Letter to Mother from Bramshot Camp, Lypook Hants
Nov. 10’1916 Bramshot Camp
Lypook Hants
Dear Mother:–
You are first on the England list for this week. I sent a letter to Horace last night but have to ans. your Teds and Eula’s before Sunday. Tonight it has started to rain again but in the form of a heavy mist. But still it soon wets the ground because it is soaked all but the dust on top all the time. They have started to give use a Gargel twice a day and we draw a few drops of the same liquid up our noses as a preventative for colds but I caught a slight cold in my head before this started so I have to get over it. Now I feel just as good as I ever did it is just a slight cold. I will tell you all about my ailments I have and then you will have no reason to think they are any worse than I tell you.
I went down to see Elmer tonight but he went out right after he was dismissed with a bunch of these boys so I won’t see him until tomorrow P.M. but I expect to spend all after noon with him he is just looking around like I done when I first hit
Eng. I don’t blame the boys.
I told you about the 75 men of the 1st draft Well today they said there was to be a muster parade at 12.55 so we all fell in and then they called 170 of use out of C and D co’ys inspected use by brogade officers and turned use loose again so we expect to be the next draft. Harvey Anderson Mitchel and I are in it and about 4 more our of 16 platoon but Mitchel has gone to the Hospital with the La Grippe since so he may not be able to go Bob McKeith has got a bad cold and is going sick again he don’t seem to be very tough but he is as fat as a pig and looks the picture of health, I think Bill Hopkins and Bob Banks have been in quarantine for about three weeks I haven’t seen or heard any thing of them. Alf Myres come over tonight and told me that he had turned in his blankets they expected to be off for France any minuit. The meeting is just going to start. Well Mother it is 1 P.M. Saturday 11 The meeting finished at the S. C. A. last night and I went into the devotional room to sunday school or bible study, I just got home by 9.25 to in time to answer the roll call which is at 9.30 instead of 9 P.M. as it was in Witley. You had better send my mail to the Army P.O. London that will be the best I think for we wont be here long now. I haven’t heard any more about the draft since but it may be any time I guess.
I got three more letters today one from you one Kate and Annie, so I have lots of letters to ans. that makes six this week.
I am glad that Horace is getting along good with his machine and I hope Clive gets threshed before the snow comes. It seems funny to think of John Loverin stacking any of his grain, for he has such a lot of it to.
Elmer just came in we are going out together to see what we can find out around the country the sun is trying to shine this after noon and it is warm I swet on bayonet fighting in good shape this am.
The rain did not amount to any thing. Pete Campbell got out of the Hospital and Bob McKeith went in but not very sick Harvey says he an’t any more sick the he is and you can imagine Harvey being sick he is as strong and rugged as a bear and has a great true heart for his friends but always thinks before he starts a row but after it is started he can’t think any more. he don’t know when to stop he got mad one night because a sergeant used me rough with the boxing gloves and he jumped up and said I’ll wrestle any men in Hut for $5.00 and then he grabbed the boxing gloves and said I’ll teach him to use a [bgh???] man rough and he gave the Sergeant all he could digest and if it had have been a fight he would have broken him into in less than 3 minuites, well I will have to quit Mother dear
as ever your loving son Laurie