I am back again after a very hectic period at work. I have missed the work with my research very much, and I will try to continue where I left.
In the beginning of September I visited the descendants of the Swedish born soldier Bertil Albert Lindh, who fought and fell in the Great War when he fought for the 13th Canadian Infantry Battalion, on April 19th, 1916.
He fell in the Bluff area, near Ypres, Belgium, and he is now buried in Hooge crater Cemetery. The initial plan was to bury him at Chester Farm Cemetery, just west of the area where he fell, but it was later decided to bury him at Hooge Crater Cemetery, located North-East of the Bluff area.
I have been able to borrow all the notes and letters, and I will tell you some bits and parts of the stories that are told. It is an amazing piece of history, and it is a great feeling to hold the original objects in my hand, written for over 100 years ago.
I will start with a letter that I found in an envelope that was marked with the text “Your uncle Bertie’s letters from the military”. In this case it contained one letter from Bertil himself, written in Swedish, to his mother Hulda Lindh home in Stockholm, Sweden.
Below you will find my translation. The letter is written on the 2nd of September 1915. According to the documents in the Canadian archives he had just arrived in France and been taken on strength in the 13th battalion, the 13th Royal Canadian Highlanders, 3rd Brigade.
“Dear mother,
Thank you very much for the last newspapers, I just received them before I left England. Here it is very beautiful, with trees which I have never seen before. I regret that I haven’t learned the french language. Another announcement, I have received a new uniform, the same uniform as the Scotts, with a kilt (small skirt which only goes above the knees).
It is the most beautiful uniform in the whole army. We are walking around with bare knees. The skirt is green, blue and black and we are all proud to wear it!
In the beginning it was a bit cold in the mornings, because we are not having any pants, just walking naked under the skirt. I am feeling well and I hope you are well as well. My portrait was taken before I left, they will send it to me later and then I will send it home.
I am sending two pounds, I hope mother gets them. I want to write more, but I can’t do that. It is not allowed to tell where we are or have been, or where we will go.
I have a badge around my neck, with my number and name and my mother’s address. I will quit writing now, lots of greetings from your beloved son,
Bertie.
PS. Don’t write France in my address above, just England.
I will further on go through other letters from Bertie, and I will also go through some interesting notes written in a small address book. I hope you will find it interesting.
I am very grateful to have this opportunity, to make the story about Bertil more complete, and it a great feeling to be able to support the family of Bertil, to go through his documents and try to tell as much as I can about his military history.
