April 20, 1917
Dear Mar,
Well old girl just received your letter of Feb. 14. Have just written Mother and Father so it will have the most of the news if it can be called such.
The war is still carrying on and you can read most of what the Canadians are doing in the papers. I would like to describe to you the tanks but it is rather beyond me and you can see them in pictures. One of our boys took the tail light off one for a souvenir.
I have a simply wonderful German helmet which I got from a Bosche artillery dug out and am trying to get home as well as numerous other souvenirs. One that I prize most of all is a Bosche NCO’s sword and bayonet with a tassel, the felt, a revolver, binoculars and a dagger all together.
Well we had a pretty strenuous time of it but am feeling fine now. Lived on German rye bread and rations so I am almost eat sauerKraut and talk German and I also got the usual saurau of big fat German bugs.
Well I am not much on this riot stuff, but I am glad I have seen one big show anyway and we will probably see a big bunch more.
Write soon and I will try and write oftener also.
Your loving brother,
Vincent
This letter that Vincent wrote to his sister Margaret that compliments the one that he wrote to his parents a couple days before after the events of Vimy Ridge transpired. There isn't that much new information within this letter other than the talk of a couple other souvenirs that he has acquired through the campaign which is starting to sound like quite a lot to send home. It is also interesting to see him describe a big battle such as Vimy Ridge as a "show". Makes you think if these young men really understand the gravity of what is happening, or this just might be the way people spoke of wars back then.
As always, feel free to share and comment and let me know if there is anything I missed. You can find the link to the 18th's War Diary for the month of April 1917 here.
Thank you for reading,
Michael Ritchie
