Letter to Mother
[Church of England Soldiers Club Godalming letterhead]
May 5th 1917
Dear Mother:–
I just came in at the above mentioned and have my supper at the table with me, I left home after dinner and got a hair cut down here, have been chasing around and talking to people and seeing every new and pretty walk was up at the (Charter House) a big school 650 young boys go there training for Oficers they stay there until six months then 6 months in an other coarse makes them ready for action it cost two hundred lbs per anum to send each boy, There is some fine boys there tho, mostly slight built.
I met a boy today that is a young prince he will be called up in about 8 days I talked to him for quite a while just like I would to Teddy if he was going out away from home, but he is a lot like Teddy in his good manhood so far and he is going out determined to stay that way.
I would like to write more but am in a hurry to get out on the walk again it is such a nice evening bye bye Mother dear as ever your dearest boy Laurie
Sunday A.M. we took our horses out to eat grass among the stumps for about an hour, then I brot my bible and a christian guardian out into the trees I read a while and then had a sleep it got to warm to be comfy, so I moved out of the sun into the shade of a big pine.
we got a letter from Harvey A. he is using a heavy M.G. in the drive now he say know one knows where any of use will be in 12 months,
It makes me sad when I think of Moir he was in our platoon last yr. he always appreciated the life I lived but never excepted it he wrote me a letter I think I sent it home well he is killed now. Our no’s are from 781000 to 782999 so you will know if you see any of the boys in the casualty list that it is 128 boys.
When it is 6 A.M. over there we have 12 midnight here this is for Ted,
Well Mother I should beat it back to the stable and tent for it is about feeding up time I think and if the boys feed my horse this evening I don’t want them to have do it at noon.
The trees are getting nice and green here now.
Well bye bye Mother dear as ever your loving son Laurie