Editor’s Note: During the First World War, Pte Cecil Minary served in the CEF, beginning his military training at Camp Hughes prior to being shipped to England for additional training. He saw his first action in France soon after Canada’s involvement in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. His great-great-niece Kendra Minary from Souris spent the COVID pandemic going through 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 viewers here to give you a peek at what a soldier was contemplating with pencil and paper while in the UK training or in France in a trench waiting for the next attack or counter-attack. Pte Minary’s letters are transcribed as they were written by Kendra, so this includes his spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. Of note, from his letters home he rarely described his clashes with Fritz, instead preferring to enquire about life on the family farm in Nesbitt or what his family and friends were doing back in Manitoba. 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 his dad, sister or a relatives. He also made the job of Army censors easier by not including war details which would be censored by being blacked out. That’s the reason why his letters are “somewhere in France” once he left England for the Western Front. Those original letters are stored at the Wawanesa Museum.

Pte Cecil Minary casts vote in federal election while in France

Somewhere in France
Wednesday Dec 5th 1917

Dear Sister Annie
Just a few lines to let you know that I am still alive and feeling fine as usual, for I know that you will be looking for a letter from me by now as it is quite awhile since I wrote last and the reason is that I have been waiting for a letter from you and as none has arrived yet I have made a brake and am sending you a few lines anyway; there has been no Canadian mail at all for nearly two weeks.
We are still out on rest yet and hope to be for awhile yet, the weather has turned a lot cooler this last week and has been freezing right along, it has quite a crust on the ground now so we are free from the mud for a little while anyway, It is so cold though that we can not write any letters in our Billits (sic).
The Billits are in the Barns so four of us came to the Frenchmans (sic) house and by our French combined and a few signs thrown in got them to understand that we wanted to write beside the stove so I am beside a fire for once. My address is the same 829297 B. Coy 52nd Battalion Canadians BEF France.
I sent you a handkerchief in a registered envelope a few days ago and I hope that it reaches you alright and also a Christmas card it has the Battalion Badge on it and the ribbons are our divisional and Brigade colors (sic) we all wear those one the shoulders of our tunics.
Well Annie I guess you will be surprised I know I am anyway but I am going on leave to England for two weeks so that means London for me, there is another fellow going with me who has no relatives in England either so I guess we will put in a wild time of it if our money lasts, we were to leave today but it has been cancelled for a while but I should worry if it waits long enough we will make Christmas and New Years out of it.
I polled my first vote in my life on Monday. Kind of a funny place to make your first vote for the Dominion of Canada somewhere in France.
Well Annie this is all just now so will close hoping to hear from you soon.
I remain your loving Brother Cecil

Great War private leaves out Battle of Vimy Ridge news

Editor’s note: Pte Minary wrote this letter home from the front two days after the start of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He does not mention anything about his involvement after Canadian soldiers attacked the ridge on April 11, though he suggested it was a monumental moment in Canadian history when he wrote: “I guess Annie you will be proud to able to call yourself a Canadian after what has just happened here I know I am.” As a Lewis Gunner, he might have been held in reserve after the initial attack. Unfortunately, he did not write anything about this historic CEF battle in this letter.
Somewhere in France
April 13th 1917
Dear Annie,
Well hear (sic) I am again still alive and in good health I have received two more letters from you since last I wrote, dated Feb 12th and March 5th, the difference is because one was addressed to the 52nd Battalion.
I have got eight letters since Sunday besides your two or thirteen in less than a week now that is going some what do you think eh?
The eight this week were one from Chase, one from Edyth Durnin, Mame Manders, Gladys Boyde Winnipeg, Berta Prette, Bertha Minary, Edna Blythe and Margaret Smith.
I don’t know when I will ever get them all answered. Bertha Minary is in Toronto now she sent me a picture of herself and is sending a box of apples and candies my I hope it soon gets here.
And say Annie that snap of you and Mae is a dandy, I just got it the day before your Birthday.
I tell you what I feel kind of proud when I show it to the fellows and say “those are my two sisters” I wish I had a lot more of you ones at home, that is the first I’ve got.
But say Annie when did you join and Mae, the Kilties those caps just look like them.
Well Annie I am out of the third entrenching Battalion now, we joined our Battalion yesterday so soon expect to have a crack at Old Hienie (sic).
I guess Annie you will be proud to able to call yourself a Canadian after what has just happened here I know I am.
My address is just the same 829297 52nd Battalion Canadians BEF France.
I can’t give you my company as I’m not just shure (sic) yet but will in the next letter. The weather here is something awfull (sic), Old Manitoba could never begin to come up with it, we had over three inches of snow the night before last and took all day yesterday to melt it away so you can imagine the state of things here.
I guess you ones will be busy now getting ready or at seeding by this time. You certainly must have had quite a drive over to that dance at Uncle Bobs and I think you are making the best of it while dad is away.
Well Annie I guess I’ll close for this time for I want to answer some of the other letters. Hoping this finds you all well.
With love to all
From Cecil

Canadian soldiers spent Christmas 1916 in quarantine

829297 South Camp
A Coy 144th Battn CEF Seaford
c/o the Army Post Office Sussex
London Eng. Dec 26th 1916

Dear Edna,
Just a few lines to let you know that I am still alive and feeling fine, and to thank you for that splendid Xmas Box and cards which arrived this morning, it is the first of my Xmas Boxes to arrive, there being five others on the road somewhere.
I have just had the box open and everything is in dandy shape, the outside paper is as not even torn and there was only one dent in the tin and that was on the side where you had packed the small cakes so the jar of jam came through fine and dandy so I’ll have some nice dessert for supper for a few nights now.
Well Edna we spent Xmas in quarantine still although my hut got out of isolation last Thursday; but the Battalion if luck holds good will be out sometime this week.
We spent yesterday in lines all day. We had a pretty good dinner considering circumstances each platoon eats together at dinner, four platoon, the one I am in had fifty-five men, three Corporals and two Sergeants for dinner, quite a sized table, what do you think?
We had some turkey, roast pork, plum pudding, and nuts, apples, oranges then there was beer for those who wanted it; but that spoilt (sic) the afternoon as a lot of the fellows took too much of the good stuff, by night a third was drunk, another third feeling good, there was only three other fellows in the platoon besides myself who did not take any of the beer, so you can imagine what kind of afternoon it was for us fellows, as for me it is the last Xmas I hope to spend like that, they are a nice bunch of fellows when they are sober, but the way they were yesterday evening I’d just as soon be away from them.
You need not be afraid of me starting anything for after yesterday I hate the sight of the stuff worse than ever, but of course the fellows will all *fold in paper so can’t read word* (?) me to take some just for friendship sake but I always say no, they don’t think anything the less of me for it.
I hope Edna that you will not think that I’m trying to praise myself up, but I feel so disgusted after yesterdays performance and to think of that kind of rejoining for Xmas.
The weather has been quite warm these last few days Sunday was nice and calm with the sun shining bright and yesterday was the same, we were drilling this morning without our gloves on it was so warm but we are not out at all this afternoon as it has been raining heavy.
There was very little mail for me last week only one letter from Annie my sister they were all well when she wrote except Roy, he had been sick bad for two or three days but that he had started to eat a little again that morning.
Well Edna, this is rather a short letter but will have to close as I can think of nothing of interest to say.
Hoping this will find you all well and thanking you for the splendid Xmas box.
With love to all.
From your Cousin Cecil

Letter mailed not knowing brother KIA 28-8-18

Editor’s note: Sister Mae Minary wrote this letter for her brother not knowing he was killed by a German artillery blast two days earlier on the battlefield in France.

Dad is sending Nesbitt, Man.
Five Dollars this August 30th 1918
Time V Of M

Dear Cecil:
I suppose this will nearly knock you out when you see who it is from. You must think I’m some sister to have when I don’t write. I know I’m mean.
The men will finish cutting next week. They are cutting Barley now it will go about 35 bus to the ac that’s the only thing we have this year. The wheat not to bad in some places but the oats are something awful.
Oh I must tell you that I was out stooking (sic) one day this year Vic and Arnott were over stooking for Geo Miller, so Roy and I we went out in the fields at home. I had nothing over my arms and they were scratches from one cut to the other. We quit about half past five and came up and milked the cows. Dad doesn’t milk now at all I do it all. There was a heavy dew on the grain this morning and they didn’t get started until about nine. They got started other mornings about half past seven and quit about eight every night so its (sic) quite a long day. They got a new binder this year its (sic) a John Deere. They will start to thresh at the end of next week or the first of the next week. Dad is getting a rubber belt for the machine this year. There some tittle price over a hundred dollars when freight is paid on it. He was going to get a new deck belt but they pached (sic) the old one up and it will do this year. You will have forgotten how to run the machine when you get back. I have a yellow colored pony to drive this year where I take sailor lunches you will remember Sailor. I won’t drive prince cause he’s too keen he likes to gallop all the time. Our little pups are just Darlings now sport that’s mine comes with me every night when I go for the cows and every time when I feed the calves But Laddie always stays with Annie in the house. This morning I went out to help Dad get his team out and sport came with me. The only thing that’s wrong with it is it always chases the chickens.
Alf just got home a week ago today from Winnipeg. He was sick in the hospital for quite a while he had blood poisoning in his foot and leg but they got it stoped (sic). Old Bill Scott over here is the worst old fool on earth now no one will speak to him now. He cut Geo Millers pasture field fence the other day and let all the horses out. The only thing he can talk about now is Law when you boys come home we are going to get you to run him out of the country.
We had quite a lot of rain here but it has stoped (sic) now and is quite nice weather. We have not had a letter from you for about a week and a half. Before we always got one a week. Charlie Little is married now. He married Evelyn Cunningham I just wish they would take him now it would serve him right what do you think?
Well Cecil this is about all.
From your Sister Mae

Pte Cecil Minary heard about Halifax Explosion from France trenches

Somewhere in France
Friday February 1st 1918

Dear Annie and all the rest
Well Annie here I am again I guess you will be thinking by this time that I am beginning to forget about you, But no that is not the reason at all, for I have been on the move so much latley (sic) that I really could not get settled down to write and then again I was not getting any mail,
But we should worry for last night made for it, for what do you think, there were seventeen letters for me and three of them were from you with a piece in one from Dad. tell Dad and them all to write a little when ever they feel like it for I like to hear from every one and although my letters are Addressed to you, it is for them all.
The letters of yours last night was dated Nov 22nd Dec 4th and 15th, I got letters last night all the way from Nov 18th to Jan 3rd some mail system eh? I guess it is the submarines that is causing all the trouble.
I am back with the Battalion now for over a week and we are out on rest again, the weather is not to bad calm and (fold in paper so can’t read the next few words) frost in the mornings.
My address is the same 829297 – – – B. Coy 52nd Battalion Canadians CEF France. I don’t know if I told you or not Annie, but I am in charge of my Machine Gun Crew now and have been since October, I carry no rifle, just a revolver and the Lewis Gun, and am the man who does the shooting when the Germans are in sight, there are six men in the crew besides myself.
Say Annie but you all must be very busy getting up those concerts for the Red Cross and you are doing very well to, it is a dirty shame that Mrs Swanton got that quilt at Bertha, for they don’t deserve anything, I am glad to hear that Bruce has got off at B2 Class tell him if he has to go before the doctors again to tell them that if he walks any distance at all that his insteps get sore and pains a lot, that means that he is no use for the army.
Yes we get all the news over here of any thing like that Halifax explosion. The Concussion from that explosion must of been something awfull (sic) for in November I had a nine inch shell, they weigh one hundred and eight pounds, explode about twenty yards from me, and well I could not stand up or see anything for about five minutes, it was the concussion that caused it.
I sent May a plain broach the other day in a registered envelope and I hope that she gets it all right, I got another five spot in one of the letters last night safe and sound, I am saving it up now for we are getting leave a lot oftener now and with twenty dollars assigned pay I will not have very much for my next leave.
You ask Annie if Mulligan who was wounded in October was all right yet, well he is not for I had a letter from him last night and he is still in bed yet and has to go through an operation as his temple is broken in with a piece of shrapnel in his head yet.
Tell Dad not to worry about the western front for if old Fritze (sic) ever comes over here, he will find there is a hot hade’s (sic) awaiting him.
Well Annie this is all just now so will close with love to all
From Cecil

Kendra Minary from Souris worked on her great-great-uncle’s military history during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pte Cecil Minary was KIA on Aug. 28, 1918, and was buried in a nearby French cemetery. He wrote a lot of letters home to cousin Edna. His name is on a plaque outside the defunct Nesbitt Church.