From: Petawawa Camp, Ont.
31 May 1916

Dear Mother -

I am sitting in the large YMCA tent here, writing on paper they give us. There are a lot of magazines and papers here and there is also quite a large canteen here. This is a great place, and everywhere you look, one sees the large white tents we have. The tents are round and there are seven or eight of us to a tent. There will probably be about 20 batteries here when they have all come. We left Kingston Mon. evening as I thought we would. We left the barracks about 7 o'clock but didn't finally leave the station until 9. We took the C.P.R K. & P. line. There was quite a crowd at the station to see us off and we had to stand on the street for a long time while friends were bidding the soldiers goodbye. Some of the fellows seemed to know all the young ladies down there and many were given boxes of candy, cakes, etc. Mr. Hitsman was at the station so I saw him just before I left and also another fellow whom I had forgotten. We travelled in sleeping coaches, second class. It took over two cars for each battery. The train had two engines and about 13 cars. We stopped for awhile at Harrowsmith Jct. Where there was quite a crowd and I saw another Queen's fellow. Even at Sharbot Lake near midnight, there were quite a few out. We passed through Renfrew about 2 o'clock and got into Petawawa about half past four. It was raining and the place looked rather dreary but it is a pretty place when one gets to know it.

It seems an ideal spot for a military camp. There are fine paved roads running all through it with places for each battery marked out at different places here and there. It is very sandy here but it is mostly covered with grass, bushes and stunted evergreens. A few steps from here, I can look down at the Ottawa river below. There are many little islands in it and big rafts of logs along the other shore. It is very pretty indeed. Beyond the river are fairly good sized hills probably part of the Laurentian range. We are on army rations now and are not getting quite enough to eat. They must be short of supplies. That will be remedied when they get things going better and in the meantime there is the canteen where nearly anything may be bought. It turned very cold last night and we were none too warm in the tents. Each of us has three blankets and a waterproof rubber cloth to put on the ground. Two slept together so that I had three blankets beneath & three & my greatcoat above. I also left most of my clothes on as did the others. Even so, it got cold towards morning. It won't be so cold tonight I don't think. It has been very hot in the sun this p.m. All the time, so far, has been spent in getting settled. Each battery has about 40 horses and they have to be looked after too. I think I shall like it fine here. There is nobody around here except soldiers and it seems quite different after Kingston. Petawawa village is some distance away and I think we have to have a pass to get there.

Well, I hope your throat is better and that it will stay well. It didn't seem so very far from Kingston to Petawawa and I don't believe it would cost so very much to get home. There are lots of fellows in here writing letters. It is a good thing we have such a handy place to write in as the tent is pretty crowded with all our stuff. The mail leaves here in a few minutes, so I had better close. Love to all.

Yours sincerely,
Gordon