Kingston, Ont., Nov. 19th, 1915 - Saturday.

Dear Mother:

I received your letter yesterday and was quite surprised to hear that you are going to Montreal. I won't be able to see you as you go through as the station is three or four miles out of town.

I am orderly officer to-day at the barracks and have been up since four thirty. It is not seven and I am taking a few minutes before breakfast to write to you.

We are have frightful weather here. We should have had the examination in foot-drill yesterday but could no on account of the rain and mud. It is still raining this morning. Our harnessing exam comes on Monday or Tuesday. We have to take the saddle, hand-gear and all the draught harness, pull the whole thing apart, that is undo every buckle and takeoff every strap, all the loose parts are then thrown together in a blanket and mixed up as much as possible. Then we have to put it all together again and put it on the horse, the object being to do this as fast as possible, getting everything correct. I think I can pass this, also the foot-drill; but it is the exams at the end of the course that trouble me. You say in your letter that I ought to pass if the others do, but you must remember the majority of the class has had some experience in one or more branches of the work which we are taking up while I have had no experience in any part of the work. For instance, there are fellows who have been working with a battery all summer, there are others from the West what are wonderful riders and know all about horses, then there are the ones who have taken up engineering and surveying or are graduate engineers and understand perfectly all the instruments and mathematics. However I am working hard at all these things. Fred and I work hard every night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday, on our books, and if we should not pass this course, it certainly won't be from not trying. We have had very little riding so far as there are only 80 horses and 150 men in our class and about the same number in the U.C.O.'s class.

Give my love to Aunt Lena.

I have to go to breakfast now.

Your loving son

John