[annotation at top of page: “Answered”]
Moore Barracks Hospital.
England. Oct 1st/16.
My Dear Sister and All,
I am writing you to-night because it is pretty nearly your turn. I will answer mother’s letter in this. It came over last night but I did not get it till this morning and was sure glad to get it. I will write one of you at least twice and three times a week when I can, to catch every mail leaving here, altho I don’t know when Canadian mails leave. I have had no papers since, so apparently they don’t come across very often.
I am dead tired to-night and will have a bath and go to bed very early. It is now 5.30. This was my afternoon off, and I went up to Dibgate Camp to see Leonard Kift. My luck tho, he was out. I will however go up some afternoon thro the week when he is more likely to be in. I walked more than five miles, and mostly up hill. Called at our St Martin’s Plain camp on the way back. It is nearly deserted.
There will likely be a big appeal made in Canada for men for the A.M.A., before very long. In fact, they were appealing for them in lots of 200, in London before I left. I believe several large hotels near here will shortly be made into hospitals, and they are short of A.M.A. men here now. There are hundreds of Canadian doctors here now, and they will likely get more soon. Dr Mc G’s argument, that he would go back in his work is absolutely foolish. Here, he could have much the same work as in a Canadian Hospital, if he was on a medical ward, or he could get on surgical work if he wished. There is also a chance to specialize in any particular line of work, one wishes to, and he would likely get charge of two or three wards. I think you will see him over here yet. They may tho send all the young men overseas, I don’t know.
We have been working all along on “daylight saving” time but the change back to the old time took place thro the night. Also we don’t have to arise now till 6 a.m. instead of 5.30, but still parade at seven. It is just possible I will get on night work this week or next. A sargeant I know pretty well said he would try to have it fixed for me. It seems funny now, getting up in day light instead of the middle of the night, but gets dark very early. We are hardly allowed any lights in the tents at all. The room I am in now has dark shades, then heavy dark curtains, from floor to ceiling. I heard that cruisers in the Channel reported that we were showing altogether too many lights, and that our Colonel got into trouble over it. Also a dirigible flies over all the camps, quite low and reports the lights to headquarters and there is trouble.
Regarding the clipping, Mother enclosed, I also heard these rumors, but as to the facts of the case, I cannot be sure. I am reasonably sure tho, that before we left Halifax, Captain Darcy of the 135th, who was very active in recruiting in Western Ontario, was arrested by Secret Service men and taken to Ottawa. I am not positive of this either, as I did not see it, but some of the 135th boys assured us that it was so.
The letter you received was apparently the one written on board, and I am certainly glad you got it O.K. as I was a little doubtful. Do you know where it was posted. I do not.
Hill will be a darn chump to get married. He will have to come sooner or later, unless something we do not see at present happens. I will write him probably some night this week, so he may get it as soon as you get this. I don’t know tho, just when I will have time, as I must write Miriam and have to go down to get my shoes, to-morrow night. I will also likely write Mrs. Kift, after I see Leonard.
When I was on night duty on board, I slept as much as I could in the morning, and then generally a little in the afternoon. I did not sleep in my berth tho in the daytime, as I slept right thro the first alarm, and in case anything really happened, I would have not had much of a chance. I had a good bed, tho just outside the hospital, with mattress and my own blanket. It was a semi-open deck, so much more healthy than the stateroom. Of course I kept my things in the room, and washed, shaved, etc there. The room was on D deck and the troop decks ran down to G at least and there were decks below that again, so you could have some idea of the size of the ship. I believe she has carried 10,000 troops and her crew must be over one thousand.
Here the night men have their own tents, and sleep as long as they like. You can sleep from eight till four, easily or go out for the afternoon if you wish. There is some sleeping on duty but it is not allowed. That was the reason I was to be put on last week. The other fellow would not stay awake.
Business must be looking up in Moose Jaw, I will drop Margarate a card sometime soon.
Say look here, don’t stint yourselves for the Western U. fund, I am here, working for it, so let some of the others do some of the giving. Then there is the possibility that it will not go over as a unit. Of course the money would be used for the same purpose anyway. As we have all our own supplies tho, it is likely we will go as a unit sometime. Everything but stationary Hospitals seems to be split up tho.
I am fixed all right for money thanks. We have had another pay day, and I now have on me, the draft for £5. and £5/6/6 besides, I will have plenty while here, with your £2 per month and pay of £2 per month and if I go up to London and require more, I think I could draw it from the Royal. Nert you might just let me know what my balance there is, sometime when you are writing, also in your letters (I thought I was talking to Mother) state this is the first, second or third, etc order, so I can tell if any have missed or not. There is a war loan stunt here that I think I will take up. I must get a booklet and read it up, will send it to you too. I don’t just understand it, but you can buy something like a debenture for about fifteen shillings now and the government will pay twenty shillings, (£1) for it in five years. You can also get a book and put I think six penny stamps in it till full, when the post office will change it for this war loan paper. I thought of putting into this, what I would otherwise smoke, a shilling or two, a week, and then I would really derive a benefit from not smoking.
Just think on the 23rd of this month, I will be six months in the army, and what I believe to be one quarter of my time, will be put in. I feel that two years from May 23rd 1916, will surely see the finish. If the future six months pass as quickly as these, I will surely be glad. The time fairly flies here and then I have had so many changes of place and work, that it seems to have gone quickly.
Well Sis, I have been writing nearly an hour, and must get my little bath now.
A man comes Monday and Friday for my laundry, and it is done quite well, so for the present at least, this is all right.
Your loving brother,
Worth.
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