The Earl Campbell Story - Life In The Army

Conscription was in force in Canada

Jan 1, 1918 letter to Merelda from London, Waterloo

Dear Merelda, Well I am down in London again came in from Scotland yesterday morning. I had a dandy time while there. I was to Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. They are all pretty cities. I think Aberdeen is the nicest city I've been to yet. It is close to the ocean and you should see the big hills that are there. I thot that hill of ours in front of the house was a big one. Some in Scotland are about 10 times the size of it. And nearly everywhere you can see sheep or goats feeding on them. I spent my Christmas in Aberdeen and I will never forget it. The Red Cross Women of that City gave all us lads who were on leave and had no place to go to a free Xmas dinner. Mostly every thing you could think about was on the table. I happened to be the lucky guy in getting the six penny piece in the plum pudding. They told me I would be lucky now. I hope my luck is I don't have to go back to France again. But am afraid there will be no such luck. Anyway I think this war will end about July or August. So surely I can hang it out that long, eh. The biggest battle ever fought will be coming off this summer. I think the Kaiser will have peace before it does. He will suffer if he does'nt. The Yanks will be into it. And the Conscript of Canada will get a warming up. Fritz is a hard old nut. I can't see where he gets all his men. I was through the Tower yesterday. And also West Minister Abbey. I was through them last year. But I thot it would do me no harm to see through it again. There are awful sights to see in the Tower. Some will just about frightened you, ha-ha. I will go to the Zoo this afternoon. I am surprise to see how London is bombed so much. It is awful the big buildings that are knocked out. He bombs every moonlight night. Bu the aircraft guns get quite a few of his planes & Zepplins. It is great fun when a raid is on. The people nearly go crazy. If it happens to be in the night you see all kinds of people in their night shirts beating it for underground. They even forget to put their boots on. It is dangerous to stand in the road of any of them. They run at such a rate that if they hit a fellow it would about kill you. The women are the worse for knocking you over, ha,ha

I sent a big box from Aberdeen to Mother. I put my kilt which I got on the Somme last winter in it. I also put a brass cap made out of a 17 lb pound shell and a lot more of small stuff. Frank Brown made the cap for me. I hope you get it o.k. You should have it before you get this letter. I guess Henry & Merle will be home now. Did Henry bring any cattle down to Dad. I guess they would be all of the goat breed. I wonder what you all are doing now at home. It is New Years morning over here. I guess it is the same in Canada. How many skins has Arch got? I guess Pauline & Floss get a share out of them. Well Merelda I guess I have wrote you enough news this time. I will have some mail to read when I get back to France. They will keep it there for me. I hope you all are well at home. I am jake.

Bye-Bye, your loving Bro Earl

I wrote to Harold & May a few days ago.

Jan 3, 1918, Bordon Camp letter to Merelda (look at his record why he was in C.B…)

Dear Sister, again I write home. I have to do something to pass away the nights now. I got a few days C.B. and I am not allowed to go out to the town until my time is up. Which will be up to-morrow night the 4th. Yesterday was pay day of course I did not get any pay. So I will just be about broke when I leave for away.

Well Merelda I don't think our Batt of 1400 men will see France. By the way they are running things around here now. Close on to two hundred wagons come in here new field kitchens, 3 dozen water wagons, and the cork helmets came in for us, the khaki coloured ones the kind the English wore in the Boer war. So you see we are in for going to some war country. May be Greece or Egypt. It will be an awful trip if we go there. We were to leave for somewhere on New Years. But more talk or Bull. We have been all issued a new equipment for our backs. They took our old Canadian pack and give us these. They are a web equipment a little larger and handier than the old ones. I am kept quite busy these days, such as cleaning mules, harness, saddles, spurs, bridles, and we must not leave a hay seed on the floor. But I prefer Calvary before Infantry. The route marches which we take every forenoon are quite easy sitting on the mules backs. I was thrown about 10 ft high and slid down the side o/f the stable. Polly is a quite one. But Ginger will not allow any one to ride him. He can even put the Serg Major off. And he is supposed to ride anyone of them. And Bob Wilkins has an awful bad one. This afternoon he was breaking it in. It threw him twice the second time Bob lit on his head unconscious. He is feeling pretty stiff to-night. He says if he can't break it in, he will break his neck in. Tell Arch they are harder to ride than Harry or Dave. I have not heard from Harold lately. Maybe he is on his way home. My New Years day was tending to the wild beasts. I had a letter from Lizzie Brown to-day saying that she packed the box for me from Laskay. She sent me a photo of the interior of Laskay Church. What a sight it was on Rally Day. I suppose Nobleton rink will be going by now? Or is the Laskay rink cutting it out? Well Merelda I will close now and write a line or two to Lizzie Brown. I allways answer ever letter that comes to me, let it be married or single, old or young, fat or thin. I wrote to Mother a few nights ago, hope she got it allright. With Love to all at home, Your Brother Earl
My address is changed again

Sapper Earl Campbell, No. 779051,
B.Coy, 127 Light Railway Batt.,
B.E.F. Army P.O. London, Eng.

Feb 8, 1918, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng.
Earl writes about the torpedoing of the Tuscania and American liner.

Survivors from Tuscania, a Cunard liner carrying American troops, which Was sunk by a German submarine on Feb. 5, 1918. Photo from Britannica Image Quest.

Dear Merelda & All, Well how are you all keeping this winter. Are you doing much skating or is it the Dances you spend your time at. I will show you how to dance when I get home. I've done quite a bit of it out in France. Dancing among shells I mean. I am still enjoying my self in bed yet. It is a long time since I've been in a good bed. So I thot I would stick to one while I have the chance. I have no pain now. My legs are numb from the feet to the hips. Therefore I can not walk. The Nurse says there is a good chance of getting my discharge. So look out maybe I'll be home to boy you around this summer. There is no chance of me joining my Battalion until Spring anyway. Thank God I am missing the winter in France this year. It is 10 years more to a person's life to miss a winter & spring in France. I see by last night paper that the Tuscania, the American liner was torpedoed. That will get the Yanks wind up allright. They are in for giving Fritz something pretty hot this summer. But I think Germany will make Peace before this awful Battle comes off. It will be the hardest battle ever fought in this war. And there have been some awful ones.

Feb 20, 1918, Cheltenham, Eng. Dear Merelda, I guess you are hearing from me often enough now. I believe I write home twice a week. My mail has not come from France yet. But I am looking for it any day now. There will sure be a bundle of it I had a letter from Bill Wellman & one from Bob Carney, those are the only two I've had since I took sick. Well Merelda still in bed yet. And on Monday I have to have a operation on my eyes. My eyes have been weak ever since I got gassed in June. And the Trench Fever has made them a great deal worse. They have to be scraped. It will be some job. But maybe it will get me to Canada. Ha-ha. I have to wear glasses. I got them today. I think I am a beaut with em on. The Nurse made me put them on to write this letter. The Sister of No. 2 Ward has been to Toronto and to Huntsville. She is a awful kind Lady. She will go out to town and buy grapes & apples for us with her own money. Her Husband owns a large castle not far from here. Sunday nights we can hear the bells ringing on it. They play the tune of Nearer My God to Thee. It nearly make ones hair crawl to listen to it. I see by the paper that Fritz been over bombing London last night. Lucky this place is away out of his course. Cheltenham is close to the Severn River which has the second largest tide in the world. The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada has the largest one. A English chap would'nt believe me when I told him we had the largest tide in the world. I got Sister Jackson to prove it for him. Well Merelda I will close for this time. When I get out town I will get you a few of the latest sheets of music. I must get Hazel & Walter a few things. I don't think I sent them anything yet. I wrote to Arch a few days ago, also wrote to Harold. I hope you all are well at home. Love to all, Au Revoir Loving Bro, Earl Sapper Earl Campbell No. 779051 Ward 2 Naunton Park Hospital Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng

Found in letter sent Feb 20, 1918 … assuming reference to sinking of Tuscania

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