Those who read the beautiful article “The Night Before the Battle,” in December “Message from God,” will remember that three out of the five who had that meeting in the shell-hole before the battle were reported “missing.” It was feared they were killed or taken prisoners.
I have just received a letter from one of the three Private W. Dines, 17th Middlesex Regiment, written from the Auxiliary Hospital, 9, Cedars Road, Clapham Common, London, S.W. 4. I give it to you to read for yourselves―it seemed to me such a wonderful sequel to that pathetic meeting. This is the letter: ―
“Sir, — I hope you will excuse my writing to you, but after being a prisoner of war in Germany since last April, I was repatriated, and sent to the 1St London General Hospital. While there, a comrade in another ward gave me a December ‘Message from God.’ The incident that interested me very much was ‘The Night Before the Battle,’ on the Scarp, which describes the meeting of five Christian soldiers of the 17th Middlesex Regiment in a shell-hole the night before the battle. I happen to be one of the missing men―badly wounded and taken prisoner―but, thanks be to God, still alive and rejoicing in the love of Jesus. I had my right-leg taken off in Germany, and have had to have another operation over here owing to the bad way I was operated on. Still, thank God, I am back in the dear old homeland once more. I prefer to draw a veil over my treatment in Germany. If it were not for the parcels from England, I doubt if any of us would have lived to come back. Should this be inserted in ‘Message from God,’ I should like to send Christian greetings to all comrades in His service. I should also like to get into communication with Private Bishop; who wrote the incident. I hope you will excuse my occupying your time, but I thought you would like to hear from another one of the five who was at the meeting in a shell-hole, seeking God’s help and strength for the morning (of battle). ―Yours in Christian bonds, Pte. W. Dines.
“P.S.―Please excuse pencil and writing, as I have only just got up from the operation.”