Letter to Mother from Witley South Camp, Milford, Surrey
Sept. 26th 1916
Witley South Camp.
Milford
Surrey
Dear Mother:
I just came in from a concert held in Y.M.C.A. Hut no.3 free of charge to all soldiers, given by an aged lady who has a daughter in the red cross work in France and a boy in the trenches and a Husband in khakie also I don’t know where
She is spending here time traveling from camp to camp entertaining soldiers day after day free of charge. She has been an actress and has two sisters actresses to. Her main idea seems to be to bring cheer to the soldiers, and she gave use a good evenings enjoyment for an hour and a half.
I went over to the canteen to get some thing sweet and bot some coochies, the clerk was was full and he gave me 7 cookies and I had 9 coming for 4¢ but there was a half pennie among the cookies so I just bot 2 more and had my moneys worth.
We had a rain this am from about 6 a.m. to 12.20 and then the sun came out and we had the dandiest afternoon. There was an other air raid on last night that is disturbing our sleep pretty often the other was on Sat. night They killed 29 people last night and 33 the other night but they lost the two Zeps. the other night, you will see the accounts of these raids in the papers. We got our first lecture on bomb throwing today it seems as tho it will be interesting, all tho it is dangerouse work, but accidents may happen any time, and we are prepared. I read the book of Revelations thru this A.M. and several chapters of Job. I gave the address of my will as Union Bank Vanguard Sask
we get inoculated again on Sat. a.m. so we won’t do much running around this week. I have a bunch of P. cards to write up and send you but I don’t seem to get around to it. We are getting to much sleep these nights because I am awake every morning by the time revallie goes at 5.30 A.M.
I lost my soap case and soap on Sunday I guess some one needed it worse than I did so I went and got an other one it cost 21¢
Mother can a fellow hurt him self eating to much bread and butter or gravy. I come away from the dining room most awful full some times and I never drink any thing but cold water most of the time but I can get hot water twice a day in the bath house. I have my shower bath twice a day, hot water first and cold water before I wipe off it make me fell great some of the boys bathe every day but I don’t think it quite necessary.
They have an awful time here trying to figure out some new method of aranging the meal parade or the way we pack our bunks in the a.m. or some such thing. It takes a lot to keep the officers busy you know. Our lines out side are the [priest???] in the came we have an entire canadian camp here I don’t know how many Batt. will come yet. Bob Welles came in yesterday. I hope if Elmer comes over this winter that he will get into our camp.
I am still looking for a letter from some one in Canada I havent heard any thing since the 30th and that is the latest Canadian mail in camp
Well good night mother dear I will finish this in the A.M.
7.30 A.M.
Dear Mother:–
Breakfast is over and we are all shined up shaved washed teeth cleaned hair brushed and sitting on the side of my cot. I should post this this A.M. but won’t untill night now we were drilled for a muster parade at 7 A.M. but it was postponed untill 8 a.m. so we had an hour to sit around in. The idea of the muster parade is to find how many men there is in camp every man in every rank has to fall in no matter who he is or what work he is doing from the batmen to the cooks. It is a little cloudy this a.m. but very warm and the sun is coming thru some places so we will have fine warm day
We have a few of those old English booze fighters here and they are always rag chewing sober or drunk. They are the best circus you ever saw.
Well bye bye till noon or night.
I have just written you the post cards I try to keep track so I won’t send the same ones twice but may not make it work.
Good bye Mother dear as ever your loving son
Laurie