Little Bay N.D. Bay

November 12^th, 16

Hon. J. R. Bennett
Col. Secty.

Dear Sir,

Pardon me for the liberty I take in writing you but I would like to draw your attention to an item which appeared in the Twillingate Sun under date of Oct 21^st and later in the Daily News of Nov. 3^rd as follows:

Frank Lind Dead; a correspondent writing from Botwood says that a returned soldier is sure he saw Frank Lind dead on the field on July 1^st. He passed him going out and noticed he was doubled up as though he had been hit in the stomach. The same man was later wounded and in crawling back passed the same place again and is sure there was no doubt that it was Lind and that he was dead.

As Frank is my brother and we are anxious for any news we may get of him I thought perhaps you may be able to get in touch with the returned soldier and further vouch for the truth of such. If you can do anything in this I shall feel very grateful. I shall be glad if you can give me the name and address of returned soldier so I may communicate direct with him. Thanking you for any assistance you can give me.

I remain,

Yours Respectfully,

J.M. Lind

Source: The Rooms, Provincial Archives, St. John’s, NL

Note: Pte. Francis T. Lind – Mayo Lind as he is so well known to Newfoundlanders – was born at Bett’s Cove, Notre Dame Bay on March 9^th, 1879. He received his education there and at Little Bay Mines. At the age of fourteen he entered the employ of J.W. Hodge of Fogo and from there he went to St. John’s and worked for Ayre & Sons Ltd. He then went to Amherst, Nova Scotia for a short time before returning to his position at Ayre & Sons Ltd. Shortly thereafter he returned to Fogo and the employ of Earle, Sons and Co. When war broke out he enlisted on September 16, 1914.  He was actually old enough to be exempted from service as he was thirty-five and the age to serve was between 18 – 30. Frank died on July 1, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme at Beaumont Hamel.

Frank Lind became well known in Newfoundland for his letters home, published in the Daily News and then printed in book form in 1919, they gave the people home in Newfoundland a graphic and compelling account of the day-to-day regimental life overseas. He acquired the nickname “Mayo” after noting in one of his letters, 20 May 1915, that good tobacco was “almost impossible to get” and that “a stick of Mayo” was a “luxury”. This tobacco was made by the Imperial Tobacco Company of St. John’s and it was shortly after this letter that a supply of “Mayo-Linds” were sent to the men overseas and thereafter Frank was given the nickname of “Mayo”.

See this section of the site for some excerpts of his letters that appeared in the papers.