First World War letters put a human face on the war that shaped us as a nation
VANCOUVER — Jacqueline Carmichael pored over her grandfathers’ letters for several weeks. She read the long, handwritten notes, and the short ones scribbled perhaps in a hurry as the men hunkered down in trenches while dirt and bullets from the First World War showered over their heads.
Through those disjointed accounts, Carmichael says she has opened a window to her past that helps her understand the person she is today.
The First World War saw about 75 million letters exchanged between the front lines and the 650,000 men serving in battle.
A hundred years later, most notes have vanished or are a distant, yellowed memory. The words are only just visible, and the photos are cloudy.