Soldiers

Part 4. Told To

Thursday 14th June 1917

Dear Smokey,
David here. Not sure if they told you what happened. Nevertheless, I am fit as a fiddle. How are the other boys getting along? They don't tell me anything in here concerning you and the other men. It is as if, once you have left the battle field you are a regular citizen who never fought for his country, as if you could go telling the enemy anything now that you're not holding a gun.
Anyway, I wanted to ask you, how is Radford? James Radford. I wondered if you could tell me, is he alive? Was he in a gas attack and is he alive? It would be much appreciated if you could let me know of his condition right away.
Oh, and do let me know how Sarah and John are doing.

Cherro!
David Murray.

Friday 29th June 1917

Hallo there Davy!
I was wondering if I would hear from you again. Things are frightfully exciting out here. Oh I cannot lie to you, but it could be worse. It hasn't rained out here in a long time. In 1917 we wish for the rain. In 1916 it wouldn't stop. And now raindrops fall from my distant eyes instead of from the clouds. Oh Davy, I'm afraid we have lost Wilfred. It was the same day you were taken to hospital. Bullet in the lung. As for Radford, you are correct. He suffered badly during the same gas attack that got you. He is alright now. Well, I say alright, he had to have several operations done as I hear it, and won't be returning to the line for a while, but he is alive. He's in a hospital in France. William and I went to visit him with a few other men. Tomkins was distraught. He felt it was his fault for being so harsh on the poor boy. James said if not for one of the other soldiers, he never would have survived the attack. He said another soldier saved his life by giving up his own gas mask to save Jimmy! A miracle, that's what I thought you would call it.My John has just had his seventh birthday! Can you believe that? He was four when I left him in 1914 and now he's a big boy. And little Sarah, well, what can I say? She's about to turn eleven! I cannot wait to be home with them. I bet it is extraordinarily nice for you to be back with your brother. How old would he be now? Eight is it?

Well, Cheero old chap, and I hope not to see you around here again.
Smokey Woodson

David smiled as he came to the end of the letter, folded it neatly, and placed it on the tray where his empty plate of hospital food was. He was raw, reading word of Wilfred's death. He couldn't believe it and he thought for a moment about Wilfred's family. The moment of grief ended however when his mother and Joseph entered the ward, grins upon their faces.

His bed was surrounded by flowers and cards, most of them sent by his mother, but some of them from old school friends, people from his neighbourhood, and Joseph and his friends had made him several cards and paintings, and brought him many books to read. One card was from a girl he'd known growing up. She worked at the village shop now.

"Your father is coming today. Is that alright?" David's mother asked with a smile, placing her hand on David's.

"Yes, that's fine" David tried to smile, but he was anxious about his father's visit. His father hadn't visited yet and David thought it a little too convenient that he had had to work early and late every day for the past week, "What've you been up to Joey?"

"At school we've been learning about the Tudors!" the youngster said enthusiastically, "did you know Henry VIII had six wives! And he really loved the third one but she died in childbirth, and he was angry at the other two because he really wanted a son to carry on as his heir but they only had daughters. And then Elizabeth, one of his daughters, went on to become a very powerful queen of England, and because she was a woman lots of people were against her, but I think women are very good leaders"