The Cordova daily times., 1917-11-02
FAIRBANKS BUY |S KILLED AT THE
 FRONT

| AS never before the horrors of the war are beginning to come to Fair. banks, with the news of the death of Percy Blanchfield. In a letter from Percy's father at San Francisco. Ia. ther Monroe was the one to whom the sad news came. To all who knew the young man, who saw him grow from | boyhood to manhood in the north and watched him go through school and graduate with honors from the Fair. banks high school but four years ago, the news comes as a terrible shock. He died hero's death for democracy He is the first Fairbanks lad to go. Others will follow and the sadness will grow, but there will ever he the living gladness that the boys of the north are not wanting when called.
 Percy Blanchfield was but 20 years of age. He spent all his life in the north and received practically all of his education in the public schools of Fairbanks. After graduating from high school, with. his family, he went outside.
 Not satisfied to wait for the Ameri. can troops to get into the struggle. "Old Brick" as he was familiarly known by the boys who grew up with him, enlisted in the Canadian army. For some three or four months he was on the western front before los. ing his life.
 IL was only week ago that George Herring received an optimistic letter from Percy, telling of conditions. his hopes for a safe return, etc. It was typical letter of the men at the front, showing no fear, no dissatisfaction, no thing but optimism and determination.
 The letter received by Father Non roe, telling of Percy's death, written by the father of the boy, is in part. as follows:
 T am writing you a few lines to convey to you the saddest news I
  ever sent anyone in my whole life. My dear boy, Percy Joseps, was re- ported officially killed in action near Lens City on August 25. May the Lord have mercy on his dear soul. I am, to say the least, heartbroken. and simply disconsolate over my loss. He was fighting to help dear old France against her old-time enemy, and one more dear young life was sacrificed for the cause of democracy. You will never know how awfully sad I have been since lost my dear wife a year ago, and especially since this news of the death of Percy Joseph just reached me.
 "The boy joined the Canadian in fantry a year ago last July. I had 1t all arranged for him to work his way through the California University as stenographer, and he was about to return here and enter college when he was called to France. He wanted to see and take part in the greatest war on earth, and he fought with the gallant Canadians, who especially GOV cred himselves with imperishable glory at the Lens battle and Hill 70, where, as our San Francisco papers state, 1t was one of the greatest bat ties Of the war. It was more a meas ure of the Germans by the Canadians than battle, for whole division of the Prussian guard was simply cut to pieces, and to the eternal credit of the Germans. they charged the Can adian position at Lens, taken from them by the Canadians, ten different times and were, as the papers stated crushed like flies. Waterloo was not in it with the awful carnage and ter rible fighting there.
 "The American troops here were thrilled with the magnificent fightinl done by the gallant Canadians in tn, battle of Lens and Hill 70, which last ed four or rivesdays. It started or l August Is, and the boy got througl that and was killed in action on Aug ust 25, and the further details I mus wait for.
 1 "Only last night I received lette from him written shortly before hi death. in which he said he was ore pared to die, if needs be-"