September 22nd, 1915
France Com
Dear Mother
Well dear
Mother of late I have had but very few letters from you I guess it is on
account of the Postal service because there are weeks at a stretch that I never
even get the papers that I know have been sent to me.
Things
in general have been very slack here there are not half the wounded coming in
that used too early in the spring. Of
course I am not at all sorry as it gives us more time to our selves and believe
me we sure can stand it.
I am
very sorry indeed to hear of the circumstances but Mother I have did every
thing in my power and it is an utter impossibility. But it is a long road that has no turning and
lets hope that all ends well. One year
from Brandon will not make such a tremendous difference and things will be all
together different next year for us all.
Is the
Richmond family all still anxious about Ina.
Well Mother they don’t need to worry at all because it will do them no
good and moreover I think she has as much common sense as any of them.
You
were saying that Albert wished he was with us out here. Tell him that all that glitters is not gold
and I would gladly change places if such a thing was possible.
Well
Mother tell Dad and V-V I will write to them soon. Remembrance to all and cheer up, cause it
won’t be long till we are all dead.
Lovingly
Chas
It's quite likely that Marmaduke would have read about this budget news in the Holland Observer.
An article in the Winnipeg Tribune on this day in 1915 talks about 'the most drastic and far reaching taxes in the history of Great Britain.' Personal income taxes were about to jump by 40% to support the war effort. "McKenna duties" were coming into effect with what was being called the greatest war budget in the worlds history.
The photo below shows the interior of the local Holland Newspaper office (1914) with Editor Noah Hewitt and his helper.
It's quite likely that Marmaduke would have read about this budget news in the Holland Observer.
Instead of raising taxes, in Canada we were borrowing from the US and from our own citizens. The French and English divide was deepening. National debt was skyrocketing, a bumper crop of wheat needed farm hands, volunteer soldiers were needed at the front and Canadian's at home were feeling the pinch in every way. Suffrage and prohibition were topics high on everyone's agendas.
Canada had no official voice yet in the administration of this war
however by 1915 our military spending had surpassed the entire
government expenditures of two years earlier. These were extremely challenging years for Canadians at home and for those in service at the front.
As Charley says "Cheer up, cause it
won’t be long till we are all dead."
Sources: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/first-world-war-wwi/
No comments:
Post a Comment