Letter to Mother
Sept. 8th 1916
Dear Mother:–
I am out of the hospital again in about 20 hours, We have a big recreation room 56 x 28 with 12 windows 4 x 6 ft 6 windows 1 ½ x 4 and 2 windows 4 x 4 ft so you know we have lots of light. these windows are in the north, east and west sides the dining room is to the south side of this room. There is a good little stove right at my back so I am comfortable and warm. I had a temperature of 102 yesterday at noon and this a.m. was normal again. I don’t fell as strong as I would if I hadent been sick but I am pretty well considering. They have no trained nurses here if there is any serious cases they are sent to Bramshot at once, but the hospital is just the same size as our hut but higher and the windows 4 x 6 instead 4 x 4 feet.
The trubble in a place like this is so many are trying to get off by putting up excuses that a man that is sick hates to go near them Wesley Andrews has been playing sick for months since he joined, they kicked him out of the signales because he was squealing sick all the time And they moved him on Tuesday they brot around the police with the doctor to put him under arrest for always being a nuisance and I’ll bet he don’t go sick any more. I heard him say after they left It is good I was sick today for they were going to arrest me if I wasent and he has been on parade since. I have got a little kick on this stove for it smokes a little.
Say Mother the constant use of booze makes an awful brog out of men. Some these English men that have just enough pay to get one or two drinks a day, would make you so tired that you would pity the poor ignorant beings. There tongue is always going if there is any one to listen and nothing said that would amount to a whiff of wind. I got six letters since I hit here and it comes in very good Eula said that she had for a change read all the daily bible reading for the S.S. for a week and thought that some thing would happen that Clive would not ask how many had read them that week just because she could hold up her hand once
I am going to try and eat lots today and be ready for parade tomorrow a.m. it an’t hard that is one great disappointment to me I thought that the training would be hard Now the boys were out for a route march this A.M. from 8.45 till 12 it would take till 9 before they would go and then 3 hours with on 20 min. rest any.
Well good bye Mother dear I want to seal this so I can get some one to take it to the P.O. this noon hour.
as ever your loving son
Laurie