Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-06-23
Letter from Wounded Soldier.

Mrs. w. H. Shannon of Charleston
sends the Monitor the following extract
from a letter recently received from
her nephew, George Crothers, who went
from Lennoxville, P. O., to the front
in the Princess Patrician light infan-
try and was wounded and is now in a
British hospital in Meltham England.
81 am in a hospital now, have been
here a week. Nothing very serious
only rheumatism. I've been bothered
lot with it ever since went into the
trenches, but it got so bad l could
hardly walk. I didn't want to give up
then, but they made me. will tell
you my experiences in getting to the
hospital. We started for the trenches
in the afternoon 1--WE were billeted at
the time in Ypres, Belgium, the
trenches where we were fighting. were
only a few miles from Ypres. The
Germans hsv wiped the city nearly to
the ground by she'll fire. We had to
march through the city. 1t was fierce
the shells were dropping all around
US Women and children lying on the
street, some dead, others dying. it was
fierce! We got through the city all
right, but my legs began to pain me so
that couldn't go.
II tried to stick it out, but could not,
so they told me I must go back to the
hospital. They were going to send
man with me to help me, but said
"No, | will go back alone" | sat
down to rest, and then started back to
Ypres. Finally got into the out.
skirts of the city and one of those
"Jack Johnsons" burst a short distance
from me and knocked me unconscious.
When I came to, was in the hospital
at Ypres. I had no marks on me so l
guess it was only the jar that knocked
me out.
''The next morning the Germans
began to shell the hospital, so we got
into the open air, Gall that could posi-
bly, walk and a few of US managed
to get into the field, about five hum
dred yards from the main road. The
road was filled with cavalry, the
Scotch Grays, I think. The Germans
spotted them and sent large shell
right into the center of them. | stood
and watch the shell burst. 1t was
awful! | could see men and horses
hurled into the air, all blown to pieces.
They sent four shells and every one
did it's work. Then the shells began to
drop around us. We didn't know
which way to turn. There were six of
US, some with bad wounds and others
poisoned with gas and of course we
had to go very slowly. We thought
we would try to reach Popeshing,
which was about three miles from
Ypres, where we thought we would be
safe, so we crawled along until we
met an English officer. We met an
English officer and told him our story
and where we were going, and he said,
"For Gods sake, don't go there for
they are Smelling over there fierce !"
He took US to his camp. which was we'll
hidden in the woods. He made US
comfortable for the night, and in the
morning as they had quit Smelling
Ypres. we went back, but the hospital
was nearly wrecked, SO they put us
into an ambulance and drove to town
about twenty miles from Ypres,
where they put US on train and sent
us clear through to Burlawn, went to a
Canadian hospital there. We stayed
there little while and then they sent
US here to England. l expect to be in
this hospital another two or three
weeks and then l will have two
weeks pass to see my friends in Liver.
pool and then back to the front.
hope you will excuse my mistakes as
my nerves are bit shaken up. 1t is
lovely here in England now. everything
is beautiful.
"We are,in a beautiful mansion which
they turned into hospital. There are
beautiful flower gardens all around
the place. They are going to take
is around in car, sightseeing wher
> we get SO we can go. We were fight
: ing at st. Eloi for two months ano
: were at Ypres one month. I could tel
you a lot of adventures but won't fol
they are too awful, too dreadful tt
mention ~