[6 November 1917]
Sergt. J J Jackson
B. Coy 142nd Battn
My Dearest Annie & little girlies
I now take the pleasure in writing you a letter hoping you are all well as this leaves me alive & well but I dont know why I am; Well my dear I will start for I would like to let you know what has happened since we left Halifax this is Monday 6th Nov & I thought I would start to tell you a little else I shall forget well my dear I will tell you that this is the roughest Storm that has ever struck a boat for it is just tossing this ship like a battle it started just before dinner & I was up on Deck talking to Leiu Weable & we were laughing at the way the Empress of Britten was tossing & picking & there came a wave & just drowned all on deck for quite a while well I Came down to my state room & took all my clothes off & put my fatague clothes on & lay down & went to sleep & I was wakened by a kind of explosion & I ran up on deck & there was the water coming down the stairways & I though it was all up I started saying my prayers I can tell you for when I got to the top I could not get any place they had closed the Doors to save the water from coming in the ship well I was scarred so I ran & tryed to get out at about a doz places & I managed to get out on one of the Decks & got another Dose & it is the worst storm the crew say they ever had now my Dear I am pretty tough but I couldn't stand the strain they gave orders for the Band's to get their Instruments & play but the poor fellows got them & tried to make a noise but they soon quit could no more play than get out & walk, Well my dear I will tell you a little of how we are coming over. We are in the "S S." Southland it leads the Way because it is the Smallest of the lot & the Slowest then there is the Battle Cruiser. I forget her name she has a lot of big guns on each side she is on our Left hand about 1 mile away then we have the Lapland opposit us on our left & in line then there is the Empress of Britain near our Bask on our Left & then the Corronnai at the back they all keep one mile distant & apart so you have an Idea what we look like in the water I will tell you now how we are made up we have about 800 London's Own 1200 196th from Winnepeg the remainder are small drafts of A.M.C & A.S.C & Crew about 3,500 in all the Lapland has about 5,800 troops alone. the Empress of Britton has nearly 10,000 troops the Corronia 6,000 troops & I don't know about the Cruiser she has only crew & guns. I guess now I will describe this boat a little this Southland is a German Boat Used to be the Vaderland it was run into Belgium for she has some very rare Old Oil paintings in her Saloon Dining Halls & I can tell you they are fine & costly Oh my dear I cant write more I must go up & stay for the storm is too bad & I feel we are going to be wrecked I will write later if it quits but I must go.
it is 5 oclock P.M. Monday. Oct 6th now I can hear some of the fellows making a noise or singing or crying I will go & see what is the matter Well my dear it don't seem to quit any I was just up top & the decks are flooded with about 5 or 6 ft of water it is that way all the time of couse it soon runs off again but it is filled again in about a seccond you ought to see the fish that comes on deck with the waves great big fellows, it is rolling now but not pitching for she has s o much water aboard I guess we are about half way or Mid Atlantic as they call it, if anything bad happened now they couldn't save a man for that sea is just like a furnace we could not launch a boat it is just turning this one upside down allmost right now I dont know when you will get this letter or weather you will ever get it but if you do it will keep you guessing to make it out for I cant hardly keep it on my desk to write it at all this morning before the storm we started giving the men a bath & they are still taking it a few at a time when they try to get near the decks. but the men are too scarred to do a thing or move away from their bunks. well I will try & tell you a little of the situation of the different quaters there was quite a few of the Sergts reduced when we got to Halifax & I can tell you they felt it very much for they wanted to retain their Stripes untill they got to England for we Sergts are coming first Class just the same as the Officers & we are in the very best appartments but I can tell you it is a shame the way the men was packed in their quarters for the smell down there is enough to kill them & they are so close together but they get pretty good rations now better than when they started for it was bad then nearly all on board were very sick for the first 2 or 3 days some got over it pretty soon but some havent got over it yet nor wont untill they see land Mr. Askey was one of the worst of course he was sick just before he came on the boat, that operation I guess made him feel weak but I went & saw him this morning & he was around a bit & I said to him I see you are getting better Ben & he shook his head & said O no I shan't be any better untill I get off this boat he wont have it that he is getting better he looses heart. but I guess he has got better quarters now in the hospital & if he got better he would have to go down in the hole again I don't blame him do you. I have tried to fix up as many as I can while they were sick for I felt fine all the time & I used to bring them Oranges & Apples & nice things of our tables in the Dining Hall for I will tell you later how used to feed, & I tell you they certainly do enjoy anything like that for they cant buy very much on the Boat, Well my dear I am glad to say that the Storm is a little settled but not very much. it is Tuesday 1 oclock Dinner time but you must understand we put nearly 1 hour on every day so it would only be breakfast time for you in Canada I was up on Deck a little while ago & we had covered 1545 knots & a knot is 1 1/8 miles so we are in the Danger Zone now we expect to be somewhere pretty close to Ireland by Wed night & we meet some more Destroyers & an Airaplain for it is Dangerous around Ireland but we are over 200 miles out of our course to the South or on the New York line
my Dear this letter is a little Complicated. I hope you can make it out but I want you to know a little of what we had I guess everybody has more or less a rough trip but this certainly is a dandy. the waves is just coming over the side now it sounds just as if it has bumped against another ship. when we reach England we intend sending you all I mean the folks on the Green a Cablegram & it will do for us all Askey 2 Aldriges Parker Ficklings Clarke & Sturdy so I hope I can get it away as soon as we get there & you will know we are all safe but there has been an awful lot of sickness also most of the crew, Well dear they didn't pay us on the boat but those who had money had it changed for English money I havent changed mine yet for I didn't need anything yet, you can only buy that fire water such as Whiskey Beer Stout & Ale, well & chocklates but I had enough of everything like that on the tables in the Dining Hall well my dear I well tell you now how we Sergts got along, Well I told you they took the stripes of all Acting Sergts & they just had the right number in our Battn but the 196th brought their acting Sergts on board & they dined in the State Dining Hall with us but someone got wise & the Capt of the Ship came around & investigated & read their acting Sergts names out & said they were to pay 1st Class passage out of their own pockets for what they had had & either go with the men or pay the difference right across it hit some of them pretty hard but they are all pretty well to do all from Universitys around Winnipeg but they didnt like loosing their stripes & Sec.
my dear you can let any of the folks read this letter if you like for I don't think I shall write to anyone else as I dont feel like writing a lot of letters, well we have a 1st Class State Room between 2 of us & there is a nice Dresser in the room & you have to touch a button & the writing Desk comes down & then you touch another & the Wash Basin drops down & you press another for for water & when you are through you just close it up & it emptys itself lovely carpets on the floor a fine bed a bell boy to Call you clean your buttons & shoes & fetch your shaving water then the Dinner Gong goes for Meals. we have breakfast at 7.30 Lunch at 12 30 & Dinner at 7 30 & the band plays it down we travel & eat just exactly the same as the Col. & the Officer there is a bedroom Steward to clean it up & you tell him you want a bath at a certain time in the morning or night & he will call you the same in the Dining hall you have a Steward for every 6 Sergts & he fetches you all you want there is allways a full course Meal every time & I have only missed one then I was a bit dissy but I haven't been sick at all there is all kinds of fruit & stuffs on the table & we allways have Goose & Turkey & chicken everytime a fellow soon gets tired of that kind of living especially when he goes down & sees how the men have to rough it. there seems to be to much distinction between the Sergts & the men. they might have evened things up a little I would sooner have had it that way for the men havent even any sugar or milk in their tea & see how the Sergts use it & even wast it all kinds of it. you know I had a good suply of every thing that I needed if I had traveled 3rd class but I gave it out amongst the men as far as it went & I allways go down & see that my Company get their meals before I get my own even if I am late going in, My dear I must tell you now of my experience Sunday night no Saturday night I was on guard with 38 men & a Corpl it was so rough that I had to lash one or too to their post so that they should not be blown over board such as the Magazine where they keep the Amunition & Powder for the big guns & the Water Tanks for you don't know who might be aboard & they might Poison the Water or set fire to the Magizine but about between 1 & 2 oclock in the morning the Sea was at it highest & I told the Corpl it was too dangerous for him to cross the bridges as he was such a little fellow & that I would change the Guard so I had to go to the other end of the Ship but before that I gave the men permittion to stay at the other end of the Ship to save them coming to & fro every time & I was going my self to change the guard & a big wave came & lifted me on one side of the ship & dropped me on the other I went skidding & shooting over the hatchways & around them nigger heads & landed just under the Channel Irons that go around the sides of the ship I nearly broke myself in two parts & I went so fast & the wasn't a soul about if anything had have happened I had my life belt on at the time but by the way I must tell you that was an order as soon as we got on board that no man must appear on Deck at any time without his Lifebelt on so we had to wear them all the way over
My dear we have what they call fire drill every few hours & no matter what you are doing you have to drop everything & run for you only have 3 minutes to get to your life boat & get away. they are all told off to a certain boat my boat is the unlucky No 13 & I am away first with 52 men & no man is to come to my boat if he dont belong to it or he gets shot I was in bed the other day when the bugle sounded the Fire drill & I jumped out of bed took my pants & overcoat in my hand & got my Life belt on & was at my boat about 4th man pretty good aye & then I started to dress myself on deck but you dont stop for ought they all laughed when the Capt & Officers came around & saw me dressing I said I was in bed sir he said, Good for you Sergt
Well my Dear this is Wed night Nov 8th I am just going into Supper for we have it at 8 oclock tonight but I must tell you a little of todays programe I got up this morning at 7 00 AM shaved went down & saw the men were O.K. they were all feeling good I told them there was some sports on this afternoon after they had been to the Pay master for we had to go & sign our Bank Books & see what we have to our Credit My account was pretty big I have 25, 50 from Last month coming to me well it was a fine day we have covered 18,000 Miles up to noon but we are a little out of our course yet but we expect to see Ireland some time tomorrow I guess the wind is still high we are tossing about pretty good yet there came a message from the Cruiser last night that they wouldn't let out I don't know what it was one of the Signalers told me it was secret news. well we had all kinds of sports races mile & other & mile walks & the men seemed to enjoy it very much. the 142nd won most of the prizes as usual we got a few barrels of apples out of the hold & gave the men yesterday & they sure did enjoy them for they could not buy them & it seemed to be just what they wanted I was giving them out & I was to give them 3 a piece so the fellows was lining up & they came 3 times each I just looked at them & they laughed at me & winked their eye it was a treat to see them eating their apples & how they enjoyed them & we get them & lots of other fruit every meal, well I got a hold of about 12 or 15 lbs of Sugar 7 lbs of tea & Milk & butter & a big tub of Pickles for the Ship for my own use if I needed it & I gave them all to the men amongst them as far as they went & I tell you they wanted to give me something for it I got a hold of it on the train there has just come an order out that every man must sleep with his clothes on tomorrow night & Friday night so I guess they are expecting trouble but we are ready for them Stanley Stabler is up on Deck mounting all the machine guns all round the Ship & I guess the other Ships are prepared just the same as this one Charley Aldridge is O.K. also Frank Mr. Parker Fickling Walker & Chatterson & Mr. Clarke but they have all been sick Stanley was pretty sick for a while but is better now they all feel better now as we are nearing Ireland you know how it livens things up, they had a little Concert last night in the Dining Hall & they invited all the men of 142nd in, the 196th put it on. they collected nearly 20£ not Dollars for the Sailor's Widows Fund Liverpool I guess we shall put one on before we land they say we shall not land before Sat sometime in the afternoon as we are away behind & we are due to Dock on Friday Early Morning. we are still in a rough Sea yet & this is Thursday morning we are expecting to meet our escorts of the Navy today & then we will give Mr. Submarine a run for his money I allmost feel like saying I would like to see one of them appear but I am afraid he might do a little damage. so I will be content if he will stay away this time I was thinking about you all at Chelsea Green last Sunday night about 12 oclock we were singing for those in peril on the Sea & I thought that you would be singing that same hymn about the same time for it would be about 8 oclock at home. the rough weather has broken nearly all the dishes on board.
My Dear. this is Thursday forenoon I was just up on Deck & I see the other Ships are pretty well scattered & they are going in all directions maybe they have got a signal from the Warships that are to meet us we had Life boat drill a few minutes ago & then I was giving the men some phisical Drill but it is awkward on board ship for they cant do very much at that business the rocking & tossing of the boat & I shout every now & again "Stand Steady there, & the Officers & men all laugh for it is imposible to stand still then after Lunch I went & saw the men who are in the Hospital Charley Dennis & Joe Webster they have been pretty sick I gave them some of those Cough Lozenges & Chocklats I had & I must thank you very much for them they have cheered not only me but a good many of the men who was feeling blue then this afternoon we gave out some more barrells of apples I think the Ladies of London must have given them as no one knows where they came from
this is Thursday night & we have to go to bed with our clothes on the same tomorrow night & we see land in the morning they say, I hope so anyhow Annie you might show Mr Baty this letter for I would have liked to have wrote him on behalf of the Class for their kindness to both me & the rest of the boys I thought of them Last Sunday & I guess I shall think of them as often as they think of me for I have a great deal to be thankful for as I have spent many a plesant Sunday afternoon in the class & I would like to tell each one of the members individualy what a plesure it was for me to be amongst them & how I shall miss their Company & I hope it will help them to realize their responsibility in keeping together untill some of us return Well my dear I shall keep a Diary of my trip from Camp Borden to Halifax & what I saw on that long trip there is a tale to tell that will interest anybody who hasn't ever taken it in & I might be able to lecture a little on it when I come back. it sure was instructive I thought what a privilage to us Canadians to be able to travel in such Luxiury for so many thousands of miles & yet so few of them seemed to respond to the call but we must be satisfied for this was certainly a big Contingent that we came with fancy on our boat we had the 196th Battn from Winnipeg all very well to do & yet they didn't seem to think that their Country could do without them & I am told that over 400 of them have took courses & passed for Leiutenents & Captains that shows the Spirit of the men when as there were no appointments for them they joined as privates for $1 10 a day
my dear a returned Sergt told me on the boat to day that as soon as I got to England I should be sent to a training School again & touched up as a Phisical Drill Instructor for I am just the kind of a man that they wont let go out of England being as I have a 1st Class Certivicate he says they dont get a chance to go to the front, well we saw our Escorts late last night & there was great rejoycing on board they came up flashing their light & dodging in & out like a pack of grey hounds all was up on deck to see them come & only for the order that came out there would have been great doing but they ordered for quietness & no bands to play & no shouting no smoking so they made some quick movements & they all went in other directions but each boat had about 1 cruiser & 1 destroyer each as escort & this morning (Friday) we saw land the coast of Ireland they were temped to cheer again it was very foggy & misty a kind of rain but the sea was very smooth we saw lots of fish large & small & we have allso met a liner or two coming to Canada but we nearly rammed a Collier this morning in the fog you should have seen our little Greyhound go up to it & ask her what she meant & who she was where she was going & Sec.
well we came right round the Coast of Ireland & passed the Isle of Lyle & near to the Cost of scotland & it is surely a fine sight we came passed in the afternoon on Friday & we are all having a nice hot bath ready for Landing in the morning we shall get in late tonight (Friday) & we get our Breakfast early & Dock right away so I guess you will hear about us landing as I intend to send a Cable if it is at all posible I will try & send you one now my dear I must close as I havent any more paper I will write again as soon as I get there but I dont suppose you will get it for quite a while I wish I could send it by wireless for I know you will be anxious to here if we got here safe
now my dear I must Close with my very best Love for you & the Dear little kiddies kisses from Daddy to Ma Marie Fay & Olive XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
