Letter to Sisters Kate & Kathleen from Witley South Camp, Milford, Surrey
[Y.M.C.A letterhead]
782373 D 128th
Witley South Camp
Milford, Surrey, Eng.
Sept.22 1916
Dear Sister Kate and Kathleen,
I shall write to Kathleen seperate because. I liked her letter and wanted her to write again,
My London leave is over and I had a good time I suppose that you get all of my letters that go home. Today has been nice but we get close to frost here mornings. we were issued with ticks and got them filed with baled straw that was shiped in it was wheat straw but still you know there is wheat field with in two miles of this camp and closer. It seemed good to be fooling with the straw again
Well Kate I had a most interesting time in London, but I wanted to get back to get the mail, and then there was only one letter from Horace, but told me about little Frances and why Mother could not write.
I got my picture taken and will send you one in about two weeks when I get them.
Now there is lots of things of interest I could tell you about if I could talk to you but to write it seems different.
The first is that we find a lot of very narrow streets in London that I dident quite expect then the underground rail road I dident take a ride on, I wanted to see something all the time, In the Victoria and Albert musium I saw cloth of different collers taken from the tombs in Egypt as early as the 1st century the dyes just as distinct as if it was a year old and one remember had a women on just like any piece of our day would have. Then the big monuments or I can’t tell what they call them that were carved out of stone centuries ago that I can’t understand The carved wood work of the 15th century from German is great, they must have had lots of time. Then the china wear is a thing of interest it would take you hours to look it over. Then the needle work a lady told me that she beleaved the 15th century stitches were more difficult than the work of to day. Then the brass relics and the different kinds of wood and the ages of the trees there is a cut of of a red wood tree from California that is said to be 1,335 years old I don’t understand just how they tell but they do by the yearly rings. Often in these musiums you see painters painting off of these pictures or in the big buildings they are painting the rooms just they see them it is grand all to gether.
From the main door of St Pauls Cathedral you are supposd to get the most perfect view of great arcticure that is to be seen in the world to day. and I can’t tell you any thing about how grand it is If all of you folks could see what I have seen since I left C.H. it would be great but you see it is only aloted to the soldiers and know one knows how dear we will pay for it. If I ever have a home one tenth as nice as the Kings stables I will be luckie. I just came down here after I went out to the P. O. to mail a letter to Alice.
There an’t one per cent of the ice cream used here that is used in Canada according to the population. they charge an awful price for it here I havent had a dish since I left Canada.
I am sorry about the crop out there, for another good bumper would have went all right, and I guess the price of wheat is away up now I hope flax goes up, for to help Ted and I out. this fall, It is just 8 P.M. but I am going back to the hut to go to bed I bot a fountain pen and sold it for 17¢ more than I gave after I had it for about 2 days and at the time I went home I bot a pair of putties. I took them home and sewed one side my self and sold them when I got back to camp for 25¢ more than I gave, so you see I can deal on a small scale once in a while in the army. Say, sister I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t trust God for strength to be a man for no man by him self could go thru this life under these temtations with out strength from God it does me so much good to be able to pray and thank God for the strength he has given me and continues to give me daily. Well good bye sister dear as ever your loving brother Laurie
Say hello to Otto and all the children tell Kathleen that I will send her a card some of these days. L.