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Date: November 7th 1916
To
Lillian
From
Clarence
Letter

London,
Nov.7. 1916.

Dear Lillian:

I received you letter written while you were at sea a few days ago, but haven't had an answer to any of mine yet.

Nearly all of the boys have been up to London for their six days and are back in camp. Three of us were quarantined for a few days on account of a chap in the hut going to the hospital with diptheria, and we just got out Saturday so we came up here that night. We are staying in one of the Y.M.C.A. huts near Waterloo Station where we get the train to camp, and are very comfortable.

One of the boys with me, met a friend of his the night we came, a fellow who had been wounded and is now working in the pay office here, and Sunday he took us through the Zoological gardens. They are supposed to have every known animal both wild and domestic. It is a wonderful place and is worth seeing. We spent most of the day there and after leaving had a bus ride through part of the city. The street cars only run on one or two streets. Motor buses run on the others. They are double deckers and you can see quite a lot from upstairs.

The subway system here is great. An underground station can be found in any part of the city and it is no trouble to find our way once we find a subway.

Yesterday morning we went through Madame Tassaud's wax works. It is a large place and besides the figures they have a lot of furniture and stuff. In there we saw a model of the city of Messina, Italy which was destroyed by a volcano some years ago. It was lit up and showed the lava flowing over the city. In the afternoon we went through the London Tower. It is a large group of old buildings. We were shown rooms where people used to be executed and also the room where the two young princes were smothered. In one part there is a large collection of weapons and armour. They have all kinds of old guns and cannon some of them dating back to the time when such things were first made. The crown jewels are there too in a large glass case. They are very beautiful.

I saw a 64th boy here Sunday. He is in the machine gun section and they are still training in England. He didn't know Harold, but he told me about some others that I knew. Will Meagher of Mulgrave was wounded. The Grants would know him.

This morning we started off without anything special in view. We found the United Service Museum and went through it. In it were models of warships of all kinds from the old Victory to the newest. All kinds of old weapons and a lot of old style uniforms such as were used a hundred years ago. There was also a great collection of war medals and decorations.

After leaving there we walked to Buckingham Palace and then back to the Y.M.C.A. for dinner. They feed us well here and in camp we get better meals than we did at Aldershot. The grub was awful the first few days though.

Toms battalion came to our camp, but we haven't seen him and I think that they have been moved. Yesterday I ran across some of the 152nd and asked about Cecil. They told me that he hasn't been to London yet but his company were coming up next week. Blanchard and his brother were here and went back to camp Sunday night. He told me that he saw his brother Cyril here.

Yesterday was fine and the sun was out all day. It was the first really fine day since we landed. We have rain every twenty four hours either in the day or night, and usually both. Today is fine too although a little foggy.

You might send this letter home and I'll write them when I go back to camp. I must get some cards this afternoon of some of the places we have looked over.

When I wrote home I gave our camp address, but I think if all my mail is sent care Army Post Office London I will get it as soon. That address will always find me even if we should be moved to another camp. Please send a Halifax paper once in a while.

Lovingly,

Reg

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