No. 14 Canadian General Hospital,
Eastbourne, Sussex.
No 33 – 28/10/17.
My Dear Mother,
Well, I have had plenty of mail now, and think I have two or three letters from each of you. Also have parcel from red cross and yours with underwear & photo supplies. All are O.K .The flannels might have been a little better if 36 but perhaps the knees will last longer if loose. Britches and Puttees, seem to be hard on them. They sure are fine and warm.
I have been rather busy. Have made a couple of new girl friends down town, & then my photography etc. all takes time. I am enclosing a couple of proofs from plates made yesterday. I will send prints later, but first to Mir., as I owe her a letter. I think them quite good, prints will be large of course. That was my baseball team picture, published in either Free Press or Advertiser. I don’t know who sent it to them, as I was trying to arrange to sell some of my views to London & Toronto papers. Guess it is no go, but get rid of few here.
Please keep enclosed orders. No. 1192. marks the close of another period of our history. I fully expected to move with the first draft to-morrow, but it has been cancelled. I believe the Col. told them in London, that when anyone moved from here, we all did, and he apparently has hopes of taking the unit over soon. Personally, I doubt very much tho, if the unit will ever go.
We have quite a bunch of girls in now, about twenty, cooking, waiting, etc. There are sure some fine girls among them & I am getting quite a crush on some of them. We have three kinds, the V.A.D.s, the St. John’s Ambulance, and a few of the new women’s Army. The first seem to be the best tho, and they practically run the Imperial hospitals, do all kinds of work & many of them are Lord’s daughters too.
Had a letter from Lester Jackson. the other day. He is still in England, so he and Ault, may get home to-gether yet.
I am getting fed pretty well now, the girls are pretty good, & our door is just opposite the main kitchen door. I have had three pieces of pie and a big piece of cake to-day already, but that doesn’t happen every day.
I got Dad’s letter with the £ 4/- this A.M. after wiring for £5 last night. Also have that £ 10/-/- coming thro the Royal. The reason I am so hard up, I only got 10/- on pay day, & expected £ 2/-/-. I find tho, that I am overdrawn. I will have some to bank tho & it will be O.K. I am going to have as much fun as I can, too, before I leave here. I have a couple of dozen plates coming in, to pay for the beginning of the week, will have to get a couple pairs of sox & some handkp’ and I want some kind of a jacket, to wear under my tunic, to keep out the cold wind, as the great coat is too heavy & unnecessary very often. I don’t know whether or not, I will be able to get just what I want or not, but will try. My sweater coat is too bulky, but I am wearing it, just now.
I guess you will be busy enough to keep from getting lonely, really, I am quite happy here, we have good meals, a good town, and congenial fellows, mostly.
Houses are surely bringing good money, over there, I imagine they are very cheap here, as there are hundreds empty, every where you go. In London, I saw stocked stores with tickets up, closed till after the war.
That is funny about John Smith. He is the limit. Give Clara my best, hope she has a speedy recovery.
You certainly had some time with Mir., & Nerta & the Hamilton trip. Poor Nert, she is having just a touch of army life, she will get to enjoy it tho. I am glad H.P. lives so near, it will be a home for her some times.
Dad is foolish to go to Crooker. He does rotten work. McQueens Dr. Taylor, would be much better.
Well my Dear it is 3.15 so I must get at some of my other letters.
Love to all,
Worth.