Historie 1. Verdenskrig Militæret Sidste brev

Jacks sidste brev hjem til familien

En pige som håber to mænd fra fronten kommer hjem

Unge rekruter

I dette farlige angrebsområde er de hjælpeløse og falder som fluer.

Brev til en sygeplejerske

Deres Brev, har været min eneste Trøst i disse forfærdelige Dage.

In a distant grave

Though buried in a distant grave,
Amidst the shot and shell,
For Country's sake his life he gave

Min dreng

Han sover nu i fremmed jord,
min muntre, blonde dreng.

Willie Mcbride

Well how do you do Private William McBride
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside,

Dette er Jacks sidste brev hjem, som han skrev kort før han skulle i kamp for første gang. Jack forsvandt sporløst den følgende dag.

Faderen Rudyard Kipling skrev i 1915 digtet My boy Jack. Jacks familie gjorde alt for at finde ham og først i 1919 affandt de sig med, at Jack altid ville være MIA (Missing In Action).

Dear F -

Just a hurried line as we start off tonight. The front line trenches are nine miles off from here so it wont be a very long march.

This is THE great effort to break through & end the war.

The guns have been going deafeningly all day, without a single stop.

We have to push through at all costs so we won't have much time in the trenches, which is great luck.

Funny to think one will be in the thick of it tomorrow.

One's first experience of shell fire not in the trenches but in the open.

This is one of the advantages of a Flying Division, you have to keep moving.

We marched 18 miles last night in the pouring wet.

It came down in sheets steadily.

They are staking a tremendous lot on this great advancing movement as if it succeeds the war won't go on for long.

You have no idea what enormous issues depend on the next few days.

This will be my last letter most likely for some time as we won't get any time for writing this next week, but I will try & send Field post cards.

Well so long old dears.