The son of  William Mowatt of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Pte. William Mowatt was promoted to Sergeant before going overseas, embarking in March 1917, and after training at Bramshott, he proceeded to France in July 1917, attached to the Machine Gun Section of the 18th Battalion. Two months later he was wounded in the left foot, and after treatment in Granville Hospital, France, was returned to England, undergoing three operations in the Ensworth General Hospital. He was then admitted to Woodcote Park, Epsom.

His records indicate “Wounded left leg Ap 6” written in pencil.

The Tilbury Times, Thursday

18 October, 1917.

Letters From the Front.

Mrs. Frank Mowatt (nee Martha Billings) is in receipt of the following letter from Wm. Mowatt, who went overseas with the 186^th Kents, and transferred to the 18^th Battalion and was wounded at Lens.

Portsmouth, Hauts, England.

Dear Martha:

    I now take the pleasure of writing these few lines hoping you are all well. I suppose you have heard of my mishap by this time, but it was just my luck. Well I did not get very long out of France or the trenches, but while I was there it was not too bad. The only time it was bad was when it rained or a scrap started, it is not as bad as some say it is. I liked it alright, got a little soaky sometimes, but the first time, we got used to it alright. I went up to the big drive on Lens on the 15^th of August and got a dandy till we entered a stree and reached our objective, but it was alright, till we went out with the gun again and were in full view of the enemy, so he started his snipers and machineguns after us and made it pretty warm for us but we were in a shell hole waiting for him to appear, but I was moving around with the gun, as we had lost our gunner, as I was next, when a machine gun started and I claim I am lucky, just got one bullet through my foot and they were flying pretty thick. It went in at the joint of my big toe and came out the other side, but it was a nice little blighty. I went throughan operation two weeks ago and it is doing nicely ow but they have taken out 12 or 14 pieces of bone so there is not much left in that joint. I was sorry to hear of Frank going over, as I was of the idea all the way across that I would see him, as I am not far from camp, and he was on his way to find me there but was just a few days too late. My uncle heard I was in Abbeville hospital and got a special pass to come down the same night as I left for England, so I did not see him. I was wounded at 11:30 a.m. and was in a hospital 10 miles from the line by 6 p.m. We did not lose a fraction of what the Germans did, it was awful, the poor Germans run like a lot of mice.

Wm. Mowatt No. 880100

18^th Can. Battalion

5^th Southern General Hospital,

Unit 3, Ward 14

Portsmouth, Hants, England.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

Chatham Daily Planet (17-09-1917), Chatham Daily Planet (06-06-1918)

Height	5'8"
Eye Colour	Brown
Age	25
Complexion	Fair
Hair	Brown
Race	White
Birthplace	Scotland
Religion	Presbyterian
Last Place of Employment	Charles Shiva's, Valetta, Ontario
Average Earnings	$ 30.00 per month and Board
Marital Status	Single
When Enlisted	March 1916
Where Enlisted	Chatham, Ontario
Next of Kin	Father- William Mowatt, 74 Mid St, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

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