From the News

Dated: December 9, 1916

HOME FROM COURCELETTE

Lieut. Hall Was With 12th Brigade Machine Gunners at the Somme

Fragments from a high explosive shell struck Lieut. Irving Hall in the chest and arms during the fighting for Courcelette.  He reached home on sick leave this morning, and expects to go overseas again next month.  He was with the 12th Brigade (machine guns) at the Somme, and was hit during the advance made by the Canadian troops on October 25.

"The boys are as optimistic as ever," he told The Telegram today.  "They can always see the end of the war in sight, and they fight the keener because they believe that that is the quickest way of ending the war.  The great amount of rain which fell during October at the Somme made conditions very bad for the boys in the trenches, but they seldom complained, and were always keen to push on."

THREE MONTHS AT FRONT

Lieut. Hall went overseas with the 35th Battalion, and was at the front about three months before he was hit.  He did not see the "Tanks" in action or behind the lines, but stated that he had been informed that the Germans intended introducing similar weapons of war in the near future.

Lieut. Hall reached Toronto at 8 a.m. today, and was met at North Toronto station by members of the family, who quickly conducted him to an automobile and on to his home at 180 Crescent road.  Like many other returning officers and men, he showed considerable reluctance to talk about where he had been and what he had seen.