During the time that he was in Ladysmith, Harry Spanier shared a tent with a Catholic priest from Pretoria, Father Baudry. They became good friends and Spanier even attended mass. His wife was a Catholic which may explain this. Spanier had requested Father Baudry to write to his wife in America in the event of him becoming a casualty, which he did. This is the first page of his sensitive letter to Mrs Emma Spanier in Columbus, Ohio.