Item 02: Arthur Henson Smith letters, 8 January 1917-19 August 1919 - Page 370
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[Page 370]
hereabouts. Of course you've already read all about the Australians & Canadians splendid advance and there's little need for me to enlarge on it. Besides advancing miles into the enemy territory taking from them much valuable country, we inflicted severe casualties, took thousands of prisoners, hundreds of guns including a 12 inch railway gun, 3 railway trains and tons of war material including engineers' dumps. Considering all the facts - the rapidity of the advance, the distance come and the extraordinarily light casualties on our side, I suppose this has been one of the most brilliant stunts the British have done in this war. One very sporting thing that was done was when a hospital train was captured just getting up steam to buzz off. There were some German nurses on board and instead of allowing them to be exposed to the Bosche shell fire whilst being taken back a couple of tanks were stopped and the nurses were conveyed behind the line in these. The whole show was full of excitement, interest and incidents and I should like to give you all the details but of course such is forbidden. Its great to feel that at last we are getting on with the war - that we are at last doing something really big instead of fooling round with the war business, and so getting nearer the grand