Pte. W.H. Gilday, C.E.F. - his narrow escape

[chris.wight]

I came across this letter and accompanying photos in "The Calgary Daily Herald", November 6th, 1916 edition, link;

SOLDIER TELLS OF A NARROW ESCAPE IN THE BIG DRIVE

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Pte. W. H. Gilday Had Bullet Pierce a Picture in His Breast Pocket

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WRITES INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHT

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Practically All His Comrades Fell But He Escaped Without a Scratch

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How it feels to find oneself in captured German trenches with no officers, and all comrades with the exception of a few wounded gone, and with the continual din of roaring shells and screeching shrapnels overhead and also to have a Hun bullet penetrate the tunic and lodge in the breast pocket, is vividly described by Private W.H. Gilday, in a letter to his sister, Mrs. A.E. Vigar, of Rosebud Creek, Alberta. He left Calgary with the 82nd battalion last May and participated in the drive at the Somme when so many Canadian fatalities were sustained. He escaped without a scratch, but he had a narrow shave from death when a bullet pierced his tunic and passed through several letters and pictures he happened to have in his pocket at the time. The accompanying picture is of his brother, Clem and the one that was pierced by the bullet. The other is of Private Gilday, himself.

Writing from “Somewhere in France”, he says:

Snipers Were Sharp

“You know how anxious I always was to get to the front line, well now I am just as anxious to be far away. Though I was the luckiest of the lucky on that occasion, I am not in love with the place at all. I am afraid my nerves won’t stand many battles. They stood one and I shall try and tell you a little about it. To describe it is impossible. Imagination is useless for one has to actually see it to understand, then one has to forget, as it is too awful to recall.”

“We went into the front line one night. Fritz shelled us as we were going in and of course got a few of our men. We remained in the trench until morning without being bothered much, and then the snipers got busy. I believe if you had put a nickel up just above the parapet so they could see it, they would sure knock it down.”

Walked as in a Trance

“About noon that day we got the order to go over the top. So over we went. I know you think that they run, holler, yell and such like, but that is not the case. At least, it was not so on that occasion, for we walked very grim and quiet. I can speak only for myself, for until I struck the barbed wire, my mind simply stood still. I did not think of anything at all. Something hit me on the leg and tore my pants. Then my mind worked overtime. The noise was maddening, bullets whizzed by me singing their death song, shrapnels were screaming overhead and shells were bursting in every direction. The air was filled with iron and lead and practically all my comrades fell.”

“I cannot for the life of me imagine how I happened to escape. I don’t know how anyone could have survived it. However, several others as well as myself reached the German trenches, but there were only two Huns in that part. We had no officers and only a wounded sergeant and eight men; so not knowing what to do, held that end, for the men on our left never reached the trench. I stayed in there for hours, shivering with fear and expecting every minute to be the next.”

Another Successful Advance

“That afternoon I got into another trench with some more men and a few officers. Near midnight we were again ordered to over the top. Once again I succeeded in getting safely across, but as before, there were only a few Huns to greet us. They ran leaving everything, even their rifles. Those that remained are there yet.”

“We were in three days and three nights and I had some pretty narrow shaves. God sure made a good job of taking care of me, for I felt rather sick. I wish I could tell you everything that happened, but you would never realize how things are. I got a bullet right through my left breast pocket, and it passed through my paybook and some photos. I am enclosing one of the photos that was pierced, so you can keep it as a souvenir. The pellet never touched me. A piece of shrapnel tore my pants and another chunk struck me in the instep. A shell burst in the trench where I was and nearly blinded me; I was dazed for a time but wasn’t hurt in the least.”

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William Harold Gilday was born in Clinton, New York, 29th November, 1891 and at some time moved to Alberta where he became a farmer. He enlisted with the 82nd Battalion in Calgary as a Private, #161109, link. He was evenutally promoted to Corporal and survived the war.

The brother mentioned in the article was Pte. Clement Theodore Gilday, born in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia and enlisted with the 64th Canadian Infantry Battalion in Halifax, Nova Scotia, link.

Pte Gilday can be seen on the left and the bullet pierced photo on the right, his brother Clem.

Was the pierced photo prophetic as Clem was killed in action, 29th November, 1916, link while serving with the 1st Tunnelling Coy, Canadian Engineers?