cap, 1 bandolier, 1 kitbag, razon, s. brush, knife & fork, spoon, boot grease, 2 towels, comb & brush, 1 pr. mittens.  That's all I can think of except badges:  Maple Leaf on cap, Canada on shoulder straps and Maple Leaf on coat collar.  Our drill is mostly marching around the parade ground in different formation and some physical training, semaphore (signaling with the arms), lessons in knotting and lashing, gun sighting, and laying (we have a dozen guns (12 pndrs.) and wagons here).  Then we have lectures on gunnery by the lieutenants.  Then the battery manouvres (at first with the guns but they were too heavy so we tie two sheets to a rope five ft. apart and four men represent horses so we can learn all right).  We have had two route marches.  I used to get tired at first because I was not used to walking so much, but now I feel fine.

Our battery consists of four 15 pndr. guns.  They are the best light guns in the world.  They always move on at trot, never walk except in case of fatigue or very rough.  We won't get our guns this side of England and as none of us every worked on one we will have a lot to learn yet, and more to do when we get our horses, etc.  Artillery is a combination of every other branch of the service apart from the guns, except the navy, so we will have a pile to learn.  Our parade ground is about 150 ft sq on one side of the main building and three times as large on the other side where the horses are and small pieces of ground scattered all around between numberless sheds, stalls and offices.  We have about 60 men of the 55th Infantry here and they only use less than half of the large building.  Next to us is a fine large trotting park and we see a number of fast horses and colts training.  We play ball and football there, too.  Boots are no good.  I know they won't stand water.  I got my feet wet last night on the pavement.  Hobnails weaken the soles.

Clarence

P.S. The people here use us grand, that is the older church people.  They sent us pie and cake for supper three different times and that is all we ate.  Then they came up and darned our socks for us on Thursday night.  They put me in mind of Mrs. Nalder.  We would get more, only when the 23-24 Batteries were here it was such a chore and every one felt so bad about it they did everything they could for them and the novelty wore off, so we only have a few of the steady ones to do for us.   The churches here are fine.  The talk here is that we must be out of this place by May 15.  The N.C.O's think we will go direct to England.  I want to go home sometime in May in case we should go across.  I would like to see you all before I go.

Clarence

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.

April 18, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father,

Only a few lines to let you know I am quite well now.  Enclosed you will find an express order for $25.00 and will send more the last of the month.  You see Dr. Martell and J.A. Russell and find out who I can send this money to in future and what has to be done to use it as I said.  Before I came here quite a while I gave W. Card my note but he could not use it without a good name, so thought he had destroyed it.  But he has sent me his bill with the note credited (enclosed).  Now I do not know whether this note is in the bank or not. 

The Battery is going to search for a lost child this afternoon and as time is short, I will close.

Clarence


P.S. The Sergt.-Major told me it would take about five weeks for Ada to get her government allowance from the time I came here.  I am telling her.

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.

April 11, 1915 - Fredericton

Dear Father:

Only a short one.  Had you not better see D.W. MacLean and get John's address from him, then write stating the case re F.Drake.  Ada will only get her P. money from Mr. Russell and will get her S.A. from the Govt. direct.  On March 31 she got $13.87.  I signed on Mar. 6 and this is correct if they figure 30 days to the month.  She should soon get her S.A. now.

We are regarded as part of the 2nd Contingent, I believe, and when I signed on I requested $25.00 of my wages to go to you.  The major was doubtful about it but said he would try it.  Since that, Ada wrote me saying Mr. Russell (I presume) said I would have to send my wages to her to bank; then I saw the major, he said for me to come in when he was not busy and we would change the card to her name and in that case you will have to use your Power of Attorney and draw from the bank when she deposits.

We had a pay day last Tuesday but I was inoculated that morning and went to the Armouries for clothes in the afternoon.  Was taken sick about 5 and went to bed.  The major took sick next day and went to the hospital and has not come back yet.  (See Lela's card.)  So I have not got my money yet but expect it any day and need it soon, too.  We have to get all our clothes altered so they will fit and have to pay ourselves (mostly shortening sleeves).  I have a bad cold in my head from sleeping in this barn of a place but feel great outside of that.  I drank the green tea they give us at first and suspect there is saltpeter in it.  Anyway, it nearly ruined my kidney before I found out what was doing it.  Well, the inoculation settled there and I hardly dare move for four days now.  I buy a glass of milk at the canteen and am feeling fine.  After meals I take a kidney pill.  I feel very sorry about that mare but you can make it right with Victor.  I guess my job will last long enough.

I get the papers all right and am mighty glad to.

The drill has increased, so we do not have much time to get lazy now.

I will send you $20.00 this month, I guess I will need the balance.  They stop back $10 for clothes for six months, so I will get $26.60 more again.

Clarence

P.S.  Have a talk with Rev. Mr. Martell about that money when you get a chance.

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.

Introduction

I have said these letters were "from across the pond" meaning the big one known as the Atlantic Ocean.  However the first 19 letters were written in Fredericton and one was written while onboard ship outside of Saint John, N.B.  Clarence didn't have a chance to mail this one until he arrived in England.  He thought they might stop in Halifax where he'd be able to post it.  He had hoped for permission to go home before going overseas as his wife, Ada, had given birth to their third child and first daughter on May 9, 1915 but that didn't happen.  Clarence didn't see Nova Scotia again until May of 1919.

On November 16, 1998, one of my cousins, typed the introduction to the transcripts of these letters.  This is what s/he wrote:

"This brief resume of Clarence McCann and his 1915-1919 military experiences was put together by the remaining nine members of his first family of nine boys and five girls, most especially Bob, who volunteered to transcribe the nearly 100 original letters, and, as you can see, did an excellent job.  Its intent is to inform any and all of Clarence's thoughts and feelings during those four long years he was separated from his young wife of two and a half years and his two infant sons.

Clarence McCann was born June 8, 1891, in Windsor, N.S., one of four children of Arthur and Ella McCann.  He married Ada Smith in July, 1912, and in Feb. - March, 1915, he left for Fredericton, N.B., to join the Canadian Army.  Some three months later he was in England and three months after that he was in France to become part of that hell on earth known as World War I.

Until Clarence was released from the army in May, 1919, he never once was able to return home to Windsor and family after enlisting in 1915, and during those four years what thoughts he must have had of returning safely to enjoy a long and happy life with those he loved and away from the carnage he had known in Europe.  But such was not to be.  For in August, 1936, his wife Ada (our mother) suddenly, and at the early age of 42 years, died short hours after giving birth to her fourteenth child.

Although the whole family suffered a crushing blow, one can hardly imagine how Clarence must have felt: no wife and companion, no mother for his fourteen children, eleven of whom were age sixteen or younger, and in the middle of the Great Depression.  In addition, his employment was not full time or guaranteed.  The grief and stress he must have experienced was unimaginable.

But somehow he managed to keep his family more or less together for a number of years, after which he married again, this time to Gladys M. Hines, who bore him three more sons, two of whom died in infancy.  Then fate struck another cruel blow in June, 1947, when Clarence died suddenly, a few days short of his 56th birthday.

These early and sudden deaths of our mother and father have left a great void in the family history, but in the past few years following the death of Clarence's sister, Lela, in 1979, and the subsequent break-up of her home, many letters written by Clarence to his father, mother, sister and brother between the years 1915-1919 have given us a chance to know something of him in his younger years.  We can only imagine how many more letters he must have written to his young wife, Ada, our mother, and we live in hope that one day some of them will turn up and add more to our search for family history.

When contacted, the director of the War Museum in Ottawa, John Granstein, said he would, on behalf of the museum, be glad to receive Dad's war medals plus the letters and related documents which included a copy of Statement of Service in the Canadian Armed Forces and Dad's discharge certificate, and so, on December 1, 1998, Bill delivered same to the Museum along with a complete transcript of the letters.  Eventually, the plan is to display a selected portion of the letters for public viewing.  Also, as I understand it, the letters will perhaps provide further information to war researchers.

Well done, Bill!"

© Copyright 2010 Pamela Wile. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without permission.