"Love, your old soldier uncle"

Sergeant Fraser Tupper appears in a photo he sent his nephew from France: "Isn't he a hard-looking ticket?" (University Archives/Nick Pearce Photo)

Sergeant Fraser Tupper was one of the men who sailed overseas with Dalhousie Stationary Hospital No. 7. Throughout the First World War, he sent postcards to his young nephew Ralph Kane back in Halifax, with the salutation “Dear little boy” or “My dear old boy,” and signing off with “love, from your old uncle soldier.”

In the one or two sentences he had room for, he conveys his longing for home.

Here are excerpts from his correspondence, which can be found in Dalhousie University Archives:

Dear little boy,
Do you know the fellow on this card? Isn’t he a hard-looking ticket? No wonder the Germans are quitting.
Love from your old uncle soldier

Dear Ralph,
We had two bands to play us to the station. Lots of show up here.
Your soldier uncle,
Frase

Dear old boy,
Tell mama never to let you be a soldier for the job is no good. You kiss mama for me.
Your old uncle soldier.

I suppose you feel big enough to go to the arm skating by yourself now that you weigh 45 lbs. Gee, you are getting to be a big boy. If the war don’t soon finish, I guess you will be wearing long pants by the time I get home...

I saw a dog over here the other day that looked like Prince. Do you suppose that is why he came over to see me? ...

This card is like a real French soldier’s uniform. Why don’t you learn to smoke? If mama won’t let you, just tell her that Uncle Frase does and he ain’t a very bad sort of a fellow even for a soldier...

I got your card and was very glad to hear you were having a good time in the country. You want me to come home. Well, Ralph, I will be home just as soon as I can. I want to go home far worse than you want me to come home...

Just two years ago tomorrow, I put on my uniform for active service in this war and I hope it will not be very long till I will be able to take if off. I like France very much but I like Halifax far better...

I just got Percy’s letter telling me about you getting a prize at the picnic. Good old sport. Keep it up and someday you and I will have a race around the yard...

The University Archives contains records from Dalhousie Stationary Hospital No. 7, including correspondence from Fraser Tupper (in photo) to his nephew Ralph Kane. (Nick Pearce Photo)

I hope your mama and daddy will have a good time on Thanksgiving and that you have lots of turkey. Our “turkey” is put in cans and we call it bully-beef. We get it so often we are sick of it...

How many more cards will your album hold? I guess you would not like it here tonight. It is so cold and it is snowing hard just now. It will be raining in a little while...

I am awful sorry to hear about your sore eyes but Aunt Bessie says they are getting better. I suppose they will make you wear dark glasses. I think you will be a funny-looking fellow with them on… I am awful tired of this place and I want to go home...

You ought to appreciate this card for I walked all the way to town and back again to get them to you … well I was pretty tired but it was a lonely day and night for me. A good change for me...

This little kid in the picture has an old soldier uncle in France and he is watching to see if he sees him coming home. And the funny thing is I think his name is Ralph too. I know a nice looking little fellow about your size. I wonder if he will be looking out the window to see me when I am coming home...

It has been awful hot arund here and where we were last in the daytime. So cool in the night. We slept in the sand for a week. It wasn’t too bad doing that but I don’t think you would like it. I hope the war will soon be done. All I want to do is go home...

Just a card for your lonely soldier out in the middle of a great heap of sand. You would have a great time here with your shovel and bucket but I don’t like it a bit. It gets I your boots and socks and all over and in everything...

I am going to be home before this time next year all right if I am spared. How would you like to go skating with your old soldier uncle?

With thanks to archives specialist Kathryn Harvey and librarians with University Archives. This article originally appeared on Dal News November 11, 2008. 

LINK: No. 7 Overseas Field Hospital in the University Archives