Letter to Ted
Sept. 1st 1916
Dear Ted,
You are next for a letter I would go to bed but the boys are a little [goged???] to night and they are having some fun so I wont go to bed till the rest go, we got out of Quarantine to night at 7 oclock so we have been up to the canteen and I got some candy, before tonight we had to send some one for use every time. we have been sleeping in every a.m. till about 6.30 so we have to get out tomorrow early for use. The Air ships go by. thear was seven seen here to day six in a group. They look good but they are awfully high. if you stretch your left arm out they look like a pin head on the end of your finger. we all had a good bath this P.M. To night about 5 P.M. the boy came walking along that was sent to the hospital that they quarantined use for so they turned use lose about 7.30. And it made use feel good but we had a good time all the time we were here. they did not give use any thing to do and we had lots to eat so we were happy. It cost use 24¢ a week for our washing no matter what we send or how little I think it is all right but I am doing my own, we have all the hot water we want. so it is a good thing to get used to. we will have to do it after a while any way.
Sept. 2nd
We got up at 5.30 roll call at 5.45 outside of hut, breakfast at 6.30 fall in at 8 a.m. physical drill till 9 a.m. lecture till 10 a.m. rout march till 11.45 20 minuits out of the first 2 hours for smoke and 20 out of the second 2 hours.
I left about 1 P.M. for a walk. I went about 7 or 8 miles and got back it is just 4.15 now so I will write for a while and then after supper I will go out again we have to be in for roll call at 9 oclock, lights out at 9.45.
Say Kid it is a whole hearted treat to go out here and walk a few miles down these lanes among the trees. The are up to 80 feet high and 40 feet wide about four feet in diameter at butt. There is all kinds of trees I don’t know the names of them so I can’t tell you any of them but they are good and straight the ones they are cutting any way but of coarse every tree is built according to its nature.
I got my first mail to day a letter from Kate and Kathleen one from Myrtle one from Miss Hurd but I wanted one from Mother worse than any so I an’t satisfied yet. but I guess we will get mail about twice a week if we do we will be all right.
I have just taken one picture yet that a donkey that would weigh about 450 lbs.
We had a good march this forenoon for about an hour and a half. it started to rain just as we got back if we had been out 1 min longer we would have been like drowned rats but we were lucky.
There is places to eat every mile or so and places to drink just as often.
Tomorrow we can’t get out until after 1 oclock they stop use for some reason.
The roads are very narrow here and the autos travel so fast that they hurt a lot of people. One man was ran over of ours and badly hurt but he is coming around again all right.
Last night they killed a man of an other Batt but they do drink to much
Sept 3rd
Just after supper and I have had a great walk about 10 miles I guess this P.M. out thru the trees we saw a lake with hundreds of ducks on it and one of the men was feeding them. They came right out of the water to eat, but we scared them so they flew right out to the water again.
An other man in our hut got ran over last night with Auto, he got drunk and tried to stop the Auto, well it stoped to pick him up but that was all He is able to be around again to day so I guess he will learn to behave by the time he is well again. Say Kid I don’t seem to be able to write tonight but I will put it off till tomorrow and finish it of then It rained very hard about 50 times this A.M. for a few minutes.
We were called out last night for an air raid but nothing was doing. Just about midnight
Well Kid I have been eating blackberries to day until I don’t know whether I will get sick or not. They are just getting ripe but there is loads of them. There is awful prickers on the vines they grow all over the trees and thru the tall grass.
I went up to the Salvation Army meeting to-night it was real good one man came forward and knelld at the penitent form, I only pray that he will stay by the stand he has taken
When I came out from the meeting Wallie H was at the door so we walked down to Y.M.C.A. no. 3 and we had 2 cake and 4 piece of lore cake 2 glasses of lemon aid they cost use 16¢ for the lot. then we walked very nearly a mile to Y.M.C.O. hut no. 2 but there was no meeting on so we came back home to our little hut. Wallie and I are split up now he is in the next hut. Bob Mc, Mitchel Burns Harvey Andersons pall Wesly Andrews Fred Nelson Pete Campbell Arthur Leeper and I are in here Harvey A. Wallie are in the next hut, Bob Banks In the Machine gun section is up about 5 huts. The other boys are in other (co'ys) from use It would be great Kid if you could be here for a few days to stroll around with me. I have just got used to English money now so I can count it all right and not get stung. Say Ted there are some of the smartest little boys here working with the barbers and at other jobs that you could ever see. I wish I could take one of them back with me, and maby I can. if I can find a little boy that has lost his father, I will try to take him There is a little boy that brings papers around every day, and we have others that come around with envelopes and paper and small book they sell for 2¢ they are great novels.
Well good night Ted the boys are just going to bed so I will have to roll in and get to sleep. I will write some more tomorrow.
Well Teddy it has not rain to day and it is 1 P.M. We fall in at 1.55 for a medical inspection but I guess there is no danger of not passing. We get our passes next week. I am off for London they say that we will have a weeks leave and I hope they do not cut me down any for I want every min.
There is a large number of women around here to day gathering up laundry but they an’t going to get mine we had some good platoon drill. I can’t see that it is a bit harder here than in Canada. the day is spent and that is all there is to it and our accommodations are 100 % better this is great no hardship in the world if we always had as good after we get back to Canada we would live to be old men i’ll bet. I have to get a letter written to Mother to but I am afraid I have written you about all there is to say.
Good by as ever your loving brother
Laurie
[On back of page] Teddy I can’t send my address to Annie so you send it you please as ever
Laurie