Witness to War: Saturday May 18, 1918
Private Raymond Duval, MM, was a soldier of the 14th Battalion (Royal Montreal Regiment) CEF who served overseas during the last two years of the First World War. He participated in some of the fiercest fighting seen by Canadians during the war and was decorated for bravery at Passchendaele. Determined to preserve his memories of the First World War, he maintained a daily record of his experiences. Here is what he wrote precisely 100 years ago today:
Saturday May 18, 1918: Went on working party digging trenches near Arras[1]
[1] A town in the French countryside, located very near to Vimy Ridge. Canadian troops billeted underground at Arras, and it was also the site of very heavy fighting during the War.
.