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.

• • •

Holding something that was once held by my great-great uncle 105 years ago is pretty crazy.

This post card was sent home by Pte Cecil Edmund Minary to his father, Andrew Minary — my great-great-grandfather) while he was in England for a short time before being drafted over to France during the First World War.

Unfortunately, Cecil never made it home as he and his Lewis Machine Gun crew were hit by an enemy artillery shell killing six of the seven men on Aug. 28, 1918. Cecil was only 23 years old.

The letter home on the post card reads:

Mr. Andrew Minary

Box 18 Nesbitt

Manitoba

Canada

Nov 14th 1916

Dear Dad -:

Just a line to say that I was one of the men picked for the first draft to be ready to go any day.

With love

From Cecil

Letters from the Great War mailed home in June

 

829297

Somewhere in France

B. Coy.

Friday June 21st 1918

Dear Edna,

Hello “Teddy” How are you today as fine and dandy as myself I hope. Just thought I would drop around and return that chat of yours of May 19th if you remember it but if you do not you will not be offended with me this time will you Edna.

My feet are awfully dirty and all that but you will surely excuse me this time won’t you “Teddy” for really it could not be helped. Some nonsense to put in a letter eh? I’ll bet a nickel the censor thinks that I have gone nutty say we ask him and see what he will say.

I have been busy these last few days as there has been two or three very good Canadian mails and of course heard from all my correspondents and I guess you will have an idea how much writing that means for me. I had two letters from home the one today was dated May twenty sixth and everything was fine and dandy only that Bruce and Alf Patterson had to report for Military duty in Brandon on June the fifth, so I guess they will be learning the mysteries of forming fours by this time, Alf took his car in with him or rather is going to, so I guess Bruce and he are going to be some sports while they are there eh? Annie said that Vic had to register and they expect that he will be called up about the first of July.

The government must have an idea that they can do without the farms for awhile what do you think Edna? Chesley played a game of ball on the twenty fourth and won eleven to nothing so I guess they can play ball yet, Annie said that it would be there last this year as to many of the Boys had to leave.

We are just doing the same as usual over here working hard at doing mostly nothing and it looks as though we are in for the same for some time to come yet, we are still playing a few games of Ball winning some and losing a lot, but having some fun anyway.

The weather has turned some cooler latly [sic] so is a trifle more comfortable in the day times.

Say Edna I’m awfully curious to know what this surprise is that you just merely mentioned in the letter, my first thought was I’ll bet she has fallen in love and is going to get married Ha Ha. But then you knocked that idea out by saying in the next line that you are not doing anything so foolish. I have thought so many different things since that I could never begin to tell you the half of them so I think I will just wait and see what happens.

This is enough of this scribble is it not Teddy. So will close with heaps of love and best wishes to all. From your make believe Brother.

Cecil Minary

• • •

829297 B. Company 52nd

Somewhere in France

Battalion Canadians

June 4th 1917

BEF France

Dear Edna,

Well here I am again not quite so long this time, I received your letter of May thirteenths (sic) yesterday and well yes, I was fine and dandy and also it was a fine sunny afternoon and a no thanks I have just enough at present, with out a cold, for I think I’m making the rise of a couple of nice boils right on my jaw so I’m going to be some looking sight, but I hope you have passed that cold of on some one else long before this.

I just got one other letter besides yours yesterday from Aunt Bell Lloyd and your letters are almost a month latter (sic) date than the last mail I received so there must be ahold up (sic) somewhere. I only hope that none of it has gone astray.

Well we are still in the lines yet the same place as where I wrote you last, it will soon be a month now since we came up here, some trip eh? But the weather still keeps dry and is getting rather hot especially if a fellow is in a trench with the sun shining strait down on him and no shade to get into.

Say Edna I have improved on that water bottle stunt for a writing desk I’ll just explain my circumstances at present, I am in a home made dug out for four, along by square, two men in each end with a hole to crawl in though in one side at the centre, the walls are built of sand bags but are filled with chalk, the roof is composed of a layer of corgarated (sic) iron and a layer of sand bags to make it shrapnel proof. Well I am in sick at present sitting with my back against one side and my feet reaches the other side quite easily, underneath me is a couple of great coats a blanket and a rubber sheet or two to make things comfortable and the writing desk this time is a three gallon gasoline tin, some class eh? That fellow who was cleaning his rifle is Pte. J.W. Milligan 830484 B. Coy. P.S. the roof just nicely clears my head as I sit.

I have not seen Doherty for quite a while now, as he belongs to a different Battalion now, he gave me a snap he had of Emma just before I left the third entrenching.

“Oh say Edna” I met a cousin Reuben Orr, Leos Brother the day before yesterday. It was accidental of course for neither of us knew what Battalion the other was in, but as it is now we are in the same Brigade so will be able to see one another quite often, he is wearing kilts “Ha Ha” some Scotchman eh? It was rather funny the way we met, I was sitting at the top of an entrance to a tunnel with my feet dangling over watching a bunch of fellows playing cards down bellow, Reuben came up from behind me and passed the remark that “that was some place to play cards” his voice sounded familiar to me and I looked around to see who it was and well Edna I guess you have an idea how things went after that. I have not seen Joe Patterson yet but Reuben said that he passed him one day in a motor lorrie, but he did not get speaking to him, but anyway he is around somewhere close, so chances of meeting him are good.

I was sorry to hear of your fathers accident I hope that he gets all right again, it seems as though France is not the only place a fellow gets a Blighty in.

Well Edna you asked me if I wanted anything special, there is nothing really anymore special than the next, but you may be sure that anything you send will be made doubly welcome, only Edna I don’t think it would be much use in sending papers for Annie Prette has been sending me papers regular once a week.

I always got them in England but in four months in France I only got one paper.

Well Edna I guess this is all for this time and as I have a couple of hours spare time I think I’ll beat it out and try and round up Reuben and have another chat with him.

With love and best wishes to all

From your cousin Cecil

Kendra Minary of Souris cherishes the post card mailed home from England prior to her great-great-uncle Pte Cecil Minary was deployed from the UK to France, where he saw action in the trenches during the Great War. Prior to going overseas, Pte Minary of Nesbitt, Manitoba, trained at Camp Hughes. He responded to his cousin Edna’s letters writing from the trenches, or back behind the lines of battle during breaks. He mailed many letters home, which had to go through censors first, so he rarely wrote about his actual fighting the Germans on the battlefield, instead preferring to asking about what’s happening back in Manitoba on the farm.