Shornecliffe Kent. Co
June 26/15

Dear. Mother

Just a few lines to let you know that We arrived safe and have at last settled down to drill. and hard drill too eight hours a day of it. We are camped about half a mile from town on a nice gentle slope at the foot of what is known as Cesar's hill. It's supposed to be the first part of England in which he landed and from this hill he first fought the Britons nearly 2000 years ago The old trenches and excavations which he made around the top of the hill are still to be seen in a very good state of preservation. I wonder what the old duck would think if he happened to come to life now. There are fourty thousand Canadian troops in and about this place at present some troops that left Victoria last February are still here, and we are likely to be here for months yet. there are also 75 000 english soldiers on Salisbury Plain a few miles from here most of the troops are shipped over to France from this place. We are only about forty five miles from the firing line Well I must say that from what I have seen of England and we traveled from coast to coast across the southern part. From Plymouth on the west where we landed to where we are now that it is a beautiful country. on both side of the railway were nice farms mostly small I should judge by the looks of the fields they run from one acre up to twenty five and one or two a little larger and all divided with hedges no fences at all to speak of. I seen some fine crops of wheat oats and hops but the hay was rather thin. they are haying here now and Its just about the same stunt as they used fifty years ago, short high wheeled wagons with two or three horses strung out one ahead of the other and a kid leading the front one. I seen lots of the women working in the fields but one thing that they can do is to stack. The houses are all brick and stone and seem to be very old as quite a number we saw were thatched and looked quite funny to me There were some fine old churches and ruins to be see. In coming across we came through London town. the city of cities one mass of houses as far as you could see big and small. I am getting a few days leave and going down to look around take in the town as it were. Well they do fleece us canucks in the place everything really is higher than in Canada

[remainder of letter missing]