The Earl Campbell Story - Life In The Army

Vimy Ridge Battle took place April 9- 12, 1917


Apr 7, 1917, Somewhere in France, p.2 " I watched a G Plane come down this morning. Sure was a great sight. We threw the pick shovel & Jacks on the track and stood about an hour with our mouths open about 8 inches.",," Well Arch, I must close now and will look for a answer soon, If you find any chewing or smoking laying around be sure and put it in the next box that is sent. I can do without chewing, but dam if I can do without the pipe. The closest town is about 15 miles away. So you see it is hard to get it. What is issued to us is not enough."

Apr 13, 1917, Somewhere in France p.1 Earl writes of some of the lads from King. "Well I found where Wallace & them are now. Some of our lads were down to see them last week. Corp Lloyd of our Coy was talking to Wallace. Next day I am off duty I will take a walk down to see them. And I found where Percy Butler is. I was talking to a fellow that knows him well. He is only about 14 kilometers from us. And I have not seen F. Platte for two months. I do not know where D.Coy is at all.

p.2 "We have a Coy of Australians working with us the 30th Batt. One of the first that came out. And there are 3 Coys of Q.V.R. Queen Victoria Rifles with us. Thye are all the time singing. Blithy, Blithy, Blithy. I want to go back to Blithy, Blighy is the place for me.

Apr 26, 1917, France, written 3 weeks after Vimy Ridge. Earl in his letter speaks of the battle but he is unaware of the magnitude of the battle. "I had not time to write a long letter. But as long as you hear from me once a week you will know I am still alive." Suppose you have seen by the papers that Lorne has been wounded. He is the third B.Coy lad wounded. It is only a slight wound so tell them not to worry about him. He was hit with shrapnel on the breast near his collarbone. He is lucky to get it so light. I was only 40 rods from him at the time. I could hear Old Fritz putting the shrapnel & wizzbangs over. Some of it would sing the tune of Tipperary. I think he will soon be back with us. Leslie S. had his tunic sleeve cut one day by the same medicine. I had the witts scared out of me by a shell to. But am over it now. Ha,ha, We made another 5 mile move again. We are in a dandy place now. But pretty noisy – by times. We play football every evening. B.Coy play the R.E. Royal Engineers tonight of course I have to play. Lieut Jenkins, H. Bovair, H. Boys also are playing. I must go down and see the lads soon. L.Robb is suffering from shell shock. But don't let his people know. He is not very bad now. One of our D.Coy lads dies in Hospital to-day Harris from Aurora. He was hurt in a mine of Fritz's which blew up. Allso big Wagstaff of Woodbridge is wounded. Dad will know him. He played with the 127 football team at Aurora last summer."

Jun 16, 1917, Somewhere in Belgium writes to Merelda:

"I received your 15 page letter of May 22^nd tonight. 60 of us B.Coy lads have been up the line for 6 days. Came back to our camp to-night. Glad to get back believe me. We put in a very exciting time allright. We were very lucky never lost no lives tho. 3 were wounded and 9 gassed. The three wounded went to Hospital and one of the gassed went also. Fritz sent gas over to us 3 nights out of 6. We were working one night started at 10 o'clock, about 11 o'clock the gas came. Dock Boys and I had left our gas helmets about 20 rods away from us. I tell you we were not very long getting up to them. We both had our lungs full of it by the time we got them on. We were about a mile from our dugout. And the trick was getting back with the helmets on we could not see two feet ahead of us with them on. And we dared not to take them off. We both layed down in a ditch beside the track for over two hours. I heard Harry Bovair yell at us to come on. So we started on a very slow march to our dugout. If I tripped over the rail ties I bet I tripped 50 times. I will never forget that night.

My head was as big as a barn the next morning. It is awful stuff. I can't describe what it smells like. But it is worse than the skunks I use to catch. He threw lots of shells at us, but our guns put 200 over to his 50, that shows how he is getting it. Once more I was lucky a shell burst close to me and a piece of it cut clean through my tunic just beside my pocket, tore the skin off my leather belt I wore underneath. Only for it I would have been in Blithy, I guess."

p.2 "Chester Ward came up to our Camp to-night. He is in the 3^rd Canadian Labour Batt. they are camped about 2 miles from us. He was awful glad to see us King & Laskay boys again. He is the same old boy. The 4th C.R.T. are close to us to. I do not know any of the lads in it tho.

Jun 18, 1917, Belgium letter to Earl's sister Pauline "We are having a few days' rest. I do not know when we will be going up the pike again. I sure had an exciting time of it last wk. I am all over the gas now, feeling fine. H. Boys is well again to. I had my tunic cut with a piece of shrapnel. But I think it is quite well again. It did not get a Blithy" .



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