Irish soldier describes the smell of the trenches

Roscommon, 4 June 1915 - A letter from Lance Corporal D. Higgins of the Leinster Regiment to his mother in Roscommon, has painted a vivid picture of life at the front.

The letter begins: 'It's a long way to Tipperary from where I write this. I am writing in good health. There is terrible slaughter out here at present, at the second battle of Ypres, where all the fighting is going on. You would be sorry to see all the grand churches and the whole city of Ypres destroyed, and the civilians, women and children, lying on the streets dead, and the whole place on fire; the smell of the burning dead bodies is horrible.'

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]