Gordon Pimm

This a collection of letters was written by LeBoutillier during his service in WW I. He served with the 24th Battalion in the 5th Brigade of Second Canadian Division reaching the front lines in 1915 and was there almost continually until he was wounded during the Vimy Battle in 1917. During his latter time in the front lines, he was a Scout crawling through no man's land studying the German positions, capturing prisoners and advising artillery observers. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal during the Battle of the Somme.

The letters are surprisingly candid and often past censors with details about how difficult life was in the trenches. The recipients were his parents, sisters, brother and friends in his home town as well as friends in England. As he is very positive about his life at the front, these letters while clearly describing the difficult and dangerous existence there, they are not particularly depressing as some memoirs are.… (més)