Clarence Joseph Bessette composed a letter to Miss Marjorie Christien of his current participation in the time of World War One. Bessette’s past became shared by the people dearest to him, his remembrance arises from the letter, which carries the individuals experiences. Letters were pivotal to soldiers and families as it raised the morale on both the front and home-front. Soldiers wrote letters with powerful stories of previous and current occurrences, primarily of the bloodshed between the Allies and the Axis. For soldiers, the letters received from the home-front caused tranquility for soldiers as it represented the love and care by families, friends, and supporters. Furthermore, letters permitted soldiers to demonstrate the devastations by warfare, such as, the loss of a loved ones. Others refrained from the horrors of war in letters as soldiers strived to prevent the exposure of the sorrow and hardships of the war. Instead, soldiers spoke of the future or expressed the love for their families and friends. These letters reconstruct a soldiers personal perception and a visual representation of the battles and lifestyle of the soldiers in combat. Overall, remembrance by families and friends kept the movement of the First World War and the soldiers alive with their stories and experiences. Clarence Joseph Bessette was born on April 1st 1890 in Lumby British Columbia. A soldier of the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifle of the 8th Brigade of the 3rd. Canadian Division. He enlisted on December 8 1914 at the age of twenty-four and passed on June 5th 1916 in France a few months after writing this letter. Clarence Joseph Bessette’s letter was written on December 10, 1915. Bessette produced the letter as an informant about the experiences and activities in the battlefield. He starts off with a visualization of the environment, where towns and homes became debris due to the devastations of the battles. Soldiers were required to trek 3 miles on impoverished routes even throughout the harsh weather conditions. Once his unit moved towards the front line of the trenches, Germans started to shell the route, which resulted in their travel on an alternative path towards the trenches that was unbearable to traverse, especially when soldiers traveled with military equipments. The trenches themselves allocated soldiers with several activities and duties for their survival which deprived the soldiers of time and sleep. They were required to supply resources and rations for themselves, required to travel distances for cleansed water, and were appointed a diversity of roles as a soldier, for example, as the scout or placed to eavesdrop on the enemies, all of which were lethal positions. One of Bessette’s comrades were shot in the foot within 10 minutes in trenches, it manifests how life is precious, but can easily be taken, especially when the trenches were a home and a battle zone for these men. Death was expected, it was not preventable. For example, Bessette recounts the German bombardment which consisted of artillery fire
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Life in the trenches is horrendous, it consisted of mud, wetness, disease, stench, rats, lice, and a common belief that all were to perish in battle. A dreadful experience where the front line was under constant assault, soldiers who were wounded and traumatized, others were incapable in the survival to sustain in the injuries suffered, where men were rested on the floor and in torment as their time was finally at its end. Furthermore, diseases spread and healths deteriorated, sleep was uncommon due to explosions, rifles, and machine-gun fire, soldiers were unbathed and wore the exact pair of clothes for several months, and where ones sanity became difficult to preserve with the deaths of thousands and millions all around. The bodies of soldiers would rest in the trenches or in front of the trenches, where soldiers fought in enclosed spaces with other soldiers. However, soldiers experienced different types of trench terrain, where Germans constructed adequate trenches with electricity, whereas the British and French were without electricity and often had mud with a worse conditions than the Germans, since countries believed in a short war and not one that was as extensive. And since Canadian forces fought alongside the French and British, Bessette experienced one of worst conditions by the
Life in the trenches is horrendous, it consisted of mud, wetness, disease, stench, rats, lice, and a common belief that all were to perish in battle. A dreadful experience where the front line was under constant assault, soldiers who were wounded and traumatized, others were incapable in the survival to sustain in the injuries suffered, where men were rested on the floor and in torment as their time was finally at its end. Furthermore, diseases spread and healths deteriorated, sleep was uncommon due to explosions, rifles, and machine-gun fire, soldiers were unbathed and wore the exact pair of clothes for several months, and where ones sanity became difficult to preserve with the deaths of thousands and millions all around. The bodies of soldiers would rest in the trenches or in front of the trenches, where soldiers fought in enclosed spaces with other soldiers. However, soldiers experienced different types of trench terrain, where Germans constructed adequate trenches with electricity, whereas the British and French were without electricity and often had mud with a worse conditions than the Germans, since countries believed in a short war and not one that was as extensive. And since Canadian forces fought alongside the French and British, Bessette experienced one of worst conditions by the