Letter to Mother from Witley
Witley
4-1-17
Dear Mother:–
I am at the S.C.A. it is 6.10 so I should get in a good evening before 9 when I will have to get back home, I go on guard at 1. A.M. till 5 then off for 24 hours. We work 8 hours out of 48 so we have fun. I spent this P.M. learning some verses it passed away my four hours all right.
It is a great night the stars and moon are bright as crystal and it may freeze a little before morning but may not we have had no frost since Xmas and it has been the softest weather. it is hard to beleave that it is after Xmas, and the time is more than flying
I received your other dandy letter yesterday. I have received 11 letters and a card this week so you will know that I have some answering to do. I have about nine to write yet before I am clear with the world.
Mother if you would see how the boys share up every thing you would not blame me for doing the same some of them have had an awful lot of packages There folks here in England have not seen them for years and possibly are well fixed but the packages do come in I think I told you before we must have averaged 3 a day for the full week before Xmas
I was down at Gowers for a few hours last night and before I went Mrs Gower got supper she boiled me two new laid eggs right from her hens. I only ate one but it was good eggs are nine cents apiece here now, Mother I don’t deserve to be used as good as they use me, and I try to tell them not to, but it don’t seem to stop them and I know they do want me to come down for we have great times there discharged son and one daughter was home last night.
There youngest son Ewart is 19 and five months old now and he has been in India for two years. he’s the favorite they seem to just worship him he was a large boy and only 16 and 4 months old when he wanted to enlist his mother could not think of letting him go so he ran away and enlisted, and in two months he was warned for overseas to India so they gave him 48 hours to say good home to say good bye. They never miss a week that they don’t here from him.
The other boy Jack is still alive in Turkey they here from him about once a month,
The Government sends a package to every prisoner of war once a week so that will help old Jack Crow. They wont alow any one here to send any eatables to prisoners of war because they send every thing that is needed to keep them alive if they don’t get fed a thing but it cost them over $10.00 a month and they would like the help of the prisoners friends They can enclose medecine but the Government can buy it so much cheaper that it pays to send your money and request what you want sent to “so and so” and they will get it, allright
I have decided to cut out all luxuries and give the some to this fund, it will be a pleasure to know that every time I turn away from the candy chop with out spending 2 or 6.D. that is pennies that it may be putting bread in some boys mouth that needs it badly.
I bent my pen point a little this A.M. and I went to fix it now and did fix it You would laugh if you could see it. but I will get it right yet before I quit.
I am going to join the S.C.A. as soon as I can for I want to belong to this organization it is 30 years old and was started first in England and then in India and is only found among the military machine so when wars are over there will be no need of a Soldiers Christian Ass’n.
I don’t know whether you had a letter come in this tonights mail or not but it is to late to get this away tonight so I will have to quit and will write again before I send this, good night Mother dear
as ever your loving boy
Laurie
5-1-17 3 P.M.
Well Mother I came off guard at 5 A.M. and rolled in untill 12 or close to it then I got ready for dinner, It froze just the slightest this A.M. about day light but was clear as crystal the moon was not down quite when I went to bed an other hut was quarantined this A.M. for mumps, I don’t see why they should spread the way they do, but it an’t hurting any one I guess neither is the measels the boys are back before we are out of quarantine.
I have read and studied the bible quite a while this P.M. it is getting more real to me every day. I am reading Acts.
I sent a photo to Mrs PeelP Miss HurdP KateP, AnnieP, CliveP Alice, Ted, Horace, Mother I don’t remember about these but I want each of them to have I remember all I have marked Miss MorrisonP and WarrenP If I did not send you the address of the photo shop I haven’t got it now, If you want an other dozen maby I could get an other taken you would like better, if you want me to tell me know in your first letter,
If this quarantine keeps up we will have a snap for a long time it is always the same 8 hours out of 48 on duty, everyone I have heard say any thing about the feed the 128th get incomparison to other batt. they have belonged to they say that we are the best fed batt they have seen so that sounds good and realy I have no kick there is a lot more cooked each meal than we can eat and the officer come thru each meal and asks for complaints but I have no heard of one for a long time now and they were always justified when we did here an occasional one, for you can understand that a soldier get out of the wrong side of the bed once in a while the same as any civilian
6-1-17 3 [3 scratched out] 5 P.M.
Well Mother:– I am lying in a wigwam built of upright trees and chinked with fern between the branches to make it tickter so the wind which an’t hard to not come thru, I came on guard this A.M. at 8.45 and we a corporal and young Harris and I don’t go in untill 10.15 to night we have a candle we bot off a man passing to light after dark, the corporal has to stay out side most of the time but Harris and I change off all the time All we have to do is watch this end of our road and turn all soldiers back that have not a swager stick or there belt on the out side of there coat.
I started to take a coarse in French last night There is a middle aged woman by the name of Miss Christie that give French Mondays Thursdays for about an hour each night free of charge to all soldiers in any kind of weather she comes and just seems tickled to have use come and attempt to learn. I have a bok it only cost 4¢ to start me out, it gives the names of all the food articles that we will need in France and so on to help use along when we hit there.
We are right on the corner of the main road here and we counted 446 Artillery horses go by this A.M. out to the commons to take drill and give the boys practice in riding and handling the extra horses it looks good from the road but I feel that I will get enough racket in the M.G. work with out being in the artillery.
The corporal got a box in the mail out here to day and gave me a dandy mince tart from some where in canada. The tin box says on it American Chewing Gum.
I am going to Gilford to morrow with Gower he is going to show me some of the great paintings on the bible in some museum where I have never been.
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