Roffey Camp,
Horsham, Sussex,
England,
New Years Eve, 1915

Dear Mother

Another week has almost gone and I must send you a few lines. Haven't a great deal of news as our work from day-to-day is a good deal the same. We are kept pretty busy and have not a great deal of time for writing. Sent you two letters since I came telling you all about the place. Also sent Clemmie a letter and a postcard, a letter to Mr. Sterling, one to Murdoch and quite a number of postcards. Sent the postcards so as to get mail back. Have got five letters from Canada already, yours, two from Clemmie, one from Albert and one other and I guess I was glad to get them. There were very few of us who thought of leaving our address and consequently those of us who have received Canadian mail are the envy of the rest. There is a general scramble when the mail comes in and he is a proud guy who is fortunate enough to get a letter.

First I must tell you about our Christmas. It was certainly a strange Christmas to us. In one sense it wasn't Christmas at all and yet, thanks largely to the YMCA, it was far more than one could expect and I believe that after all of you folks at home would feel the difference far more. For wherever there are a bunch of young fellows like us one need not worry about our enjoying ourselves. Now, for how we spent the day. Reveille blew at 7 a.m., breakfast was at 7:45. Then at 10:20 we had a church parade to Horsham getting back just in time for our Christmas dinner at 12:45. We had a splendid dinner for men in our position, not as good, of course, as most of us would have at home. We had turtle (?) soup, roast beef and roast pork, potatoes, cabbage, and buttered beans, plum pudding, cornstarch pudding and jelly, mince pie, apples, oranges and nuts etc., not too bad, eh? And certainly enjoyed by No. 98 siege. The afternoon we had pretty much to ourselves. Supper was served at the YMCA at 5 and this was followed by a Christmas tree on which were all kinds of trinkets, something for everybody. Following the Christmas tree was a concert. They had an entertainer down from London and we had a splendid time. The next night, Sunday, we had a church parade to Horsham to the Wesleyan church. There is no Presbyterian Church here. The Methodist comes next to the Anglican and there
is one little Baptist church.

Well, after church we had dinner up town and went to see the sights. The town of Horsham is a very old town going back to the days of William the Conqueror and some of the buildings standing to date were built about 1500. There are couple of features which one notices, particularly about the old town. These are - the entire absence of wooden buildings - everything in town and country is built either of brick or gray stone - and the extremely narrow and crooked streets. These features are strongly marked in Horsham. Well we started out right after dinner and went out past the Town Hall
toward the park which is just west of the town. Just on the outskirts of town we came to an old church built first in 1231 and rebuilt and extended since.. It was an R.C. church originally but now belongs to the low C.of E.. Completely surrounding the church was in old cemetery, some of the stones of which date back to 1767 if not earlier. We saw one of a person who died in 1767 age 80. Leaving the church we crossed a foot bridge over a mill on and a little further on crossing the railway we found ourselves in a park. Turning to our right we came to a little farm, not much in itself except for buildings, but this little farm is one of the most historic spots in this part of the country for it was here that the plans for the Battle of Hastings were laid. Leaving here we made for the center off the park. Here was a steep cone shaped hill which we found to be surrounded on three sides by a deep trench, the relic of some battle of bygone days. Leaving here we passed quite a large herd of tame deer, and on a smaller hill to the north of the park came to an old castle, the home of Oliver Cromwell, just as it stood when King James and Prince Charlie visited it when Cromwell was a boy. Leading down hill from the castle was a carriage road which we followed and this brought us to a bridge about 25 yards. This again crossed above the railway. On this bridge we carved our initials on the stone railing,
together with hundreds of others. Having seen everything of interest we returned to camp where we arrived in just in time for supper.

Now I must tell you something about our work. I think I told you in my last letter that we were specializing in certain branches of the service. There are four different branches of specialists - the telephonists, plotters, observers and the gun layers. There are 24 telephonists, 24 observers, 8 plotters and the rest are gun layers. I am taking telephony. It is one of the most important branches of the service and by far the most interesting. Plotting is also a good job especially for those who are fond of figures. You know I always wanted to go as a signaller and as soon as we given our choice of what subject
we wanted to specialize in, I at once put down my name as telephonist. Now about our work. Our hours are 6:30 reveille, 7 - 7:30 physical drill, 7:45 breakfast, 9 - 12:30 drill, 12:45 dinner, 2 - 4 drill, 4:30 supper, 10 retreat, 10:15 lights out. From 9 - 10:30 we have signaling practice, then we break for half an hour. At 11 we have a lecture. Then at 2 we have either a lecture or practice again. To qualify we have to be able to send and read 10 words of 5 letters each, i.e. 50 letters a minute; in semaphore, 8 words a minute with the flags. In Morse 10 words on the buzzer, lamp and heliograph and 12 words on the telegraph key. Besides that we have to understand the principles of electricity, to be able to take our machines, including the telephone, apart, repair them and put them together again. We also have to be able to lay lines., to find a fault in the line and repair it, draw maps, to understand and use compass and I don't know how much more. So you see we have a great deal of work to do. The course under most circumstances it is supposed to take a year and we have to compete it in the five or six months at our disposal. This naturally necessitates a good deal of work outside of drill hours but one does not mind hard work when one is interested in the work. Of course a good deal depends on practice in order to attain the speed on the instruments but a good deal can be done by study, in fact of good deal of private study has to be done. For my part, I am just in my element for I like all the work splendidly and study comes naturally to me anyway.

Don't know that I have our great deal of news. Our work from day to day is practically the same. You asked me about socks. I have a good supply yet. Don't send too many as we cannot use them and they are only filling up space for no good. In our work you know we have no drill only an occasional route march and consequently it is not so hard on socks. About sending stuff - anything mailed is almost sure to get here but sent any other way it is not likely to come. Don't send too much stuff, however, as it fills off too much as our space is limited. You must realize we are well cared for. We get almost all we need and what we don't get we can buy very cheaply. We are well paid and can afford a luxury compared with the English soldiers who only get a shilling a day. They call us the millionaire army. We are the best equipped units that has come to England yet, ourrubber coats and hats being the best out. It is certainly a splendid life and the making of any man who puts himself into it and who is physically in good condition. There has been a bad cold going, due no doubt to the damp climate and I guess 3/4 of the battery must have had it but I was fortunate enough not to take it. Never felt better in my life. Am glad May is getting on well in the school. Am going to send a letter to the kids as soon as I get time. Am also glad that Stanley did so well after recruiting meeting. Think P.E.I. is coming up on the recruiting business. The more that come, the sooner it will be over and God knows they are all needed. Am the sending a couple of books I got in town. Saw more last night that I want to read and will send them when I finish them.

I think I must close now for this time. Will write again soon. Am expecting more mail everyday. Love and best wishes of the season to all. It seems almost a mockery to wish a Happy New Year for I know that can hardly be. To us however it will be a happy New Year's, even a merry new year for our spirits are high and one can never be downhearted when answering a call of duty. And by this time next year I hope and confidently expect we will be back in Canada, the victory won and peace and freedom restored to the world.

Now must say good night. Bushels of love to all. All the fellows are fine.

Good night, Harold