Kiss the kids for dad, Don`t forget to write: The Wartime Letters of George Timmins, 1916-18, Y.A. Bennett

Between 1916 and 1918, Lance-Corporal George Timmins, a British-born soldier who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote faithfully to his wife and children. Sixty-three letters and four fragments survived. These letters tell the compelling story of a man who, while helping his fellow Canadians make history, used letters home to remain a presence in the lives of his wife and children, and who drew strength from his family to appreciate life’s simple pleasures. Timmins’s letters offer a rare glimpse into the experiences relationships, and quiet heroism, of ordinary soldiers on the Western Front.

Foreword

Introduction

1 “about 35 yds from Fritz”: May–December 1916

2 “He was killed by my side”: January–June 1917

3 “I’m still fine”: July–November 1917

4 “It’s hell, kiddo, hell”: December 1917–April 1918