Source: Duty Nobly Done page 298. Captured with batman and then returned to Bn. shortly afterwards.
“This is absolutely the first chance in a week and a half that I have had to write you. We have moved about eighty miles from where I wrote you last and have been over the top four times. The poor old battalion is just a shadow of what it was. With my usual good fortune I was put in charge of the evacuation party. We had to evacuate all the wounded and, believe me, I don’t want another three days like it. I just had six hours sleep in three days. In our company every officer that went in was wounded, and all the N.C.O’s but three were either killed or wounded. The company came out 28 strong out of 110. We advanced seven miles however.
Our brigade was the hardest hit of any. Two of our Company Commanders were killed. ‘A’ and ‘B’ Company Capt. Parsons (our O.C.) and Major Graham of ‘D’ were wounded, not badly though. The second in command of our Company was on leave and will be back today, and another officer, Capt. Baxter, of Chatham, who used to be O.C. of ‘C’ Company, arrived from reserve this morning, so we are alright again. The N.C.O.’s are going to be the hard proposition.
My bedroll, with all my belongings, has not turned up since I left the Corps school, so I have been sleeping in and wearing the same clothes for three weeks and you can imagine how uncomfortable I feel.
We are not likely to be in action again for months at least, as it will take all of that time to get us into any sort of shape again. At the end of the month I ought to be due for leave as my six months in France are up on September ___.
Could you let Father know I am alright, and as soon as I get back out, I’ll write a decent letter. By the way this paper and envelope is just what I took off a ‘Heiny’ prisoner; that is how I am able to write this as I have none of my own.”
Extracts from a letter written by Capt. J.C. Little to his wife dated August 30, 1918 and printed in the ‘Teeswater News’ on October 10, 1918 .
British Medals pair Canadian officer taken POW 1918 � 160th batt CEF pair awarded to Capt J C Little Canadian Army British war Medal Victory Medal Captain James Clow little 160th batt Canadian infantry B company, later 1st batt CEF born Teeswater Ontario 14th Sept 1889 occupation Newspaper editor enlisted walkerton ontario 9th Aug 1916 Captain J C little was the commanding officer of B company he had previous experience with the 32nd Bruce battalion of infantry,a militia unit on the break up of the 160th he transferred to 1st Batt CEF.He was taken prisoner on the 10th october 1918 and returned to England 12th December 1918 The 160th (Bruce)battalion of the CEF were based in Walkerton Ontario the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in Bruce county Extracts from a letter written by Capt. J.C. Little to his wife dated August 30, 1918 and printed in the ‘Teeswater News’ on October 10, 1918 .“This is absolutely the first chance in a week and a half that I have had to write you. We have moved about eighty miles from where I wrote you last and have been over the top four times. The poor old battalion is just a shadow of what it was. With my usual good fortune I was put in charge of the evacuation party. We had to evacuate all the wounded and, believe me, I don’t want another three days like it. I just had six hours sleep in three days. In our company every officer that went in was wounded, and all the N.C.O’s but three were either killed or wounded. The company came out 28 strong out of 110. We advanced seven miles however.Our brigade was the hardest hit of any. Two of our Company Commanders were killed. ‘A’ and ‘B’ Company Capt. Parsons (our O.C.) and Major Graham of ‘D’ were wounded, not badly though. The second in command of our Company was on leave and will be back today, and another officer, Capt. Baxter, of Chatham, who used to be O.C. of ‘C’ Company, arrived from reserve this morning, so we are alright again. The N.C.O.’s are going to be the hard proposition.My bedroll, with all my belongings, has not turned up since I left the Corps school, so I have been sleeping in and wearing the same clothes for three weeks and you can imagine how uncomfortable I feel.We are not likely to be in action again for months at least, as it will take all of that time to get us into any sort of shape again. At the end of the month I ought to be due for leave as my six months in France are up on September ___.Could you let Father know I am alright, and as soon as I get back out, I’ll write a decent letter. By the way this paper and envelope is just what I took off a ‘Heiny’ prisoner; that is how I am able to write this as I have none of my own.” the letter is describing the second battle of Arras 1918 Battle of the Scrape. H-hour: August 26, 3:00 a.m. The 2nd Division was on the right, south of the Cambrai Road; the 3rd Division, between the road and the Scarpe; the 51st Highland Division, on the left, north of the Scarpe. Supported by a powerful artillery and machine gun barrage, the attack made good progress. The 3rd Division captured Monchy, the first objective, with a skilfully executed encircling manoeuvre that was praised long after the tactical feat. On the right, the 2nd Division captured the villages of Guemappe and Wancourt during the afternoon. By nightfall, the Canadian line extended about 914 metres east of Monchy. General Currie’s orders for the 27th were to break through the Fresnes-Rouvroy Line and thereby advance by eight kilometres. It took two more days of bitter fighting before this defence system near Boiry-Notre-Dame was penetrated, and when the Battle of the Scarpe ended on August 30, resolute German garrisons were still stubbornly clinging to it. In the first three days of the battle, the 2nd and 3rd Divisions had advanced more than eight kilometres over rough, broken land furrowed with extremely well-fortified trenches. Nevertheless, the Canadians succeeded in reaching the great majority of their objectives and captured 3,300 prisoners and a..
History of the 18th Battalion CEF, "The Fighting Eighteenth" 