感人至深！重读那些一战时的情书

　　Moving love letters sent by First World War soldiers days before they died in one of the conflict’s bloodiest battles have been revealed for the first time. Descendants of soldiers who died in the Battle of Passchendaele, fought near the Belgian city of Ypres between July and November 1917, are making the heartbreaking keepsakes public to mark the 100th year of the campaign.

　　最近，第一次世界大战时期感人至深的情书被首次公布于世，这些情书是由一战的士兵所写，是在一场最残酷的战斗牺牲之前。士兵们从1917年7月到11月在比利时的伊珀尔浴血奋战，最后在帕斯尚尔战役中牺牲，他们的后代将这些令人心碎的纪念品公布于众，以此来纪念一战100年。

　　They include a postcard sent by private Bob Snelling to his wife Alice, who he told: "When this little picnic is finished we will have the old times over again making up for these months of parting." He died on August 15 in battle, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

　　其中一个纪念品是士兵鲍勃·斯内林寄给妻子爱丽丝的一张明信片，他写道：“当这些结束，我们就可以再回到之前的时光，来弥补这些日子的分离。”8月15日他在战斗中牺牲，战斗又称为第三次伊珀尔战役，这场战役夺去了数十万的生命。

　　Also being made public are letters from private Snelling to his daughters, and a photograph of Alice carried by Charles, which was discovered by chance in a wood in Belgium months after he was killed in action. The image was returned to her by the corporal in the Soldiers Christian Association who found it, with a note saying "I am very sorry to say I could not find the owner of the photos. I cannot say if he has been wounded or killed".

　　同样公之于众的还有斯内尔写给女儿的信，还有一张爱丽丝的照片，照片是在查尔斯身上发现的，是在比利时一个树林中无意发现的，彼时他已经被杀死数月。士兵基督教协会的一名士兵发现了照片，之后还给了爱丽丝，并附了一张纸条写道：“我找不到照片的主人，我很抱歉，我不能判断他是生是死。”

　　Among the other mementos kept by grandson Bob Snelling, from Surrey, are a lace-embroidered postcard and a letter from Charles, who served in the City of London regiment when he was "merry and bright" before Passchendaele commenced. He urges his wife to carry on as if he was at home and not to think of tomorrow.

　　鲍勃·斯内尔的孙子萨瑞保存的纪念品中有一张刺绣蕾丝的明信片以及查尔斯的一封信，在帕斯尚尔战役开始之前查尔斯在伦敦市军队里，当时他幸福快乐，他要求妻子不用考虑未来，就像他在家似得照旧生活下去。

　　In a final postcard dated August 14, the day before he was killed in an attack on Glencorse Wood, he wrote "I am quite well. Letter follows at first opportunity". After inquiries, Alice received news he was missing, and in October, that he was dead.Louise Argent, from Devon, is making public a poignant last letter home from her great- grandfather Private Albert Ford to Edith, who described as the "best of wives", before he went over the top.

　　最后一张明信片的日期是8月14号，他在格林科斯树林一场袭击中身亡的前一天，他写道：“我很好，信很快送到。”多方打听之后，爱丽丝得到了他失踪的消息，而在10月则是身亡的噩耗。来自英国德文郡的路易丝·阿金特公布了她曾祖父阿尔伯特·福特士兵在越过战壕前写给他“最好的妻子”——爱迪丝的最后一封信。

　　He urged her to think of him sometimes if he died, and mention him to the younger children sometimes, but to remarry if the chance came. "Know that my last thoughts were of you in the dugout or on the fire step my thought went out to you, the only one I ever loved, the one that made a man of me," he wrote.

　　他告诉她如果他身亡，时不时想想他就行，偶尔给年幼的孩子提一提自己，但是如果有机会的话，那就改嫁吧。“你要知道在战壕里我最后的念头想到了你，在踏台上我的脑海中也是你，我唯一爱过的，并且让我成为真正的男人的挚爱。”他写道。

　　Albert was killed on October 26 1917, and Edith, who treasured his last letter, never remarried. As she lay dying in February 1956, she said she could see Albert in the corner of her bedroom. Other mementos include a letter from Edward Woolley, known as Ted, who wrote to his sister asking her to lie to a girl who had jilted him.

　　1917年10月26号阿尔伯特被杀，而爱迪丝一直珍藏着这封信，一生未改嫁。1956年2月她躺在床上奄奄一息，她说她在卧室的角落看见了阿尔伯特。另外一些纪念品中有一封爱德华·伍利(又称泰德)写给自己姐姐的信，信中他让姐姐对一名抛弃了他的女孩隐瞒他的离世。

　　In the letter, now kept by his niece Ann Phillip, in Frome, Somerset, he wrote: "I am glad you told me that you met Bessie, and I think she is sorry now she throwed me up, but I am glad and if you see her again tell her I have got another girl whether I have got one or not."

　　这封信现在由他的外甥女安·菲利浦保管着，在英国萨默塞特的弗罗姆镇他写道：“我很高兴你告诉我你遇见了贝茜，我相信她现在一定后悔之前抛弃我，但是我很高兴，如果你再见到她，不管我有没有女友，告诉她我已经有女朋友了。”

　　While his brothers survived the war, Ted died on August 22, 1917, and his name appears on the memorial to the missing in Tyne Cot cemetery alongside 35,000 others who - like him - have no known grave.

　　1917年8月22日泰德身亡，而他的兄弟们幸存了下来，他的名字出现在 Tyne Cot墓地的纪念碑上，另外还有35000名烈士—和他一样—没有已知的墓地。

　　First World War Minister Rob Wilson said the letters showed love could survive even through the harrowing experiences of the Battle of Passchendaele, which lasted from July 31 to November 10. "I hope these stories will encourage more people to explore their past and apply to join in this summer’s commemorations of this infamous battle," he added.

　　第一次世界大战的大臣鲍勃·威尔逊称这些信件饱含爱意，即使是经历过从7月31日到11月10日可怕的帕斯尚尔战役，这些爱意仍流传。“我希望这些故事可以激励越来越多的人去探索他们的过去，并且加入到今年夏天对这场‘声名狼藉’的战役的纪念活动中去，”他补充道。

（编辑：何莹莹）