S.S. Lapland
Nov. 28th/15

Dear People:-

Here I am on the briny deep, miles from Canada. We reached Halifax last evening about three thirty & as the train came right down to the wharf we were on board ere four o'clock & saw nothing of Halifax. Immediately after embarkation they pulled her out into the harbour ( so we would not desert I guess) & remained there until morning. We left just after daylight this morning. The Lapland is one of the largest on the water here now. We are up on the fourth deck & they say that is the best place on the boat. Our berths are first class and as yet I have not been sick. However I am expecting developments soon.

Craig is on the same boat. I knew he was on it but he did not know that I was, so you may imagine his surprise when I walked into his Cabin. We had a fine time together last night & this morning. Roscoe Pollock is on it too but I have not seen him yet. He was up looking for me while I was down with Craig.

We had a Church service this morning & it was very good. Of course it was not very long since all of us had to stand up. The sea is getting quite rough (I may not have a long time to wait) however I feel better now than a few hours ago. I think I will stop now I will try & write a little every day. For now I will say Au Revoir.

Monday

I am still able to be up. It is now drawing nigh to darkness and I feel as good as I have since I arrived. Some of the fellows are sick today. I see plainly that my turn in coming. We drilled up on the upper deck for about three hours today. We have drilled much more onboard than any of the other troops. I have just been down talking to Craig. He sure is looking fine. The ocean has been slightly rougher today it sure is fine to watch the huge waves roll about. Of course it has not been really rough yet. I hope we have one real storm before we reach the other side. It has been foggy all day so we can't see any distance ahead hardly.

Say Father do you remember a fellow by the name of McAllister, a horse doctor, who used to live in Blackstock. His son is in our company I just met him today. He knows all the people around there. They moved away about eighteen years ago, they are living in Toronto now.

I think I will stop at present as it is nearly supper time. Hurrah for the meat, bread, butter, jam & tea, it's good plain wholesome food & seems to stay where its put fairly well.

Tuesday Night

The weather has been much rougher today also the sea. At present the boat is rocking quite noticeably and following up the natural line of events I am not feeling just up to the mark. I have not been real sick yet and I am doing what little I can to keep from it. It has been to rough to do any drilling today so we have just been lounging around. I was not feeling very good before dinner so I came in & lay down in my berth. I was not quite decided whether to go down for dinner or not. The smell of the cooking quite upsets a person as quickly as anything. While I was debating in my mind I fell asleep and when I awoke the dinner hour was long past. One of the fellows who noticed my absence during dinner brought me in a few biscuits & I had an apple & and orange so I got along very well. I ate very little supper but I think I will navigate.

We have had some great waves today, over thirty feet I should judge. It certain is great to stand & watch them. I spent quite a while looking at them, the spray sometimes comes right over the deck, at those times it is well to not be there. I saw several fellows soused good.

There were about one third of our fellows sick today & I think there will be a good many more sick tomorrow. If the wind keeps up we will have a sea worth looking at by morning.

Wednesday Night

One more day almost ended and still I have kept well enough to move about at leisure. The sea had kept quite rough all day. They tell me that last night it got very rough, but I slept blissfully through it all. It gives one a strange sensation to find the floor coming up to meet you at one step and receeding at the next. It makes me feel very much the same as to be descending very rapidly in an elevator. We have to go down three flights of stairs to reach the dining room and I always feel very much relieved when I reach the level.

We did a little drilling today. We ran around our own deck several times this morning and this afternoon they took us up on the Hurricane deck where we took some physical drill and signalling until the rain drove us down to our cabins.

This morning when the sun arose we had some beautiful rainbows in the spray. When the waves would rise and break and the spray fly into the air the effect of the sunshine up it was very fine. This morning also I had the pleasure of seeing some dozen or two Dolphins spring out of the water. They are about three or four

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sensations but nothing happened. It is strange that I have not been sick. I have felt rather dumpy but I have not been sick and I am real surprised.

We reached the danger or War Zone today so we have spent quite a lot of our time at life-boat practise, learning what boat each of us is to take, where it is and the quickest way to it. Not that we anticipate any great danger, but it is always well to be prepared.

I would not tell you this if it were not for the fact that I know if you get this that I will be safely in England so there is no need to worry.

Tonight just after dark we met a steamer. She was quite a distance away so we did not see what she was. She was heading to Canada.
Well I guess I will stop and go and call on some of my sick friends before it is too late to do so. I must therefore bid you good-night.

Friday Night

Last night after I returned from my sick visiting and was roosting in my berth Craig came in, he had got past the sentry somehow so we had a fine time for a while. I had to see him out though.

Well we must be getting nearer civilization for today we met two liners. I don't know what nationality they were. One of them was too far away and the other carried no flag in view.

Last night they warned us that sometime today a warning would be sounded and we must see how quickly we could get on our life belts and get to our proper boat or raft. Well it sounded and you should have seen us moving around. I think everyone got there in pretty short time.
Tonight we picked out twelve of our largest men and had a tug of war with the 92nd. Our men got them twice out of three times.

The sickness is gradually diminishing and yet I am free. It is very strange. They are holding a concert down in the dining room tonight so I must stop & go down.

Sat. Afternoon

Well I did not go down to the concert last night after all. I went to one of the other state-rooms to see if the fellows there were ready to go down, and I found that six fellows were engaged in and argument which started in Prohibition & ended in Religion as a whole. I slipped right into one

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We have not been drilling today and of course we won't drill tomorrow since it is the Sabbath. One week ago we were just boarding the Lapland. Our time here is about four hours ahead of yours. They have beat us out of half an hours time every night almost. We expect to reach port today. We met another steamer this morning heading for America. Tonight we have to sleep on deck with our great coats & life-belts on. We are now in the most dangerous part of the journey.

I think I will stop & probably I will write my last addition on this tomorrow.

We are here now which is Sunday morning Dec 5th. We are still on board but we will very likely get off sometime today. I have seen a Submarine, a Submarine Destroyer, several battle ships & many other ships of various descriptions. Now I have no more news except that I was not sick all the way over. I felt a little dumpy for a while but I never missed a parade & only missed one meal & I slept through that.

Now I don't know whether you will be able to read this or not but I have written most of it on my knee sitting in my upper berth. If you see Mrs [?] tell her Craig got here alright.

Say Annie if you if you would send this to Foster as soon as everyone at home has read it, tell him to send it to Bruce. I won't have time to write it to all, in fact I have not time to read this over, so pardon any mistakes which you will find.

You won't get this very long before Xmas so I will wish you all a Merry Xmas & a very happy new year. Also best wishes for Bruce's and Edna's birthdays.

Don't forget to write as often as possible & I will try to do the same.

Good Bye for Now

Love to All

Roy