Letter from May Tilton to Mrs Ellsworth, 1917

Address. 
c/o Aust: Base: P.O. 
Mt Pleasant 
London 
Eng. 
  
No 3. Aust: C.C.S. 
Belgium 
August 3rd 
  
My dearest Aunt & Mabel. 
My heart is just breaking  
since the news reached me that our dear  
brave soldier boy has paid the price.  
You will know the news long before this  
reaches you, for I have sent to England  
to arrange for a cable to get thro' to you at  
once, goodness knows how long it will be before  
you hear officially, for there have been many  
casualties this past week.- I felt I must  
send it to Dad for him to break the news to  
you, for I can just understand what it is  
going to mean to you, you poor darlings 
You have no idea how I feel away  
over here, since I've lost both Jack &  
Norman & Stew McGowan whom I loved  
like a brother, it is almost more than I  
can bear when I think, I just have to  
work on & forget my personal sorrows. 
I am finding it terribly hard to  
concentrate my thoughts sufficiently to  
write to you to-night, for I have not

2 
recovered from the shock the news gave me,  
but I feel I must not lose any time writing  
to you, for you have to wait so long for news. 
Sgt: Braithwaite called here to see me last  
night, I had written to Norm telling him I was  
right up near him, & the letter arrived at  
the battery two days after he was wounded.  
So. Sgt:B. opened it to get my address, for  
he had written to me, but didn't know where  
to address it, & he brought both letters to me.  
He told me poor Norm was wounded just  
after they had advanced with the guns  
at 7.30 a.m on Sunday July 31st , & the  
dear boy only lived a few hours, for he  
died at 3 p.m. A shell burst killing several  
& wounding others, poor old Norman was  
very severely wounded, he was given an  
injection of morphia to deaden all the pain,  
but the shock would cause unconsciousness  
& he was carried to the 96th Field Ambulance  
dressing staion, & was unsconscious when he  
arrived there, & remained like that till he died  
it is my one comfort to know he did not  
feel his sufferings, & you must try & be  
thankful for that also, seeing he lingered

3 
for a few hours, & not conscious of any pain  
is something to know, when one sees as much  
of it as I do, it is greatest relief to my mind,  
altho' one longs for a last word or message  
I would sooner a thousand times do without it  
than know the precious words were spoken in pain. 
The hardest part for me is to think he could  
have called to see me himself last night, had  
he been living, for they came out of the line  
that evening & were only camped 2 miles away  
but I have his grave quite near me Aunt  
dear, & I am going to have it done up, the  
boys are erecting a cross. Sgt B. told me, then  
I will have an official photograph taken of  
it for you, that can be done by writing to  
England I believe, however I am making  
every enquiry, & everything possible I can do  
for you all, that I know you would like  
done for you dear one so far from home, I will  
do, I asked the Padre here, if he would go over  
& make all enquiries for me at the Field Amb:  
that Norm was taken to, & get all his  
personal belongings, but they could not tell  
him very much, as the poor dear was never  
conscious at all there, but they gave a list  
of the things that he had on him, but, they

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had been sent on to the Base, so I've written  
there to-night for them, & I want to know if  
you would like me to chance sending them to  
you, or would you  like me to hold them for  
awhile, I know how you would value everything  
& would not like to lose them, so I will wait  
until you can write & tell me, it is of no use  
cabling, for I never got the one mother sent,  
unless you could cable thro' the Red Cross, you  
could enquire if you would like to do so.  
I will give you a list of the things Norman  
had on him at the time, but of course I have  
not got them yet, I am only hoping I will  
claim them in time, I am only two days behind. 
I will tell you exactly what I can have  
done to mark the spot which holds our loved  
one, & when we get the photo taken, you will  
see for yourself, & if you want anything  
more done, I will send you instructions  
how you can have it fixed up, but just yet  
 I cannot give you many details, for I haven't  
had time to find out all yet. I am going  
across to the grave, the Chaplin is taking me  
to-morrow the first opportunity, at present  
the weather is atrocious, raining every day  
& mud it is awful, & they want me

5 
to wait until the headstone is up, which will  
take a couple of days, but I am just aching  
to see the spot, & put some flowers there, if  
dear old Norm only could know I was here  
with him:- The day he died  I was sent here  
& arrived at 7-30 that night (Sunday July 31st 
just about 4½ hrs after he passed away.  
but of course I did not know anything of it until Aug 2nd when B/ called  
& only two miles away, but we were all  
sent further back for the Germans were  
shelling a village not far away, & the  
shells were whizzing over our heads, we  
did not return until the following Tuesday  
Aug 2nd. 
I cannot tell you just where I am in  
Belgium, but we are right up where the  
noises never cease, & the gun fire is terrific. 
Norman is buried at a place called  
"Diekebusch" near Ypres, & his burial record  
is Sheet 28 - H27-C.2.4 
Plot 1 
Row A 
Grave 19 
I really don't know what the Sheet 28 means or H 27.C.2.4.  
but you had better copy it all out for  
reference at any time, it probably is  
something to do with the military, I will  
find out, & tell you later, the graves  
are well cared for, & kept very nicely

6 
I do hope this letter reaches you alright, I 
will write and tell you everything as I hear  
myself, & please dear ones tell them at home  
if I don't write to them also, they will know  
it is because I can't manage it, & your  
letters will do for home as well, for the  
work in a casualty clearing station up 
near the line is very different to a Base hosp:  
& we have to nurse most of our cases  
on stretchers on the floor, so imagine how  
if our backs feel at the end of a long day.  
I do not think I can tell you any more  
to-night, my brain won't work any longer  
& I'm too tired for anything, I never slept one  
wink all last night. I feel worn out with  
sorrow at our loss, & for you poor dears  
at home, but do try & be a soldiers  
brave mother dear Aunt, it is hard I know  
& my heart aches for you, but we have to  
bear these sorrows, I have met many cases  
where a poor mother has lost every son &  
as many as five & six of one family, &  
you have two left to you yet, dear Aunt.  
& now I really must conclude words are  
poor comfort I know, the boys of the  
battery will all be writing to you also I  
suppose. My fondest love & deepest sympathy to  
one & all. from your affect: neice May (over

7 
P.S. There is one thing I forgot to  
mention, I sent Norm a parcel of  
warm clothes & put a tin of peaches  
& cream in it, I asked Sgt.Braith  
if he know it arrived, & he said  
my peaches & cream was the last  
feed dear old Norm had, for the  
parcel only arrived the evening before. 
You knew I rec: a p.c. from Jack written May 29th  he did not  
say much, but said he was well.   
I am not telling him that we  
have lost Norm, the poor old boy  
would feel it too much I am afraid  
for they were so fond of one another.