Dibgate Camp,
Shorncliffe, Eng.
Aug 28th 1915
Dear Mother:-
I was very glad to receive a letter from home today it is the first I have received since I came to England we get Canadian mail about twice a week here
This has been a very busy week for us we were away from camp three days the first of the week went out on a sham fight Monday we marched nineteen miles with our full equipment which weighs about sixty pounds Tuesday we had our sham fight and had to carry our packs that day and Wednesday we marched back to camp a rather tired bunch but we enjoyed it just the same there were 25,000 men engaged in the sham fight the people all turned out to see us as we marched passed it was quite a long line I can tell you. I am real well never felt better in my life and we are being used well here get plenty of good food to eat and have sports and lots of good times but for all that England can’t come up to Canada. The weather has been great here lately it has not rained for nearly two weeks it is not as hot as Canada.
I had some pictures taken about two weeks ago and I may get them to-day I am going to send them to you and you may distribute them as you see best will write when I send them.
I think Youngs Cove did well in raising so much money to buy Machine guns I guess they are sorely needed at the front from all appearances there must soon be a big move made at the front as a lot of troops have gone over this week but one can never tell what is going on
Robin Orchard is real well he told me about Scott moving up to Waterboro I suppose he is working for his father-in-law he surely will like it better there than Whites Cove
Does John expect to be attached to an overseas regiment? I was thinking he must where he is taking so many courses he must met a lot of fine fellows but we have just as nice among the privates the only difference is that we gets the rough bunch as well which is in the majority we have fellows from nearly every college in Canada I think and a lot of them know a great deal more than some of our officers will I guess I have no more to write this time will write in the middle of the week for sure I was away this week or I would have written. We all have had our numbers changed the number you must put on my letter now is 111184 some number isn’t it
Love to all
Ralph
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