Letter to Ernest from Witley

Witley
27-4-17

Dear Ernest:–

I received letter written by Annie and you last week, but have received no U.S. mail this week yet.

We expect to soon get out of here we have our Batt and Brigade colours on our tunics now and I beleave are ready to the extent that we could pull for France in six hours notice and I wont regret the news that confines use to barracks untill we load our horses, the cars just hold eight head each so they are not as large as the G.M.R’y. Our horses are put in cars with harness saddles and bridles on with bits droped out of there mouths our limbers are loaded on flat open cars with about a 2 foot box around you can guess what they would look like, cores are hooked together by large chains and have spring bumpers on each that resemble this

you would laugh to see a string of them going along. they remind me of a string of steel stone trucks such as you have on the farm.

I guess by the time I get back home the horse business will be flat. but it may pick up again in a period of years. it will never be near the same over here as it was before the war.

There was a man here that had nine children the other day I saw the wife and little folks the oldest 14 yrs. well he was called up and went to France there he was wounded sent home and is sent back again now The wife has just 2 lbs a week to pay rent and run that house with, an’t it to bad,

The sooner this war ends the better for all nations concerned.

Well bye bye Ernest give my love to all the little folks and Annie I received Sidneys nice letter will answer it soon.

as ever
Laurie