Halifax 25/11/17

My Dear Mother:

I am in a rather cramped-up position here but think I can manage to write you a few lines though possibly will not post it until we reach England. Have been on board since Monday night last and we are out in Bedford Basin, a few miles from the harbor waiting for the other ships which will proceed over with the same convoy. On board are six cycle platoons, some two hundred A.M.C.(?) men, a draft from the 48th Highlanders Toronto and another Infantry Draft from Ontario.

We have fine quarters altho' the meals are not very good. Reid, myself & Storrey & Muirhead (two Regina boys) have a room together and, while we are not blessed with space, we are comfortable. The time hangs heavily. We have breakfast at 7:45 and, as it is impossible to get to shore, we usually go to bed at 9:00 or a little later. Most of us too have an afternoon nap and I really admit we're a bunch of sleepy heads. We have but one parade per day, Physical Training for an hour in the forenoon. While in Halifax on Monday morning, we all went up to the YMCA and had a plunge and also dinner but since coming on board ship have not been away. I have been reading Longfellow's poems this week but when they grow wearisome, I turn to a ten cent detective story. Today we had church service at two o'clock on the deck. It is quite calm out here but on the ocean we will be tossed about and then will likely come a nice little turn of mal de mer for most of us.

It is quite an experience for a land bird like me to be on a ship, you see so much that is new and learn at first hand so many things that had been mysteries before. The Captain is an old gray haired salt - quite a character. On deck it is so nice to walk in the dusk and experience the beauty of the sea breezes. The crew are typical Cockneys. One of them, the baker, died the other day.

Our men are all well. One of our boys, not physically fit, was taken ashore today and will be sent back to Regina. That leaves us with twenty-nine. Naturally, we are all curious as to our fate when we reach England.

Well, I will close. I will write more when we get to land again. Hope you are all well.

Yours

Frank