Letter from Charles Stewart Alexander to cousin Amy Reid, 20 December 1917

Letter from Alexander, France, to Amy Reid, Tuhikaramea, via Ohaupo, Waikato, New Zealand, dated 20 December 1917, describing the bitter cold; belief that Germans must act before America comes in; character of fighting since September worst possible; advantage of German Pepper Boxes; Germans gradually forced from ridge to ridge; praise for German organisation, leadership, aircraft, but not for individual soldier; bombardment of Germans before advance of October 4th (Gravenstafel); desire for Christmas and hopes for future Christmases at home; personal description of horrors of war (human bodies used as temporary railway sleepers). (holograph; 6 leaves)

The following extract is taken from page 3:

"... the sights & experiences out here in Flanders are awful at times... . I have seen Human bodies used as Temporary Rly [Railway] sleepers & as fascines for moving guns over. I have seen bodies & parts of bodies scattered all over the place lying & decomposing. I have seen roads along the sides of which men - horses & waggons have been lying in broken tangled masses. I have seen men killed by shells fall in the mud of the road & the traffic go on just the same. Nothing is safe. Cemeteries are blown to pieces, farm houses, churches, buildings of any sort are smashed to bits. Roads are smashed & mended & smashed & mended. Men are smashed & patched if possible & sent back to be smashed again. Ambulances & Dressing Stations are smashed, railways & Trains & Motor Lorries & Guns both great & small are smashed & so it goes on. As fast as they are broken they are replaced."