The Matthew Rae Letters have been preserved as part of the John Lunau collection by Markham Public Library.

Matthew Rae in Uniform

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Missing in Action


An article in the June 30, 1916 issue of the Globe & Mail (available through MPL's online database The Globe and Mail: Canada’s Heritage from 1844 ,a full-page archive of the Globe and Mail newspaper). tells us something of the uncertainty and anxiety his family experienced while Matthew was missing.
“Rev. [] Rae, minister of the Presbyterian Church at Unionville, some days ago received a letter from the front in the handwriting of his son, Matthew, of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. There was nothing inside. Rev. Mr. Rae thought his son had forgotten to enclose the letter and was waiting to hear from this boy again.
“Yesterday a message was received from Ottawa stating that Pte. Rae had been missing since June 2. Comparing the postmark on the envelope with the date on the message from Ottawa, Rev. Mr Rae concluded that before his boy had time to enclose his letter a bombardment commenced. It is thought the letter was picked up in the trenches and forwarded to Unionville.”

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