Letter to Mother
Aug. 30 1916
Dear Mother:
It stoped raining this a.m. for a while and it looks as tho the sun would shine in a little while. It rain longer the last spell than it had since we came. The rain is warm and you don’t mind getting wet here. I walked 9 miles in a rain Sun night up from some town I don’t know the name. It only took 45 min. We get well fed in here and have a good all around time we will be fat before we get to drill again they say it will be 21 days.
Three of our Sergeants have lost there stripes since they came here from [osing???] to much booze. we heard that we would get leave right on the start but no one has got it yet so we don’t know when it will come, but I don’t want them to get leave until we get clear again
we were out for a good walk on Mon. PM. but yesterday it was to wet for use to go out but the parade was out all day. I do not know just how wet they must of got.
A bunch of new men got stripes to take the places of the men who lost the stripes so we will have some fun when we back into the lines again. the sergeants were all in our D co’y, so I think we will all be drafted to different Batt. in France. It was great that Romonia went in to help use for we need them to help close out the war quicker. It is making hard times here. we see wemon around here gathering up cloths to wash for to make a few cents, and there is ragged little boys coming down here and the soldiers give them dinner or supper they sit on the benches between the boys.
I walked a long way Sunday taking in all the sights I could see I was away for 10 hours, took in an open air meeting of Salvation A. and the indoor meet also they were good. A Captain from the south of London a young Swed gave the sermon indoor. He was as smart as a steel trap and nice looking but you could here his accent. It would do you good to see the mose on the roof tops under the big tall trees. The trees are surely big and nice to see, they are cutting trees right beside the camp to make the camp bigger, and they ship the logs to France to use on the battle front I haven’t take a picture yet, but I will the next time I go out. I was waiting to take the best things the other day and did not get any. We have a nice fire on in our hut now and we just got word that we get a march this P.M. we will have a time out thru the trees.
31st
Well Mother another night has past
All of use are feeling fine because the sun is shine bright and clear. I have read all the news I could find in there daily papers and am sitting at the south end of our hut on a pail tiped over. McKeith is sitting on a tub and washing some underwear and handkerchiefs. We have a fat little kitty that is staying at our hut but it is about half grown.
Some of the boys played a trick on me yesterday. I guess they had heard me say that I had never tasted beer so they put about an inch of beer in my water bottle, and I have it hanging at the head of my bunk always with water in, because I don’t like the tea. well after breakfast I took it down and took a swallow just like I always do and I never tasted such biter dope in all my life say if the boys didn’t holler. and later on they had me up in the orderly room drinking beer we have orderly room and every thing you can imagine to pass the time away.
The boys gamble a lot and drink a lot of beer but they don’t get enough to do any harm as far as fights go. It is so hard to get some one to carry it to them. This is all the paper I have so I guess that I won’t write much more till I get some. We had a great march for about five miles yesterday and there is so much to see that is new to me. The nights get chilly here just like they do in Can. There was no mail for me this am. again but I think I will get a letter this week yet.
The wagons are wider here, and they drive either single horses or single tandem which looks funny to me they log out here with the harvest wagons and just 2 horses strung out. There are great piles of black thimble berries here that will be ripe in about 10 days wont I have some feeds then. There is a fatigue party on to day cutting all the little tufts of grass that have started to grow around the premises of the 128th Barr. We have the tidiest of Cornel that any Batt could have, I am proud of him for that and his strictness. those are the points that show up to the public. we were up against other Batts on the boat and say they acted just plum sick beside use I could tell you some the comparisons if I was home but it would take to much time here. I haven’t a cold or a thing but there is a boy in our section that has the worst cough and he don’t seem to get any thing done for it. we had some of the best sweet biscuits this a.m. for breakfast right out of the oven say they were great. Our ex Sargeant is washing his clothes in a pail say it is funny to see him and here him talk. an other Sargeant is up this a.m. I wonder if they will all be privates yet.
This English money is funny dope to me I have a pound note here it is just like a piece of white linen paper with the writing on it. I guess I will some of them home to show you folks when I get back.
By the papers I guess they are just going aniolate Germany and I don’t know that she hasn’t got it coming good bye
your loving son Laurie