Whitley Camp

Thursday Nov 2/16

Dear Mother, Father + Carrie

               No doubt you will all be surprised to hear from me again from Whitley but over here dears as the old saying goes we do not know what a day shall bring forth. Have not had any mail from home yet this week but expect to some day soon as I know it was sent. My cold is a lot better and I am feeling all jake again and I hope you are all the same. Don’t work too hard dears as we only go through this life once and we may as well get as much pleasure out of it as we can. Well dears I suppose you are all anxious to know what is going on here and why I am back at Whitley so I will start in where I left off in my previous letter.

               Friday October 27/16

Up at 6:30 Roll @ 6:45 breakfast at 7:30. Orders came out to-day that all courses had been cancelled on all the 135^th men to go on Musketry. Murray is on a special course, I cannot understand why this change was made but they are sending drafts away nearly all the time so do not be surprised if you hear we have taken a little trip across the channel, of course this is all guess work on my part but it is better to be prepared. Murray + I put in for a weekend pass, but were disappointed as he got his and I didn’t. The meals here are fine, pudding for dinner every day and all we an eat, nothing else happened to-day. I went to bed early.

               Saturday October 28/16

Up + breakfast as usual, Musketry all morning. The old 135^th ball team played the 134^th a game of ball but it only lasted 4 innings as it rained like the dickens + kept it up all afternoon and evening, so I did not do very much except laying around and believe me I am getting pretty proficient at that. Went to bed early, Murray is up in London to-night so I got Frank Lartie as a bed mate.

               Sunday October 29/16

Up early etc. it is raining and blowing to beat the dickens. There was not church parade to-day the Chaplain came around to the different huts, where we sang a hymn + had a prayer. In the afternoon Ted Williamson came over from Whitley. He is the baritone in the Rusty Hinge, we had a few songs but we were well named the Rusty Hinge, so we soon cut it out. Murray got back around 9 PM and I guess he had a pretty good time up in London, went to bed early.

               Monday October 30/16

Up at 6:30 Roll call at 6:45 Breakfast etc. as usual Musketry again a lecture on the different parts of a riffle dinner @ 12:00 for dinner to-day we had beef potatoes turnips bread + bread pudding I just put this menu down to show you that we are getting good eats, after dinner we had rifle muscle exercises. Received a letter for Louis George and was glad to ear from her. It is raining like the dickens so as per usual I went to bed early.

Tuesday October 31/16

               Routine as per usual. Musketry all AM at 1 PM orders came through that we were to pack up and go back to Whitley. We had to pack our kit bags. Turn in our beds + mattresses etc. Murray has to stay at Bramshoth to finish his musketry course which will take about 2 weeks. Things are pretty much upset here to-night so I went out early which was by the way on the boards and I slept good.

               Wednesday November 1/16

Raining again to-day we turned in our blankets and are all on gen. fatigue, cleaning up etc. Everything is all excitement here we handed in our kit bags + blankets at 2 PM we feel in with overcoats on. Packs rifles bayonets etc. it has been raining, all day but we have to start as there is another Battalion waiting to get in our huts. This march seems to be a [?] to us as it rained all the way again and by the time our great coasts had absorbed about a ton of water, we had quite a load. But I felt better when we got here than I did 10 minutes after we had started. We got here at 530 our meals here have consisted of a line up, catch as catch can style, but they were good considering after supper we got busy, found bed boards mattresses blankets etc. Our kit backs were not here so we did not have a change of clothing. About 8 PM the Sgt. Major came around and told us all the sleeping material was condemned on a/c of verimin, it was a case of sleep on the floor all night with wet clothes on or take a chance on the blankets. I have a bad cold now so I took a chance on the blankets and I have not felt them yet. So I guess I am all jake, and believe me they were the best lousy blankets I ever struck and I slept good.

               Thursday November 2/16

Up as usual meals are still line up + every man for himself, we had to scrub out huts, clean windows, disinfect bed boards etc and have been pretty busy. The fellows who left their huts were dirty we have had to lean walls + everything. I have managed to save a place for Murray. We have been on fatigue all day. Our kit bags aren’t here yet but we are waiting for them now. Well dears again I hope you are all well, and I will sure be glad when we will be altogether again. Take my advice now dears not too much work and more pleasure. Remember me to all

               Love to all

                              Bob