My Grandfather, Canadian Army, booted after being gassed in 1915, spent his last day with my kids. It was an Honor to know him and my Great Uncle, wounded at Blois.
My Grandfather was also Canadian Army- was at some of the real hell-spots on the Western Front. I asked him about it a lot when I was a youngster. He gave me a compelling and unvarnished account of what he saw. I was spellbound- because I felt like I was seeing history through his eyes.
His narrative was never full of heroics- it was all about doing your best in a world of gritty, terrifying misery. Adding to that was the fact that he was an astute observer, and had remarkable recall of detail at his then-advanced age.
I miss him terribly.
May God bless you, FWR.