Transcription
Dear Papa,
I got your letter of Apl 2th the other day. Waht a long time it has [??????] To get here! I was very anxious to her from you to see how you were getting n. (I feel sure that the above was not the last letter I had received from you and I discovered the last dated May 20th.) I also received your parcel, and it was certainly very nice. [???] [??????] the maple sugar was very much as the o three boys had never tasted it before. I till have half of it. You can send as much of Maple sugar as you like as from now till I get to France I will not be in any need of [????????]tials (except sugar which is going even [???????]) and the little really Canadian sweets are great - a taste of home.
That was very nice of Dr. Wilson saying those nice things. He always had a great friendly feeling for you didn't he? I think you appealed to him especially because like him you live for an ideal and are not materialistic. It will be a pleasant memory always for you to remember his words about you. I wrote Miss. Wilson as soon as I heard of his death, for I felt quite bad about it. Such a vivid [?????]y of his manly, simple, yet beautiful word. Picture of the future life of Roy in the great beyond came back to me, and how helpful it was! Nobody else could have talked as he did, and best of all some felt it was true. The pulpit has not many like him.
Things are still going quite nicely with me. The only trouble is that life is too easy, I have not enough to do all day. The senior officers do most of the [?????????]ing so I don't get a chance, just once in a while. But I am learning my senior's methods and will be able to carry on if I get the chance, as he expects to be sent back to France in a few days. I give little lectures to the men, using a chalkboard, and that is about all I get al "on my own".
The mayor told me the other day that he thought I am to be sent on a cruise to Woolwich to see how guns are manufactured etc for several weeks. But no orders have come to me yet and it was almost a week ago he told me. I do not know how long we are to be kept in this station but evidently it is going to be much longer than we expected, I have a suspicion sometimes that we may be used to [?????????] For a while after some of the seniors go. I would not [?????] For a while.
I was Battery Orderly officer last Tuesday and [?????????] And I have been on [????????] [???????] All week. That means we sleep in camps every night and are responsible in case of an air raid. Nothing happened so far though London has had several raids. Tonight ends our tour. Today I had to take our section to Chuch, about 150 or so men in all. The whole [??????] [?????] Out to see the camp march to Church.
Life here would be very nice. Lord somebody has given the camp the free use of his tennis courts and provided a tea room also at his house. I played my first game of cricket last Wednesday. The officers of the [??????] We're playing the H.C.O.'s and [?????]. Capt. Havens, my chief, thought that on account of my being a baseballer I could play cricket and he was short of men. I fielded all right after I got used to the game and caught on I [??????] And on a [???]. But it was the batting that was difficult for me. The first ballpitched I hit away down the field, but the next one fowled me out as I could not hit perpendicularly but only sideways as in baseball.
[????] Wednesday night the battery officers gave a dinner to the Colonel in honour of his D.S.O. it was quite enveyable and he is a good old sport. When he responded to the toast to himself and to his son who also just won the D.S.O., he told an amusing anecdote. He said "I am like the man who made a public speech and was indignant the next day at seeing himself described as a 'battle-scared' man. Now I admit I was scared in battle, damn scared. But the other man protested to the papers and the following day an apology appealed describing him as 'bottle-scared'. Now I am like him again therefore if I am not bottle-scared yet I soon will be if I have much more of this champagne." You may imagine it brought the place down.
The best amusement I have here is to go to Bounce End on the tavern about 5 miles away and get a cannoe out. It is one of the few places where they keep Canadian cannoes. Kirkman, Cockbeern and I went there last Saturday and Sunday afternoon, we paddled to Maidenhead, about an hour and a half paddle though a very beautiful part of the river, [??????]ing through the estate of some Rold. It was like a taste of Canada to be in a cannoe again - yesterday Kirkman and I went there again and got caught in a rainstorm and got soaking wet. Our uniforms are dry again now though and I don't think will be the worse for the wetting.
My new [????] Sleeping bag works fine. I sleep in it every night in the tent, we sleep on the ground, with a rubber sheet spread out under the bag which is itchy waterproof top and bottom. I need only one blanket inside it, so I know it will be quite efficient. [???????] In our last night of [???????]dently so will not need to sleep in camp after tonight.
That was a good move of auntie Brown's to take [????] uncle Browns [?????] not [?????] the [?????] The ga[???]. He would have gone through it in no time otherwise and would have been dependent on his relatives.
I think it is a good move for Lew Potts to get that [????????]. He is not a business man and no doubt after he gets used to the [?]ewline will be able to make a tolerable living off the lot. Besides it will be healthy, and his nerves are in bad shape.
I am glad that the book room is getting your book out so rapidly. If you could get a few more orders like Eaton's it would give you a nice grant on the new edition.
I guess by this time you have recieved my letters with the snapshots in it. I also sent Rhea a letter in which I enveloped two extra copies of a picture of our squad at Lake Hill in white canvas overall. I asked her to forward them to you and when you get them please give Blauche one. I sent them to Rhea because I could only get one large envelope. I got my photo taken last week, full length. I expect to be able to mail you them this week. I ordered 2 [???], and I will send you a list of the people I thought we had better send them to. 2 [???] Is not enough but it is all I could afford this month. I got 1 [???]. Postcards of it too and we can use them for extras.
I am in the best of health, but I mind the heat here so. It is very hot and sticky. I got a parcel from Trinity Church the other day with sweets and [???] In it. It was very nice.
Well I must close now and get back to Camp as it is after 10PM.
Yours affectionately,
Harry.Transcriber
Victoria StewartLanguage
English
