1915-04-05tt

On Monday, April 5, 1915, the Hamilton Spectator carried a letter from Robin Richards, a Hamilton soldier who had been seriously in combat. The letter was accompanied by a photograph of him taken in the Red Cross hospital located in Hove, England.

Robin Richards’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Richards, resided on Mountain Avenue in Hamilton’s southwest district.

Robin Richard had been on the firing line in Western Europe, serving with the first Canadian Expeditionary force. He wounded in a bayonet charge, when a burly German soldier rammed him the stomach with his Mauser. Richard’s injuries included suffering from a displaced abdominal muscles, dysentery and ptomaine poisoning.

While recovering the English hospital, Richards sent the following letter, along with the photograph to his parents:

Red Cross Hospital, Third Avenue,

Hove, Eng.   March 19, 1915.

Dear Father – Pleasant change to be able to write without having one’s letters read.

I see the troops are still seesawing around Ypres and the village, or, rather, brick pile of St. Elio, about three miles southwest, where we spent most of our time.

Think I know every broken brick and place of possible cover in the bug. Had some real strenuous hand-to-hand fighting there just before I got knocked out, just like old pictures of the Franco-Russian war – German shells dropping indiscriminately on the mob. Casualties were heavy. I was devilishly lucky.

Trenches around St. Eloi are in terribly bad shape, so smashed by shell fire and mines that they seem mere aimless holes in the ground, connected by shallow ditches. The lack of proper parapet and depth cause a very heavy casualty list.

There are two motorbuses by the side of the road leading to the village, which were abandoned on the retreat from Mons. Interesting reading the ads for Nestle’s milk and baby food under the green paint while taking cover behind ‘em.

Don’t know which is most pleasant – waiting six hours after being told to get ready for a bayonet charge or dying in some d----d trench listening to les Allemands sapping underneath you. Looks as if the devil had ben scrambling eggs after a mine has exploded under a crowded trench.

Fighting around there seems terribly foolish. We cannot hold the German trench when wew’ve got it, and they can’t hold ours. WE made a charge around the beginning of March that I think I told you about in my previous letter. I got slugged in the stomach with the butt of a Mauser, handled by a burly 27^th Bavarian Foot Guard, while climbing a parapet. It wasn’t much of a wallop, but what with dysentery and ptomaine poisoning, I went to the mat for fair. Other fellows took the trench and blew it up. Then the Germans came back and chased us out, charged ours and drove us out.

Some of the abdominal muscles have been displaced, which makes recovery a devil of a long job. However, just a question of time, I guess. Then I should get a couple of weeks furlough before rejoining the battalion.

I managed to get over to Ypres a couple of months ago. Nice old town, some fine old buildings – particularly the Cloth Hall. The latter was not damaged at that time except for the beautiful stained glass windows smashed. Fierce job trying to repair these old trenches around this district. Two feet of mud, blood and filth, then dad Frenchmen, next ammunition, etc., equipment, next level more dead Frenchmen, broken rifles, then a layer of decomposed Germans, and, apparently, about ten feet deep you still find remains of human occupation.

I remember what you about ‘spoila optima’ Had rather a choice collection, a couple of quadrangular French bayonets and a German helmet, which really belonged to me according to medieval customs, but lost all my baggage at Batlent. I was somewhat dazed and had to be toted around on a stretcher and I guess someone pinched.

Best love to everybody,

          ROBIN RICHARDS ¹

¹ Devil’s Scramble As Trenches Are Mined : Hamilton Man Sends Graphic Story From Front”

Hamilton Spectator.     April 5, 1915