At Vimy Ridge

April 19^th 1917

We’re still at Vimy Ridge right now and the battles are growing long and tiring. We are doing very well but I sometimes wonder if we really will win. Vimy Ridge was taken by the Germans almost two years ago and we’re still trying to get it back. This definitely is a battle of attrition. There’s no quick, easy, clear win. Each of us, are fighting to survive. Not just with the guns but with the weather, sickness, and ourselves. I’ve seen men kill themselves. They couldn’t take it anymore. To be honest, I have thought of it. But I couldn’t. I thought of my little Lucy and I knew I couldn’t leave her. I promised to go back and marry her. I know she’s still there, waiting for my return. She must be. But I knew that I also wasn’t that brave. It was an easy way out, but to do it to myself was hard. So I just keep fighting. The machine guns, that can fire 100 rounds a minuet, means instant death if we step out of the safety of the trenches. But by staying in the trenchers we could die of all the parasites, diseases, malnutrition, and hunger. 150,000 men before us has already died here but we are prepared. We know the numbers of the men who died and we all witnessed it many times before. All of our preparations now are very thorough. But because of this, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the men better. It is dangerous to make close friends here I always thought. Fore if one of us died, it’ll be a lot harder for the other. More painful. But now I realize that by making these friends, it is more of a reason for me to survive. I must not give up and I must keep the spirit. I can not fall behind. I must fight with our troops for Britain and for Canada.