HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1918-09-27, Page 791
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to TtYPe. It is cold and gees clean bands all in it little glei. Can you
throngh, and the heat differentiates imagdne 5,000 tlitoate pealing out."0
= from arty heat which heretofore ha 's Com.e all Ye Faithful" and "Onward
dr caused met corpuscles to quicken, by Christian Soldiees" t� the aocompati-
g doing the exact opposite of the cold, iment a 150 instruments. It eelred
dd viz., it fails to penetrate. I aen .cen- and, revegberatal I'm sure for miles,
vinced that if there -was enough of and in the midst of all the khaki one
= it, it would be jake, but the great lone figure in mocassock of white
= aim and object of the nation here and bleak. If you could close your
na seems to be to heat- the chimne. At eyes and :see it as I do, I know you
'Fs ' a time when the slogan is, 'Con'serve would appreciate it- -
= :the natipnal resources!" they ate per 1 Well, I saw London, only a sort of
' second shooting sufficient calories of moving pieture, but nevertheleas Lon
-
heat
= I heat out into the wide world (through don. Yesterdays—Sunday--was a glop -
I chimney pets) to make Hades an air-. ious fall day, sunlitand warm, so as
— cooled ' six -cylinder self-starter, and there were fery feed staying in eamP
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIMInilinininfrnilw,E Satan to resign. Their grates are six of us decided to go up to the city.
. pretty, but as purveyors of warmth We left at 1106 pan. and arrived baek
November , 28, o1915. :` calmly face the possibility . of' death. where needed fail to suit yours 11.8-0 p.m. (if course I ,couldn't tell
Well, the great adventure is on. I and do you know it really didn't seem trooly." This is atleast one of the you much about the place; it is just a
We sailed out of St John at noon :to bother me at all. I suppose the
most vivid impressions f have and a cofused
todlay amid a perfect babel of noise, thoughts of it for months and months jumble of gray stone build -
:have somewhat dulled the sensibilities poignant regret as wll
e. That much ings and rattling taxis; of khaki, khaki
We have on board with us the , for the imeck. Now for some boostseverywhere, always attached to a woe
a detail of Medical Corps, the I of "Yours truly." She surely. is a land and an I told yeu 'man; of narrow sidewalks and erawded
To -morrow we expect to be in—.
end a detail of Construction Corps, 1 .measures up in scenic investiture bet- hotels; Of old rose nd gold- restaure
Billy.„ 'ter than any scenic artist's stage pro- ants mirrored all around and reflecting,
- I duetion ever could hope to . • principally gorgeously gowned women.
, Last 'Wednesday we took part in all slatting tea and smoking cigarettes:
In Camp, England . Brigade manoeuvres with the 1.17th ef varied smells fromisewers and cheap
December -5 1915 'Brigade of the English Army -doing perfumes to that of roses; of rumbling
the -- troops in all. . Between
the bands of the units, the bends in
St. John, the shrieks of what seemed
a thousand tugs which bobbed beside
--- "a regular bedlam" best des -
tribes the send-off. Every pier look-
ed as if it had been generously salted ! De" Mother' A o 11
s. r— s y u will see, wee about eighteen 'miles' maroh. It was motor busses, vesth sticking out prom -
are here. ince send'mg t e sort of ' the first day in which Old Sol deigned inently Trafalgar Square: service in
and. peppered from one end of the har- . di
'bor to the last long dock; I say _salted . .arY wro. on oar oa , we ave I lighten his lamp for us and a beaut-
I te '' Ir d b t h Westrninister with a gold throated
dark clothes gave it that appearance. p. et channel m e grin' by
f th nle tiny rivers, over quaint bridges, of dirk streets at night; of the Thames
o
Well, anyway, away we steamed out
into the East.
I can assure you, Mother, I felt
and peppered, for the sea of faces and
sunPlY arrived and come here. iful day for marchig. Between miles choir of women, women, women, in
iwe ca the: ' the As of hedges along roads like pavement, fact, never knew there were so many;
• rather proud of being in khaki as we
marched through the throngei streets. 1.‘ezagrused as minedsweeper a d th • :that might have been the one Long- ta e the innumerable women, appstrn
d Th L' sd I n d en !fellow wrote about The hedges cons- ently all smoking cigarettes, and the
s' lwe paseetak e f mar , an our plied with all regulations . draped in price. of dinner at the Cecil which I'm
The bands playing martial airs seera- '1
igne s were en . rom the shode fail
ed to send little shivers up and down
- grandeur, punctuated here and not going to tell you as your frugal
stateon out of the distance came six -
my spine,and I guess awoke some
A 9 toed ' boat d • '
.poestreyers tearing alo 'there by a red -exclamation mark in mind. would do a flivven I'm sure. 11 Lt
re miles a h ng • the form of a holly bush and from. as I remarked before, they get en -
of the old primordial instinct of the. at fom
g ci°ked goodthrough hamlets with typical inns as by meonlighti and.Oh! a thousand and
to see land and the chi% of Linad's
End and Cornwall. The whole awl -
laid out by Dickens tz Co. and by a one other views all hashed ' 1
nel w d tt d mi s op under a
S `th hchestnut tree think tit real things that -stand oat
e
with amall s eam traw- •
eave man for it sure seemed -glorious e
Ahead, just over the horizon,
to be on the way to fight. 1 know steamed a huge- cruiser. Well, any -
us.
you dear ones would have been prou , way, just afteit lunch we steamed into
too, of me and the men. . I say the Plymouth harbourrsa rare old spot -
mem for after all Tommy is the most indeed, fined with instoric' memories
dreportant man in the Army and Out
whole battalion behaved like nature's
gentlemen in St John. . However, we
steamed out on a sea like a epergne
base—not a ripple hardly. Of course
we didn't have much time but I man-
aged to stand about four p.m. and
watch the last grey humps of Canada
fate into the waves, my last g.hropse
of my native land for some time to
eome, and do you Imo*, dear,
(Invite the fact that there lay all
my associations, my love and every- frotvmag walls of grey stone, with
thing that any man holds dear, I here and there guns nosing their way
can't say I was sorry, for ahead there
is something that dwarfs all those des out, we landed on a - quay and en-
trained in a long English train. At
tails. eleven we started, arriving at 8 p.m.,
11.80 p.m.—Have just passed Cape but just to diseect my feelings or
Sable light house, the last IMk with
land, flashing in and out of the night.
A beautiful night clear moonlit -wa-
which at intervals scampered a sleek ough over here. Of course you s ty
leaking grey hare or else flew up a "Why go there.9 but there are only
scared pheasant Anyway it was a certain places officers are permitted
day I will long remember, one in to go, praetieally no restaurants ont-
which picture after picture limned on side the, Criterion, Trocadero and *he
and its history checkered with in- my memory in indelible colours. : Cecil and Savoy, outside Claeidgets
cidents. . Devonport beside it ie a It -was a great sight, too, to see with and some of the high-priced hotels.
huge naval dock -yard and revenue glasses frank a hill all the troops in But anyway I enjoyed the fleeting
cutters and naval tugs with tenders action: cadaley, artillery, infantry, trip and expect to spend six days
soon sttrrounded us and our baggage, signallers, eyelists and a large squad there when I get my leave, and of
etc., was removed to shore: As it was of aeroplaneswhich glinted and dipped course I want then to see the -sights
very late at night when we arrived here and there in the sunlight We that are worth seeing, not just the
we remained on board all night and arrived back at 6 in tired, but I hustle and bustle. 1 ,
started off at 9 a.m.. sure had enough thoughts to keep me i Well .there is nothing rainy more
Two naval tugs named after two thinking, also wishing you could have to tell. We just go on each day with
Plymouth heroes, Raleigh arid Drake, been with Me to enjoy all the grand- the usual tivork. Last Friday was out
conveyed us to shore. Between the eur of it. Picturesque Surrey surely again with the Brigade with blank'
lives up te its Teputation. ., ! ammunition machine guns and real
Saturday most of the biys -went to shells in artillery. We did good work
i,
London, bnt Young, two others and and got the decision ovez. the four otht
myself went to Guildford, swim four- ; ert battalions. ,
teen miles., It is a -.quaint old town I I think you had better address .the
modernized. Here it WES that -Henry mail c.o. Army P.O. as we may move
VIIL murdered Anne ;Boleyn, if you from Isere to some other camp.
omen.
T. do your duty during b�
trying
times your health should be your first
consideration. These two women
tell how they found health.
Henan% Pa.—'I toak Lydia Pinkham's Veg-
etable Compound. for female troubles and a dis-
placement. Ifelrall rundoven wasvery weak.
/ had been treated by a physici n /Mout results,
ao decided to give Lydia R am's Vegetal* OompOund
a trial, and felt better right ay.' am keeping house
eine. last April and doing all y housework, where before
I was unable to do any wort iLydia R Pinkham's Vege-
table Clompound is certainly the best medicine a woman can
take when, in this condition. gliTe you permission to publish
this letter.”—Mrs. Citimatact, B. No. 1, Pa.
Idich.--"Issuifered irom eramps and dragging
down pains, was irregular and had female weakness and
displacement.' 1 began to take Lydia R Finithani'e Vege-
table Compound which gave me relief at onetkapd retterad
my health. X stmuld like to recoMmend Lyille44.°Pinkham'S
remedies to all suffering wome4 who are troubled hub
lar way."-q-IIrs. Elam Itzitti;.No. 6, Box 68,1.0weli,Iiiela.
WIw
a
My
tY,
fa
-Co
.an
111
fde
Po
da
ere youth, beardless and adolScent.
old -red-headed friend, Queen Bet -
once atended a fair there. It is
ed as the residenee of Tennyson,
an Doyle, WS. Humphrey Ward
Lord ' Wolseley, go you see dear,
11 this belly land of hoary age, I
like a chip on an ocean. The
s,mouth road we walk on every
started in the Roman days, and
I eepect many a Drilid hanted•weird
wo its around a tree t at Oglis and
groins just outside -Myrdvindow. Be-
totwe n here and Bramshot seven miles,
describe to you the Journey is a
task I ca -n scarcely begin. You know ',remember history, and I saw an old I I suppose that over there now it's wh re all the Canucki arfi,is the Deo-
everythine as g diff t th t Gratin -ear school authorized in 15eti by cold and lots of snow while here eve il's Punch Bowl, a circular hollow
ter, and jug enough breeze tsend
head fairly ached from madly turning Edward VL and stillmetact, as well erything is green. $o different, and wh
o
a salt epray up over the bowsfrom one side of the coach to the as ether old buildings-. We, Arent over sometimes I grow just a little "Can- Th
Wednesday Evening. --Nothing new other in a vain endeavor to -see ev- by tadi.. I had some purchases to . ada sick"' despite all the newness ,and th%
to -day. The ocean like a mill pond erything from barmaids to ruined case make and I can assure you that a the number of emotions crowding a- a
t y s g pse o ern e
2 doesn't, go as fer here as a V at round see. However, dear, good
all day and not even a roll of this old tles in fir t Inn f eth Th
home; as near as I can figure every- night.
seasick, but I think they must be . graveyards; the infinitesinial - quads thmg ,out seven an . With all my love. -
d 'six It
packet. We have a few men who are .quint old churches with their tiny . .
awfully upset with something- for it's 1 rangles of yellow, black, and red, seems to me a sort of national fetish, •
smoother than Lake Ontario-. 4called fields; the moss -covered banks either five and six or seven and sine
Later —I have just taken a turn on of ivy -clad houses- the and I may add that your loving son
; e oak festooned -
deck and the wind is getting up, also with 'ivy, mistletoe and holly an in was short changed - for soniewhdre ,
the sea. and a small look at the bar- red and white bloom; the villages and near $2 as well as I can figure. Of ,
'New Year's Eve, 1915.
ometer informs me she is at 29. The towns all the same checker -boards of course this is a general thing and any • -
1st Officer says it looks like a storm, roof with It ti 1 if th body...with a maple leaf is game with Dear Mother,—I've had no word fram
ia se I fear me there is dirty work a -
had been turned out of a maeline;
board the lugger this evening, the shapely hedgerows, the quiet look -
Friday Evening.—This discrepenen ing sheep, and wiIdeored cattle; the
is due, not to seasickness, but to the
fact that I was on guard. from 10 a.
In. yesterday tiU 10 a.m. to -day, and in
about as bad weather as I really ever,
care to 'see. It started in Wednes-
• day night and blew a 'regular gale
head on for thirty-six hours. There
is no use in my trying to describe it
for I can't Suffice it to say she was.
a real storm. My clothes ate not dry
yet, being soaked through and through
Everyone was seasick, and if I could
describe the indescribable horror of
men crowded together as they , were
in those days I know you wouliWt
'believe me. oh! It was horrible.
Sick by hundreds lying- around any-
where gasping for air. Some slpet on
the deces in a drenched condition,
spray sweeping over them, and of
thirty-nine men on guard I finished
up with nine, the remainder all being
sick. The stench below was some-
thing to remember, and oh, how I
longed to take some of the men up
into our comfortable quarters. I was
up for practically twenty-four hours
and on deck two out of every six
hours most of the time, except when
making rounds on the bridge, and my
descriptive vocabulary fails me when
I try to tell you what the tail end of
it was like early this morning. We
have a slight list to port—coal moved
probably—sand she heaved and plung-
ed like a broncloo in the huge waves
that drenched me clear up on the
bridge. One man of the crew was
'killed, washed ,off the ladder leading
to the erow's nest into the forward
winches. Broken neck. He was bur-
ied this a.m. However, it has quited
dewn now and to -night is smooth a-
gain.
Saturday Night—By the way I
forgot to mention that I must be an
Al sailor, for nearly every one has
been ill but myself. I have eaten
'rabbits scurrying at the train; the
pheasants in hundreds with here and
there a heron guarding a tiny pool,
the funny little stations, yellow, ex-
actly like the ones in toy train sets,
the -white lines between green ones
signifying a road—all these are jum-
bled up in my- mind like a hodge-
podge of picturee that is so conglom-
erate I fear Me it will take some time
to sort them out Of one thing I am
certain, however, that England is ex-
actly as described in aything I ever
read and it fully "lives- up to its•
ture-bo k "Little
P 0, • reputation.
wonder that England has preduced
Chaucer, Milton, Shakespeare, Dick-
ens, and after looking at a grey and
ivied church with its okl belfry and
the funn grey slabs, some aslant, some
flat, some erect in the iron-Palinged,
graveyard., I can realize how the El-
egy was inspired.
Well, We arrived at a depot at 8
pan. pitch dark, and- were 'diet by
staff officers, who escorted us here a-
bout four mileam This is under the
famous Aldershot commend which
has 200,000 troops in it and there are
several eamps. We are the first bat-
talion of "Canadians," as we are call-
ed, to be here, and the other units
turned out, and cheer after cheer went
up as we marched in. There is a
Brigade of the Royal Sussex, the Mid-
dlesex; then regiments of Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders, Irish Fusi-
liers, Gloucester and others, all fam-
ous English corps. There are twen-
ty odd thousand in this camp with '
room for seventy. Each platoon has
a long building to itself and every con-
venience that one could imagine. Wat-
er, hot and cold baths, electric lights,
game rooms, large, bright, airy mess
rooms, concrete walks everywhere—
in fact it is a revelation.
We officers have splendid quarters.
every meal and enjoyed them and nev- A large house for mess with huts of
er felt the slightest squeamishness; eight rooms, four to a room, at rear
no close season, so being prepared. in
a measure I an sorer than ever. A
dimpled dame with a smile like Ca -
nal° a ectiee like Clree's pipe and
do.plexion a la Mrs. Gervais. Graham,
-While selling me aril brush, eased the
harpoon into Me so neatly that I
never felt $2 wor of barb till some
time after when ' my nuimbed 'senses
limbered into action. It sure beats
all how easy one is, and I always
'figured I was, no simp; but Barnum
was right.
As I -say, severeSind six seems to be
a fetish. At least'everything that one
wanted figured out at that price, ex-
cept a Pair of gloves which I could
buy in Canada for $1.15—here they
ask only eighteen. shillings! Some-
where I had a vague idea that gloves
were cheap over here. gay not so.
There was however, a marketable
commodity known as dinner, which we
purchased at a "Recommended Hostel-
ry" and whieh was only six shillings
and three pence. Wouldn't that cause
your grey locks to curl? $1.52 for a
second class meal in a third rate tav-
ern served in eight class style; but oh,
as a recompense I had ail opportunity
of studying in her native haunts Ye
Barmaid. A ravishing blonde type,
evidently belonging to the Amazonian
family, nearly always found in rear of
polished mah.oganii raking her lair
of crystals and _towels. Habits am -
able courteous, quick and usually
gifted with a line of repartee totally
foreign to any other species. So you
will see there was a rose to the thorn
even tho' the stab was a little.. deep.
I may also add that I was introudced
to Mr. Brown's Octpber Ale, and found
that he is some kicker. At least he
has much more kick than his cousin
Bud. In fact Bud may be wiser but
not nearly so strong. Well dears,
there is very little more to tell except
that with the exception of one day it
has rained almost :continually.
. ISove to ' and all the family,
els° remember me to anyone who
canes.
BILLY.
eve nat meals, Tdespite the fact that a fire place tiled in each room, an
"the Captains and Colonels deParted." bath attachedso we are not too bad.
(apologies to ,Rud) from the table However, if I tell you all the news
very hurriedly at times. There is no at once I won't, have anything to write
news worthy of mention. We are a- for next time, so will close. With
gain en a sea of glass and A has fondest love to all. ,
kelt 1,;1_11t and warm in fat warner Billy.
than Int felt.— for two month, and Have just remembered you will get , the Canadian mail mug write to- Christmas- indeed, God bless us every
we're in middridantic. To -night it is this about Christmas, so will wish ye& I night. I've only had one letter from one!" .
like Sunaner, and others who have all a very Merry Christmas and Hap- Iyou since I came and no picture of I Well, dinnner has intervened and
et omen n fore -say it is colder in July py New Year. - That's all I can send I you, Maw; perhaps it ha o gone a- I've intended ever since being here to
than rine trip: Jug at peesene iem you just now, but when I get up to ,stray. However, I'll let you know ...write yousomething about the conn. -
are celse Ems out way into a road of London will send something more tan- ;latertry round about It is Surrey and one
silver. ter the inoon is shining, di- gible, but you understand my . posi- I To begin the chronicle of he week: of the oldest settled, parts of Eng -
wetly veer our bows and it is tion. There are no stores here. . It's just the same old story. so many land. Beautiful in the extreme, large
wrinderful sight apparently rt!o-ang .
Up a shimmering carpet right to the
cid n.t.,..-1 ti green cheese fame. At
least that is the impression recorded
by me, - A carpet of silver end grey •
lace, t':...e o.•te of those red an••1 black
ont‘,1 frt.4.. the sidewalk to a church
door et -,- eddinge, dancing, aher.,,I and
only ne nee lap, lap of the waters
ao. ,tho seen ie on the fo'ca.stic.
Mnt :ay Evening.--Nothin.- very
new. if.: =:,...:.r, to write, jw-,. t(' oda
f the voyage, 1.1,h:(-1-. mhin
it enl..-= -...1 be tr.. relief. 'flit ..,$...1 has
()lunge,: ttt, 1 feola a hcad vn affair.
has ttliTtEti about and we get her a-
beam: ret-uir, a roll in place oi a pitch.
We ein ideinning to get into the war
zone -..f.ore than before, and expect
on Tue$,it.ty :.1•.td Wednesday to be near
it if not rieht in it.
We,lnet,dey Morning.--Yestertlay we
a p„.rade with lifebelts on, every
man on board and also life -belt drill.
It is rerily rfar first taste {-,-f 'lit is
-e to come later, that is, having to
•
any of you, except the Christm.as card
from Auntie and the -photo forwarded
from St. John, for •nearly two weeks.
I got the photo .X.,; It -arrived the
morning after Christmas and I am
sure it is indeed a,3pkeiidid one of
"me own .Maw. Itoteirely 'did 'me
good to look into the dear old face
tind I have it on the table where it is
in full view all the time. Lebo eft
the, Christmas card, Aunty sent and
, a nice tie from the- G -girls. I had
I already sent them one of our Christ-
'mas cards. I also got a dilly box of
eats from my little girl------, a five -
pound box of shortbread ,about a
Pound of satled ahnondS "home brew-
' ed," a Christmas cake and two or
three •other kinds of eatings. She's
a dear thoughtful kid and really
seems to be awfully fond of me. You
linow (this is _strictly confidential) I'm
very gond of her, too, and somehow
or other over here the thoughts of
those that are near and dear, like -you
people at home, crowd around one in
the evenings when there's not much
to do, and tho' not getting senti-
mental, nearly every night before I go
to bed, I just quietly crash out into
the night and look up at - the stars
and moon, and look over there, won-
dering what you all are doing. But
anyway, dear, I am going to give you
her address so that if, as may be, dont'
come back, you can write her, and I
know you'll understand dear.
W.ell, I spent one of the most rotten
Christmases I ever did. There were
nine of us marooned here, all the rest
went away on leave, and we were
elected to stay. It sure was a dismal
hole. We just sat around all day, in
fact I never left the mess except to ,
see the men fed. They had a real
meal, turkey, cauliflower, potatoes,
soup, plum pudding, coffee. Of course
our men are very well fed, Much bet-
ter than the British battalions, but it
took eighty-nine fifteen -pound turkeys,
to feed them. However, to hark back;
we "ossifers' 'spent a dickens of a
day, and I sat lamenting upon the
passing of the good old Christmas,
like Dickens wrote about. You know
everything is and was very glum—
December 20th, 1915. so many families in mourning --that
I remarked that the days of Dickens
Dear Mother:— ; had fled, surely, but I certainly tried
Another week gone by and to catch to wish with Tiny Tim "A Mersy
wli
.for
tha
in
Sm
it
re in 1786 a man was Murdered.
e is the ruin of the gibbet where
hanged the murderers and I hest
er in the Red Lion inn nearby;
re they got the man drunk be -
the murder. Can you imagine
? Didkens *rote about the spot
icholas Nickleby -where .Nick and
te walked from Portsmouth. Look
- .
ell, to -day we were inspected by
ral Steele. We lined up in a
shing rain -storm and stood at at -
ion for about thirty minutes. I
that it was while Sherman was
g inspected he , made his famous
ram, "War is Hell!" The Only
ht spot was when the band struck
'0 Canada.", It's .the first time
teen played since we left,, and it
ly sounded great I'll acid', at
• for after it continued to. play
ring the whole darn ceremony it
ded more like the Dead March
ny other belly dirge than any--
. Gee! can you imaginelisten-
to the strains of Lavalle's hymn
I gazed at a pile of red tiles,
aching legs and feet until they
elted into one, then honeycomb-
ut , again into regular cylinders.
ver, we're "a fine body of men."
is the stock phrase of every r-
ing officer until I begin to be -
"all men are liars. I know
mild have liked to see your son
II war attire, full. marching Mt,
-ets, extra shoes, shavine uten-
aversack, great coat. underwear,
tin, rifle, 150 rounds of ammu-
revolver, binoculars,—I think
all, just fifty-four pounds on
oble torso," and I resembled the
t ass, of burden more than ever
e. Hurrah for the life of a sol -
re *is some talk of us leaving for
Eg t early in February, although
Ge
spl
ten
1G10
bei
epi
bri
up
.sur
firs
list() d
or
thin
ing
whi
with
all
ed
Hoiv
Tha
vie
liev
you
in t
blan
sils,
mes
nitio
that'
/tine
pati
befo
dieTrh.
1 vivid colors on my brain I cannot areas of woody land with raffling hills
i seem to start: However, I am taking and common land in great tracts. It
t flht i i
In Can
December 14, 1915.
Dear Mother,—Received the letter
you wrote addressed to Army P.O.,
but have mislaid it for the time, so
cannot name date. However, as I want
to catch the Canadian mail will just
ramble on.
Since I last wrote you I've had so
many impressions etched on my brain
that it, will be a very incoherent af-
fair, this letter. You know everything
is se) totally foreign to the style of
life I've bee accustomed to that it is
staggering. However, my impres-
sions; muddled as they seem, may
make reading. Ever- since childhood
I have studied opposites, and I sup-
pose that one of the first impression
pression
child, gets is light and dark, after
that heat and cold, and itmabout these
latter I wish to write. The cold over
here is a very good cold that is true
' a course in physical and bayone g - also can lay claim to some, ant qu ty.
! ing. It's all courses over -here: muss As I told you, we are only fifteen
Iketrys bombing, artillery, entrench- miles or so from Aldershot, but close
ing or on my own it seems—half of at hand are the villages of Hasle-
the Lieutenants are at one or the oth- mere, Milford and Godalming. We ,
• er. Mine is Sweedish exercises. A Were at the latter place which dates
wiry little Englishman puts us thro' back, well, further than even I can
(two hours in the morning and two remember, and feel sure that you'll
in the afternoon) the toughest kind agree when I, say that I gazed with
of physical drill, crashing hither and wonder on an oak which dates back
thither until I sometimes wonder if to the Doomsday Book in which it is :
I'm a bird or 'a relatives of the Men- mentioned. Ye gods, think of it! The
ble chamois . which I am told leaps other places are 'nearly as ancient,
from crag to crag. At any rate I've all being mentioned in a grant from
been stiff and sore ever since I start- my old pal, King Alfred, to his cous-
ed, in fact there are a lot of muscles in somebody I've forgotten; however, ,
in inn cacrass that I never even sus- as I never expect tb meet him this side 1.
meted, and after four hours I say of eternity, we will pass along. ' We '
With fervor "Straafe Sweden." We went through Ha.slernere the - other
start to give it to the companies, and day. ' Its town hall is 800 years old
believe me I'll gpt some action then. and I should have said that it really
Something that made a profound has no claim to age, as I read on a
impression on me was a big service moss -covered slab that its charter only- i
here yesterday, 5,000 men with four dated to 1180 something, in fact it is
•
11111
11
44....4.4.44.444.441•4.444
nobody knows anything, except those
Who won't tell. W91- are miles above
the English battalians hereabouts in
training, and can give them all cards
d spades physically. Of course the
cream of English enanhood is already
there ,and there are just the remains,
o it's not a fair comparbon.
Wel1,1 dear, must close. Love to
including who, I hope is
well. Papers come regilarIy, thanks.
In Camp, January 9, 1916
a
Dear Mother,—I've just arrived back
rom a wonderful six days in London
And that is the reason why you have -
't heard before. ...On my arrival here
here were two tatters from you dated
:i2th and 19th December and I was
very glad to get them. Also about
hirty pounds worth more goods frem
that little girl in/ — including a
bake, tinned , goods,. lobster, pork and .
beans, coffee ,fruits, a Whole box of
spearmint gum, cigarettes, and an air.
pillow. Some girl, eh? However, I
Suppose you. want to hear all about
caInniteelytohuatthaatdileetetne'st
describe it. • on't come,. and anyway. thoisandi
ore clever than I, tho' not,sq' hand-
orne, have fallen 'Own; lMt,, can
ou imagine the thrills that pulsed
hrough me as I gazed on all the
hings and places that since boyhood
've read and dreamed of? . Grey old
6ndon bristling 'with histhrie spots
ear to every British boy's heart, I
hink, and doubly dear to mine he-
ause I loved history, whether by
reen or, Hefty, whether garbed in
ction or just the plain red school
ood, and trebly ' dear cause of
• 'ckens. You know, ther, there
a something wells up i Me nearly
kin to a tear when I k about
hem all. Well ,anyway I revelled for
ix days there and walked and saw
4verythine I 'could. I spent a half
day in the musty Old Tower, eamsack-
d it from entrance gate to the keep
f the White Tower, touched the spots
here Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey,"
udley, Mary Queen of Scots, and all
e others lay and prayed and died.
Climbed twelfth century stairways,
trod twelfth century floorings, read
inscriptions dug in the wall by pris-
oners, civil, political or religious; and
lame out in a daze, my memory flood-
!
ed oyith emotions. Then Wes inster
Abbey—it is beyond me to Wel you
of the thoughts engendered.as Testood
in the valuted old aisles, while a glor-
ious golden throated 'choir of boys
pealedoutanthems to the cresc ndee
and diminuendos of an organ t ike
of which I never knew existed, liv-
ed by a hand that was guided y a
heart and brain directed I'm sure by
seraphs , or cherubim. Dear, dear
'Mother all through it ebbed and floiv-
ed the desire Jthat you could have sat ,
with me, and when the lilting cadences
of a botsinging Tlie Recessional melte
ed into the peal of the organ I think
I cried because you weren't there.
You know, dear, r may never come.
back, but I'm so thankfUl-for the -Mine
ory ef that wonderful ierviee. That
alone dwarfs the, thought that I stlood
in the poet's corner, or that I 'walked.
where countless thousands have been
thrilled before, or that above me hung
tattered old colours echoing of the
Ikone glory of some British regiment.
, Then I walked miles in the old city
around spots immortalized by Dick-
e , Just started out and walked and
w lked. , Of -course I lost my way,
butcoppers were most obliging. T
stood at noon in front of the Mansion.
House and The Bank and saw, 1 Sup-
poSe, .more -traffic in a minute than,
those dear old legs of yours dodged in,
4tea years, and I discovered. why–all
th se places are called eircuses. They
1
su e are full three-ring four platform
ons, each deserving of being the
Greatest Show on .Earth" There is
just as much to see • as in Ringling,.
Bros, and the difference seems to be
there you look every way so as not
to Miss anything; on Piccadilly circus,
for inetance, you tok every way so as
not trW get anythmg. I always felt
certan -that I'd have a hub smashedlin
and wonder now just how I escaped.
1 I think the funniest sight I saw UMW
I a sostermonger with a donkey like st-
minute and -a cart like half a one,
crossways on Trafalgar Square and •
the Strand one morning. A copper
at 'one end shoved and talked while
another pulled and talked, and every e ,
tatti and bus driver that -was heldt up
sat and talked, and as I'm an °safer
and presumably. a gentleman, I really -
couldn't 'vvrite you what they said or •
what the cost,er said back, but there,
were some fine exampies of the °re-
tort courteous" a la Anglais profanus.
i 'To be'Continued Next Week).
,
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1
1
1
1
Workers must have
more Soap
The demand for Comfort—the high
quality., -all-round cleanser • is greater
than ever; We have made our bar
BIGGER by withdrawing the premiums,
during war -time anyway..
014,11ORT
a bigr bar tor the
money without
premiums
Your grocer can sell you
this bigger, toney-sav-
ing Bar—jus insist on
it Comfort' Soap has
the largest sale in Can- -
ada—quality stalks—the
people knoWrbest.
1
Pugsley, fl &Co.
Limited, Toronto
4•4•••••14 4.4•4
eo.
_es
9
04.
,
-