Sandling
Sept. 20

Dear Folks:

Another move and another address so I tho't I'd better let you know about it right away.

We moved from Hastings yesterday and things have been pretty much unsettled since then. We're in West Sandling Camp - not far from Shorncliffe and about eight miles from Folkstone. This place is an old military campt & naturally in a wilderness. Still I'm not worrying for we'll only be in this wing a few weeks and I think the senior wing is at Shorncliffe. Anyway I've only got about four pennies so I'd have to live on the army anyway. The Canucks don't fare very well here as far as pay go for they don't pay us with the Imperials. & we have to wait until a Canadian Pay Master comes around and that is pretty uncertain. Still is better than dodging whizz bangs and eating bully beef in France.

We've been pretty anxious to hear how our old B'n came out in the Arras scrap. From all accounts it was even worse than Amiens. Our old Scout Section came in for a rough time. Norm Rusk, the fellow I was at the Crops Sniping School with was killed. HE and Roger Grant - I think you have a snap of he & Norm in the bunch I sent a few months ago. Swimmy is in hospital somewhere with something the matter with his ear. There were quite a few wounded too in the Section. I guess we moved out at a good time altho' I never hear of any of the fellows going West but I feel like going back. In old "C" Coy of the 1st I don't think any of the fellows you know of got hit but there are only a few left. "Hen" and Brownie are OK as far as I know. I saw Feurt's name in the casualities but I don't know how serious it is but I hope its a cushy Blighty. I think Chuck is alright altho I haven't heard. Clark was over on leave lately and missed the last scrap. I just missed seeing him in London.

Haven't had any mail for ages, as I haven't been in any one place long enough to have any catch me up. I had some mail forwarded to Fred Spriggs home in London when we first came over and got one letter from home - the one with the $2 bill in it. Beleive me it came in handy too for when we were at Hastings I suddenly found myself broke and simply had to buy some stuff for parade the next. Well I dug out the two dollars & got it cashed at a YMCA there. It sure saved the day for I would have come in for a hot in the morning.

If you ever see Clara Wilson - give her my best and tell her I've written Reg. She's a mighty good scout - don't you think so? Have you ever seen Edna Dowling around town? She's in Ed. now I think. She looks exactly like Ethel only perhaps a little older. She writes quite often but some how I don't seem to find time to answer very regularly.

Enough for now

Love -- Bill
No 5 Squadron
8th R.A.F. Cadet Wing
West Sandling Camp
Shoncliffe
Kent Eng