Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-03-31

French Boy Wrote Sister on the Day
Before the Charge That Fate Was
Blind and if He Perished to Break
the News to Parents Gently-Was
Anxious to Fight.
Many letters, some tragic and others
lay, plrporting to have been written
from the battle front have been pub
lished from time to time. Some ring
true, while others have the appearance
Of having been manufactured by a
skillful artisan of words. The best
and most genuine letters are seldom
published. They are put away care
fully and guarded with the nos sacred
family treasures.
One correspondent translated private
letters which ordinarily would not be
allowed to be printed. These letters
express clearly end simply the spirit
with which the sons of the France of
today fight.
The first two letters were written by
Sergeant Jacques de Laumont and Civ
ell to a comradeto be sent to his sister.
thO SOhhlCSo Nhdi dQlStl. III taSt VI liz
death.
Jacques de Laumont was a member
of II of the Oldest families of France.
A lad of barely twenty years when he
fell, he had been at the front since the
beginning of the war, rising from SIM
pie soldier to the grade of sergeant by
his ever brave and gallant conduct.
Father Died on Same Day.
BY a sad coincidence the Baron de
Laumont died suddenly the same day
and at almost the exact hour that his
son fell on the battlefield in Cham
payne.
The letters tell their own story.
Ia Sept "a, 1915.
My Dear Little Anne-I am writing you
this letter In case anything should happen
to me. l have just written a differently
dated letter to mamma, which will leave
in q few NUT (The letter to his moth
er is dated the 25th.) Tomorrow morning
at dawn, between $3.50 and 4 o'clock, we
are going to charge. 1t is the grand, per-
haps the victorious, offensive, as we all
hope it will be, as we are all sure it will
be. We should break through, and we
will break through. If not exactly here,
then on one side or the other.
Now, the ~SiXty-sixth has the honor of
attacking, and the First battalion (my bat
talion) will go at the head. [ am proud
that the general has deemed us worthy of
this effort. Fate is blind and may strike
me or spare me. You may be sure that in
either case l shall do my duty, my whole
duty. If l am killed break it to mamma
and to papa as gently as possible. MY
only sorrow, my only regret is that my
death should give you pain, all you whom
l love so much.
1 wish to be buried where I fall. I shall
be more at rest on the field that my blood
has watered than in a somber cemetery.
That is what / wished to telF you.
This letter will reach you only in case
something happens to me. I send a kiss
to papa, mamma, grandmamma, Alfred,
Armand, Anne-Marie with all my heart,
and you, l kiss you also, very, very ten
derby. OUR OLD JACQUES.
Second Letter to Sister.
Sept. Is, 1915.
My Dear Little Anne-I am writing to
you, leaving you free to judge whether or
not to tell what follows to papa or to
mamma. Four hours from now, at s
o'clock in the morning, we charge. 1t is
an almost certain victory. and we shall
write history at the point of our bayonets.
Au revoir, my little Anne. A bientot, I
hope, If all goes well. I kiss you and the
others very, very tenderly.