Letter to Mother from Bramshot Camp, Hants
[No date]
[14 December 1916]
Bramshot Camp
Hants
England
Dear Mother:–
I wrote Warren pickard a letter here a while back and sent him my photo. the letter was returned to me for they will not let me send any kind of a photo to neutral countries as long as the war lasts I will enclose this letter photo and pamphlet that I want to go to him. if you will read the letter and for ward it to him for me please just put in a note of explanation. I would write it my self but I would like to have you do it if you will. Last night as I came home from the S.A. barracks at times the moon and stars shone as bright as anyone ever saw them and in five minuits you could not see a man 15 feet ahead for fog then in ten minuits it was clear again.
This A.M. we had a martch befor breakfast and we walked out to the top of the hill at the edge of the valley to the south east of our camp. I could see in the bottom the chimneys of lots of houses and then thick fog so you could not see any thing but cloud and over on the other side was the top of the cloud and all trimmed with trees on the opposite side of the valley then the sky and to the left the sun coming up in a pink sky doted with little clouds. it was surely fine, Today is just a day of indian summer like we used to have in Canada I hope you are getting the same over there. I want to here that all the crop is taken of all right yet this fall for every one needs it, I think I know young Ted will or he will have to go hungry next summer. I will send you Maudes last letter, I wrote her a little while ago, I guess we generally write so our letter cross in the mail,
The final draft is broken up 30 of them have been quarantined and then they called out 30 other men that got back from the ranges Sat. A.M. The Myres boys are still going tho, I haven’t seen Stanley Deason for about 3 weeks he is quarantined for measels no one is very sick. I never have heard of any one yet but they surely have got it or they could not run the bluff. The cornel might do it tho you never know what is up around these days. Well good bye mother as ever your loving son Laurie. I got seven Letters last week so it will keep me going to get them answered for a while.
I took in bible class yesterday P.M. Elmer was with me all the P.M. we had dinner and supper together this A.M. bayonet fighting physical drill and drawing of attack range cards and judging distances, This P.M. barrack square drill with the M.G’s, and the use of the range finding instruments we will fall in now. I will send Maudes letter with this and Warrens with an other envelope lovingly Laurie
8.30 A.M. 15th
Dear Mother
The draft left yesterday for France but we haven’t heard any thing about who will go next or when so here is hoping that it is some time from now I ran down the street after the boys as they marched away and shook hands [stops here]