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[Page 57]
If kind letters from all sort of men and women – friends – Officials, Tommies, officers and nurses could find comfort, I report to be a healed comforted man – They tell me of his Archies abilities and usefulness and courage are all the good qualities of mind and heart that make for useful [indecipherable] and fine pride to my mind & his father – Tommies write or tell their nurses that Archie was the ablest officer they had – and his brother officers write that he actually was not forced to fight – and that he rushed to his death cheering and urging his company over an open valley – he was hit 2'ce before the 3rd shot in his abdomen laid him out. He was found with a neat piece of paper pinned on his coat with these words – "Ive taken morphine, don't shift me about for 24 hrs – Don't find me food" – after a night on the beach I believe, he was taken on board a hospital ship the "Valdinis" – I believe the officer in command was called Lieut Higgins RAMC – (the name and letters do not suggest high surgical talent) Nothing was done. Some people console me by saying nothing could be done – but he died of quiet haemorrhage I believe not directly of peritonitis – The only spoken world words he seems to have uttered which have come back to us during these last 24 distressful hours were his reiterated question – "For Gods sake why don't you operate upon me?"