1 8th R. Munster Fus. B. E. F. July 6/16 My dear Fr. Provincial, P.C. I am a very bad
correspondent & the atmosphere
we live in out here is not
conducive to letter writing. Since
I came back on Holy Thursday I
have never been away from these
horrible guns except one day for
a few hours when I took a ride
a few miles back into the country
for the sake of feeling I was out of
range. We are back 'resting' now
for eight days, but we are not in
a very restful place. The Huns
shell it several times every day &
there are frequent casualties. Before
we came here on Tuesday I had been
16 days in the front line & during 2 that time I never had my clothes
off. The Battalions relieve one another
every four days, but the Leinsters
had no chaplains of their own so
I stayed on with them & so was
in the whole 16 days. I have now
been appointed officially to the
two battalions & as they always
relieve each other I expect I
shall get as much of the game
as I want. It is a very terrible
thing where a show is on & no
one I know wants any more
of it than he has seen if he has
been in it at all. But of course
all have to see it through & the
men are really splendid. The
last sixteen days was the worst
turn we had. There was a constant
strain the whole time. Between
killed & wounded we lost in that 3 period quite a fourth of our Battalions
& the Leinsters nearly as many.
But they did good work & the
enemy got a good deal more than
they gave. It is dreadful to see
the way the poor fellows are
broken & mangled sometimes out
of all recognition. When they are
killed it does not seem so bad,
but it is terrible to see the horrible
wounds & the way the poor fellows
suffer. Their sufferings are added to by
the inconvenience of the trenches,
where it is often difficult for two
men to pass. It often takes hours
to get them as far as the regimental
aid post which is by no means a
luxurious place — often only a very
small dug-out & the wounded can
only be sent down to the clearing
stations by night when it is dark,
so that they are often 18 or 20 hours 4 waiting. It can't be helped
but it causes much suffering to
the poor men. Well, there is no use telling
you about war as you have had
so much of it in Dublin that
you know all its phases. I suppose Visitations are
all over by this & the villas
in full swing. I hope you &
all in the Province are very
well. You are, I am sure busy
with retreats just now. I hope
we shall also soon be engaged
in that way — the retreat of the
Huns. With very kind regards to all
& asking a remembrance in your Holy
Sacrifices Believe me, my dear Fr. Provincial.
Yours most sincerely in XT J Wrafter S.J.