Don’t let man ruin your heart and soul,
When you are in the process of breaking.
And please love remember,
Remember, my words when I said you are loved.
When you think my dear that you are close to breaking,
Under the heat of our sun,
Think back to that warm summer day.
And please love,
Remember my words when I said you are loved.
….
More days passed and it was not until the 31st of October when we finally heard if the mission had been successful or not. Roger informed me of the details once again and according to his information, the mission was carried out during the nights of the 29th and the 30th of this month. It appears that eight weir gates at a place called Noordvaart were opened, right under the noses of the Germans. The entire area was flooded from the Yser area down to the railway embankment. The Germans were stuck and we had beaten them to the Sea. We were finally able to advance again. This did not of course mean we had won this battle and it was over. No, more fighting occurred over the next couple of days and it only subsided on the 22nd November 1914. Needless to say thousands more men had died during this time but I, Rob, Johnnie, Tim, Roger and Paul had all made it out unscathed. Somehow.
Yours,
Private Thomas Millward.
The Broken Poppy Page 10