Letter Home From France Editor’s Note: During the First World War, Pte Cecil Minary served in the CEF, beginning his military training at nearby Camp Hughes prior to being shipped to England for additional training. He saw his first action soon after Canada’s involvement at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France in April 1917. His great-great-niece Kendra Minary of Souris spent the COVID pandemic going thru the original letters he wrote home from England and France prior to being KIA on Aug. 28, 1918. The Lewis gunner died on the battlefield after his crew was hit by a German artillery shell. The Stag’s website will share Kendra’s great-great-uncle’s letters with our website followers to give you a peek at what a soldier was contemplating with pencil and paper while in the UK training or after arriving in France and spending time in a trench waiting for the next attack or counter-attack. Pte Minary’s letters are transcribed as they were written, so this includes his spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. Of note, from his letters home he rarely described his clashes with the Germans, or Fritz as soldiers then referred to the enemy, instead preferring to enquire about life on the family farm back in Manitoba or what his family and friends were doing back in the Nesbitt area. Unlike some some soldiers who would share their war stories in their always censored letters, Pte Minary had his own distinct writing style no matter if the letter was for his dad, sister or a relative. He also made the job of Army censors easier by not including war details which would be blacked out. That’s the reason why his letters are “somewhere in France” once he left England for the Western Front. Those letters are currently stored at the Wawanesa Museum.
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Witley Camp
Godalming Surrey

Oct 31st 1916

Dear Edna- Just received your welcome letter before supper and it certainly was a pleasant surprise, It happened to be the only letter tonight in No. 4 Platoons hut so I am the lucky guy today. We had been out on a route march in full marching order all afternoon so came in pretty tired and hungry, I only got one page read when come to the cook house door, went, and the inner man could not stand it, so the letter was finished after supper.

I received a letter from home yesterday but it was wrote (sic) a day later than yours so it seems rather queer that it was hear (sic) a day a head, But that does not matter much as long as they get here, for that is the main thing here, letters, as there is no one that a fellow knows.

We are quite a way from Shorncliff But I am not shure (sic) just how far, but if we are lucky your cousin and I might meet, I have not seen any 147’s yet, but I was asking some of my chums and they said they had seen some of them so they must be in this Camp some where, so I’ll be on the look out.

The trip across the pond was splendid we were not the least bit seasick, being only five and a half days coming across on board the Olympic (sic). We came around the north island and landed at Liverpool. They always gave us a route march every day a board so we had plenty of exersize (sic). We had a fast trip over just twelve days from Camp Hughes to Witley Camp.

They gave us a six days leave shortly after we got over hear (sic) and of course the most of us went to London. We all had a pretty good time, I was through West Minister (sic) Abbey, Saint Pauls Cathedral, the tower of London, Madamme Tussuards (sic) Wax Works, the Chamber of horrors, the Yooagivical (sic) Gardens and the National Art Gallery, But I don’t believe I could remember the half of what I saw. I have applied for another pass this weekend but do not know if I will get it yet or not.

Things are quite different here to what they are in Canada everything is surrounded by hedges and the roads are all paved and lined with trees, the pastures are quite different to what they are over there and an ice cream soda was never heard of, it seems to be mostly beer so that means that means I am out of it.

They have been working us pretty hard latley (sic) hard at it from morning till (sic) night, the most of us have finished our musketry course now, but were (sic) are still at bayonet fighting and pysical (sic) drill.

We are moving out of this camp sometime this week, the advance guard went last Saterday (sic) to someplace near Brighton called Seaford or Shoreham I don’t know which. We are either going into Winter quarters or they are getting us ready to go to France.

The weather hear (sic) is something awfull (sic) for rain but it is a lot warmer than Canada just now I suppose everything is green here yet and the flowers are still in bloom, and also this is Holloween (sic) night in Canada I wonder what mischief you’ll be up to tonight. They do not seem to have any Holoween (sic) over hear (sic) at least I have not heard anything of it.

We go out very little hear (sic) about the only thing I go to is the free concerts for the soldiers there is one in the Y.M.C.A. every Thursday evening and one in Godalming Sundays and that is a three mile walk there, but it is worth it.

The snap [photograph] is not very good it would have been better if I’d been looking at the camera but that was the photographers fault, he would have me look at him, I don’t know what for, unless he thought he was better looking and if that was the case, I don’t think it worked, It was taken just after I had been on drill all day.

Well Edna I guess I’ll have to close for this time as news are rather scarce and anyway it is time I was back to my hut as first post is at nine and I have my equipment to clean for tomorrow.

Hoping this will find you all as well as I am myself be shure (sic) and send that picture of yourself and Mildred.

I remain yours sincerely

Cecil.

829297 Pte. C.E. Minary

A coy 144th Batt C.E.F.

c/o the Army Post Office

London England