Alex Jackson, Letter to Dr. James MacCallum, Jan. 10, 1916
![[ Screened Road ‘A’ ]](../../images/site/356058_2.jpg "[ Screened Road ‘A’ ]")
Screened Road ‘A’, A.Y. Jackson, 1918, Canadian War Museum, 19710261-0170, Jackson captures a scene behind the front lines of battle, showing a road filled with soldiers screened by camoflage netting to obscure them from enemy eyes. Enemy 'spotters' might have used airplanes or dirigibles to get a "birds' eye view" of battlefields, as well of enemy positions behind the front line. Such observations would help in aspects of battle planning such as targetting artillery fire. Note the colour bars laid underneath the image when it was photographed. These colour bars help enable printers to correctly reproduce the colours in the image
457316 A Coy 60th Bn
Bramshott Camp, Hants
Dear Doctor
[...]
We are putting on the finishing touches now and will soon be in the game. its a monotonous grind, much more so than it ought to be. I wont be sorry when we get into the trenches there at least most of the work will be practical and the petty round of useless and ridiculous duties will disappear very largely
A certain amount of army training will do a man good, especially the spoon fed boys. but too much of it will render him unfit for anything else. It does not develop the mind nor allow it to develop nor does it elevate a man's ideals. all the silly stuff talked about the war in pulpits would end pretty quickly if all the reverend gentlemen were shoved into the ranks and subjected to military discipline for a while. We hear sermons every Sunday about the evils of drink and women its all we ever do hear about while the people at home are hearing about the noble army fighting for Christianity and international law and all kinds of heroic things that the army knows nothing about. a parson in the ranks would be horrified with the vulgarity of it all. at the front we would see examples of self sacrifice and sublime courage by men the church would regard as outside the law. his faith in the church might weaken but his faith in humanity would be better stuff after it.
England never will take the business altogether seriously. we will win out but in the most expensive and round about way we have been kicked into one measure after another by the Huns right up to conscription which of course should have come months ago. conscription makes people conscious because it makes them all responsible. if England sneaks out of conscription now she deserves to lose the war. It makes our boys wild after coming away over here to see able bodied Englishmen standing round the corners watching them march by. [...]
I have seen some recent English exhibitions but pretty mild stuff. nothing like we are going to do. [...]
Ever sincerely,
Alex Jackson