Arthur Long # 622083, 44th Battalion C Company, Canadian Expeditionary Force
KIA 28 April 1917
“But i don’t think we are going to the front for awhile yet …” Arthur Long, England 28 Nov. 1915
Nov 28/1915
My Dear Wife,
l
Just a few lines to let you know that i am still alive and kicking and am keeping quite well, hoping this will find you and our dear chidren enjoying the best of health and strength also your dear mother and all at home.
Well dear Wife the General in charge of our camp has just picked out 4 Battalions to form the first Brigade for the front, and the 44th Battalion is one of them. But i don’t think we are going to the front for awhile yet as we have quite alot of training and shooting practice to go through yet. Well it is Sunday today and instead of having a church parade we had to move ourlodgings about 1 mile further to the west side of the camp, and you never saw such fun in your life as we had flitting with all our beds and pots & pans, kit bags and hand bags as alot of the boys have small hand bags like mine, and didn’t we just have a laugh. Well you can just imagine 1000 men carrying all their beds and belongings, well some fell by the wayside,others kept dropping their pots & pans, and the road was completley littered with all kinds of things you would have thought a shell had burst and blown everything to bits.
Well dear wife we are about all settled down again now, so me and my pal Pte. T Charman retired to the Y.M.C.A. writing room out of all the comotion and noise to write letters. My pal is writing to his mother in England and i am writing this letter to you dear wife (the dearest of all my companions.) well i must close for now as i haven’t much news to tell you this time so ta-ta my love.
My dearest love & wishes
to my own darling wife & children
from your ever fond loving husband
Till death,
Arthur
Great-Grandfather’s letter submitted by Don & Marie Here is a letter my Great grandfather wrote. He was Pte. Arthur Long # 622083 of the 44th Battalion C company, stationed at Bramshott Camp, Hampshire England.