Antonio Roy, my maternal grandfather, never ceases to amaze me. The more you dig, the more comes up. On 2 November 1914, my grandfather, then nineteen-year-old Antonio Roy, answered the questions on the Attestation Paper and signed up to serve in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force – the Royal 22nd… The Vandoos… Les Vingt-Deux.
“The Germans attacked four times the night of 15 September, by the next day the 22nd Battalion was down to 200 men of the original 900. The battalions received a food and water party from the 26th Battalion on 17 October, their first meal in three days, and were ordered to attack the German trenches outside the village. On 18 September, the 22nd and 25th battalions were finally relieved, after 4 days of constant counterattacks. Casualties for Courcelette were 7,230 killed, wounded, or missing.”
https://vimyfoundation.ca/battles/courcelette
Antonio fought for at least 48 hours straight in the battle of Courcellette, first fighting to take the village, and then surviving several counterattacks. Courcellette was the first battle in World War I to feature tanks, the first time tanks were ever used in war.
His regiment, the 22nd, was decimated. He was injured on the third day of battle, shellshocked. The blast killed two of his comrades. In late October or early November, Antonio wrote to his parents. The letter was published in the Thetford Mines paper, Le Canadien on 9 November 1916.
Letter from Corporal Antonio Roy to his parents
Dear Parents,
I can’t tell you how happy I am to see that the 22nd Regiment CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) honored French Canada, as I took part in the great charge of Courcelette.
We suffered from hunger and thirst, but we needed to endure it for our honor, and especially for the honor of our French Canadian flag.
Our battalion was mentioned in the Orders of the Day. I assure you that the English newspapers spoke highly of us. God gave me the strength to carry out the charge, but He took it out of me once we did our duty.
My health is getting better. I am well nursed.
I hope that you are in perfect health, as well as little Gerard, who I am very eager to see again.
I end this letter saying hello to everyone in the family, as well as all my Thetford friends.
Your son, who will never forget you.
Corporal Antonio Roy