[Editor’s note: The letter's date was written by Garton as “1916” but the postmark and content indicate it should be 1915.]
St Martins Plain
Shorncliffe Kent
England.
July 4th 1916
Miss Maudie Carter,
Clinton, Ont.
My own true Love,
Just a few more lines to let you know I am still living and able to kick we thought when we were in London, ont, that we had to work hard but we were having a good time and didn’t know it. for here we have to work about twice as hard. we have to get up at five o’clock and get out to drill at 7.45. a.m. and have phyical drill for two hours then we have to get our rifles and do bayonet exercise for the rest of the morning untill we are dismissed at twelve then we have dinner at 12.30. and have dress parade at 1.45 and then drill untill five and I can tell you we drill when we are at it we never get time to stand half a minute but I like drilling here for everything is different over here so one does not tire of the work so quickly. we were out for a route march yesterday we marched about twelve miles and carried all our equipment with us and it sure was some load it just weighs short eighty pounds so you can imagine how tired I was when we got back. of course it being Sat. we had a half holiday and it was a good thing for me for I was all in believe me but am all right to-day. have just come in from church parade we went to church this morning at 8.45. so we would be back before it got too hot for it is hot here when it is hot not like it is in Canada when it is hot here there is not a breath of wind just dead heat but as a general rule it is fairly cool for we are close to the water and get a breeze but there is not breeze here to-day. have been down to the town once this week. it is not far to the village here but it is about two and a half miles to the town but there are motor buses that run down every fifteen minutes so one can get there [esiely?] enough but it all costs money and we have not got paid since before we left London so some of the boys are running short but I have enough for me for I don’t spend very much here, only what I have to for my own benefit for I have not got into the way of using the English money yet or maybe never will. have never saw any of the 18th Boys yet did intend going over to-day but it is too hot to suite me so am going to sleep after I get this written, that is if the rest of the fellows will let me sleep, for they are a noisy bunch here especialy when there are about 25 or 30 men in a hut. there are thirty one of us in here now there were 46 for a while but it was too crowded so they moved some out and it is just about right now
but we have no cause to kick here we get lots to eat here and it is cooked too so if they do make us work hard they feed us and that is more than they used to do in London. how is everybody in Clinton, don’t think because I am in England I am not thinking of you for I think of you a great many times a day and I often wish you were here but I know if you were here you would not like the place any better than I do and I don’t think very much of it. well I think I will close for this time hoping to hear from you sometime in the near future remember me to the rest of the people and be sure you write soon. Maybe by the time you get this I will be on the firing line but don’t you worry Sweet-Heart I will never forget you and I hope to return to you some day.
As ever your Loving Boy
be sure to give Annie all the news.
No 146. Pte Tom Garton
No 2 Company 12 Reserve Batt
Canadian Contingent
St Martins Plain
Shorncliffe Kent
England.
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