Letter Home from Camp Hughes
Camp Hughes
June 20, 1916
Dear Mother:–
I just received a letter from Myrtle she told me about Edna’s shower she is to be married on the 21st at her home in Waldeck. It is funny how these fellows can get married without a cent when I can’t get married with all my debts, but it is a funny old world.
I just got inoculated this A.M. so spent the time till dinner down in the trees with Wallie H. we read and tried to sleep, but under the trees it was to chilly and out in the sun it was to hot.
I ate enough dinner for two men lying around like I today and then threw out a piece of good meat and a good big feed of turnips and potatoes that I could not eat after I was full. I have the same relish for bread and butter now that I had when I was a little kid about 8 or 10 years old it tastes so good, and we have the best that can be bot of both here. we eat so much that it is always fresh.
Harvey Anderson is on guard to-day and he just came back to the tent and is shaving he so seldom writes a letter and then he wrote one to Mildred not long ago and here if he didn’t get it back from the dead letter office last night. I sure had to laugh.
It is some time since dinner Wallie and I ran away from camp and are down at the Y.M.C.A. tents both writing we may get caught, but we won’t tell any lies about it, we will take our C.B. and laugh when we get out of the Captains sight again.
It is so dusty that if a fellow is at all warm he can’t help soiling the writing paper because we haven’t got things as hand to wash our hands as we might have.
We have to go as far as to the barn to wash from our tent at home, and I don’t know how far from here
I took two pictures on the road down one of Wallie lying in the trees writing and one of me writing in the trees writing.
My arm is not sore like it was the other time but of course it may get a little worse yet but I don’t think it will.
I heard a good address from General Hughes last night at the Y.M.C.A. concert and there was a young lady from Brandon that gave use four readings she is a teacher of Eloquation and something else I have forgotten what they said, but she had any thing beaten that I ever heard yet, I think. She was not a pretty girl either but she had the gift of expression. It does look most awful good to see some girls and women around and they are coming in evenings thicker all the time.
The drill is easy now there is so much physical drill and lectures, and light fatigue and guard and cookhouse work to do.
Our Sargent Major went to the Hospital today and I think he will never be fit for his job again some kind of Rhumatism.
There is quite a bunch of boys here writing and playing checkers and etc. There is no cards around these tents they are working for the betterment of humanity. In M.J. there was a hole in the Secretary I think he could see where work ought to be done but he could not get around to doing it. There is a big catholic church going up here, and a bit Salvation Army hall, I was at there open air meeting on Sunday night, but I dident take part.
We are going to have a full day on the 1st of July I may train for a long distance race yet I will start tonight if I do. Not to try to wine but to travel along with the boys and know how much faster than I they can run. There must be some boys out of 2500 men that are good at every thing. We are going to have supper down town tonight for a change I have one meal a week. I am spending quite a bit of money on candy and stuff to eat but I don’t care I would have different stuff to eat at home and when I want any thing I go and get it, we get a pie for 20 ¢ a meal ham and eggs 25 ¢ etc. 5 ¢ for good milk. cocoa is served with the meal for 25 ¢.
We are enough out so we have a better drill ground than the Batt. that are in closer to town but I have to leave the meetings a little earlier than the other fellows.
Our officers don’t want use to come out of the grounds unless we are in full dress and a lot of the other fellows are running around any old way at all.
Well good bye mother it begins to look as though we would cut grain again in Canada but I won’t be disappointed if we don’t.
As ever your loving son
Laurie