Letter to Mother

Sept. 5th 1916

Dear Mother:–

I received a letter from the post office department this A.M. that I will enclose to you.

It rained last night till I went to bed but the sun came up clear just as we were getting into camp after our little 30 minute route march from 6.30 till 7 a.m. We had breakfast at 7 and fell in again at 8.45 we stayed out till 12.30 a lot of lectures and so on, so we had a good time never a bit tired or hungry at all we have to fall in with packs this p.m. at 1.45 so I will have to put my pack together.

Well Mother I am writing again I have had supper and it is 5.45 we fall out at 4.30 but some times it is 5 waiting the reading of orders or some thing like that

I am a little tired tonight and Bob Mc says he is the same way. I guess we walk a little fast on the march and these are our first days at it but they are fine if we don’t ever get any thing harder. It has not rained all day but it is a little cloudy right now.

There is a pay parade on at 6 P.M. which will take about 25 min, for me seeing that we line up in alphabetical order and I get in 3rd I would not like to be McKeith. But Banks or H. Anderson have the starts of me and Pete Campbell is a head of me. There is more B’s in the Batt than any other letter it seems funny.

There is a young Canadian here by the name of Moleson well he thinks that he is the smartest fellow in the Batt. and I will own up to the truth he is real smart he says the funniest things, and he can sing and step dance and do any thing, but he is always broak, and bumming money and tobacco and matches. I don’t know who staked him to the drinks last night unless he sold his gloves for a cupple of shillings for he had sold his pen knife and every thing he could.

Sept. 6th

I received your letter and Alice’s to day at noon. I am sorry to say that I was slightly under the weather, but to night I think I am quite a lot better, I just had a slight toutch of the La Grippe. I guess but I will be all right again tomorrow, I hope, because I don’t want to miss the drill. I ful in sick parade this A.M. at 8.30 and they gave me some pills and told me that I should stay in bed all day. I went over at 5 P.M. and got two more pills.

There is a lot of the boys that get full and then they want to go sick, but they get sent out on drill most of the time An other one got nocked down with an auto yesterday. I guess some time they will learn to behave themselves

You touched so many things on the head in your letter that I more than enjoyed. but Mother I can’t help just feeling sad to have have to be away from you in these precious years of life but remember Mother if any thing happens me while across here that we will meet beyond the river in years to come and there will not be the mortal toils we have on this side.

I remember writing in one of my letter to someone that there was only one man here in our hut that was ignorant enough to dispise Mc and I for not taking a drink. Well last night I was und the weather and went to bed early, he came in half shot as usual and came over to my cot and pulled the blanket back from face and got down as said, say Laurie an’t your name Laurie you are the best boy in this hut and I just wanted to tell you I know you a lot better than me He said here the other you were saying your prayers and the boys started a te. he. party but never mind boy you are on the right road especially in a buch like this and I respect you for it. Then he shook hands and went back to his bunk, now there has been a change in what he thought of me in the last week or 10 days.

I can not do but very little with the boys from Haz. because they knew me before and it is just a continuation of the old thing, but the new acquantences are the men that you have the influence on. I have had lots of money we buy things by pennies here. I got payed yesterday got about $7.00 and had about $3.70 but I can borrow some from Harvey A. any time, we all get our leave next week so I have put in for a London pass of six days, I should have a good time McCabe is in the Hospital there he was wounded in the leg.

I remember that Mr Toyer I think he was around last year to

I suppose Arthur Ascot will enlist this fall He told me in the spring that he would be disappointed if the war kept up till I saw any of the fighting that he had not enlisted when we did.

They have called up every one over here there was a man called with wife and six children all small and he had no house for them to live. I saw when they said they would put the mother in a work house but I don’t know where the children would go in that case.

We are warm and great in this hut I think I told you before how good the blankets are we have 3 each.

Say what will Banks call the next boy Fred and Sam quite a pair, eh.

There is not any thing that I could get you to send me that would do me any good, because when we make the next move we have to leave some of the things behind.

You express my sentiment exactly when you say that coming home made it easier for to stand because I have a strange contentment ever since that I did not seem to have before I love my little Testament more every day, with out it I am afraid I would be badly in need of some thing to read lots of times

Well good night Mother dear I am felling good again it is 8 P.M. as ever your loving son Laurie