1914-11-11ao

On November 11, 1914, Mr. M. Meehan, of 47 Wood street, Hamilton, received a letter from His son, H. Meehan, who was in the fightiung of the fighting in France, serving with the 21^st field ambulance brigade, of the expeditionary force.

Mr. Meehan immediately took the letter to the Spectator office where it was published in the afternoon edition of the paper that day.

The letter, in full, and uncensored, follows:

“I am taking the best chance I have of writing to you. , as all our letters are opened and read, but my chum is an Oxford man and, as he has received a commission, and as he is leaving for England today, he will post this.

“I was in the trenches last night. The Germans have their artillery along here as thick as berries, but the sight of a bayonet sickens them. I was with the Wilts regiment when they charged. The Germans just screamed like babies and ran.

“Our hospital was shelled last night. I got touched with a shrapnel splinter on the wrist, nothing serious though.

“I am doing duty as an officer’s servant and cook now. When we land in a Chateau, we have champagne and chickens, next day we have nothing.

“In the battle we are engaged now, there are 25,000 of us and we beat 300,000 Germans back two miles. We were practically in a ring of cannons, but we trimmed them and made them back up. Reinforcements arrived today and we are winning.

“I think this is twenty times worse than Mons. You see thousands of refugees and nuns making for the big towns. They are all Catholics here.

“ I am getting a Belgian officer’s commission, which I picked up as a souvenir. This is worth something, keep it for me. I have got a German’s helmet as well, but I can’t get it away just now.

“The trenches are 200 yards from the German cannons. The wounds are frightful.”¹

¹ “Fear Cold Steel : Hamilton Man Says Germans Flee Before Brtish Bayonets.”

Hamilton Spectator .   November 11, 1914

Mr. Meehan took the Belgian officer’s commission paper, which was included with his son’s letter, to the Parke and Parke drug store where it was put on display in one of the store’s big windows facing the Market Square.