August 18/16
From Murray & Bob
Dear Mother Dad & Carrie
At last we are on our way we Left Camp Borden about 3:45 and have not arrived at Toronto yet. We had quite a time packing up we had all the harness on that you saw us with and beside two blankets and a rubber sheet we had to pull our tents down and pack them as they had to be fumigated before anyone else could use them. We had to sit around quite a long while in the sun and it reminded me of our arrival at Camp Borden.
We had a great send off from Camp the rest of the Brigade were out and they certainly seemed anxious to come along with us. The march from the camp to the station was the worst every. The dust nearly choked us it came up in great clouds so that we could not see the men we were walking with. It was only about a five minutes march. But we were pretty nearly all in when we arrived there. There was a car for every platoon and it makes us pretty crowded. There are nine of us in the smoking car, kits, etc. as you can imagine we have not much room to spare. We have to post a guard on each end of the car, we change them every hour. No one is allowed to come through as no one is allowed to get off. I guess that is on account of the trouble coming from London. As that was some rough train.
We had our supper on the Train and if they continue as they have started we will be all right. We had stew, bread + butter & rice pudding and it was the best I have tasted since I have been depending on the army for my grub.
We have been passing through some very beautiful country. We have seen a couple of fires but thank the Lord we did not have to turn in and put them out, as we are on our way. We were stalled about an hour in Allandale and had quite a good time. The scene from the station is beautiful as Dad knows. Here is a little diagram.
There are 3 Battalions going to-day. Ours, 127th-129th and every station is crowded all along the line.
We are now just coming into Toronto, so we will continue this epistle in a few minutes.
We did not stop at west Toronto but were at the Union Station for about an hour. The Western University Corp are on the Station but they cannot come to us or we cannot go to them so we have not been able to see any of the fellows we know.
There was an awful crowd at the station to see the soldiers away we saw Ches Tucker, Bob Axton and his sister and it made us both feel good to know there was some one there to see “us”.
We are a pretty jolly bunch every one feels as if they have had 10 years added to their life since they have left Borden. It is sure some relief as we can swear we do not expect to get very much sleep on this train to-night in the first place we will have day Coaches instead of Colonist Cars and nowhere to lay down. Besides the fellows are pretty noisy along the line, and anyway there are lots of other times to sleep. It was just 8 PM when we arrived in Toronto which means we were four hours coming 60 miles. If they keep that rate up there won’t be much chance of us seeing the firing line there is a rumor ahead that we are going to have a two hour route march in London Montreal to take the stiffness out of us and it sounds like a good idea to us as Halifax sounds like a long way off in one jump.
The people of Toronto are certainly a good bunch. Every corner we pass since leaving the station is crowded with people cheering us away. They come up close to the coaches and as we go by they have bits of paper tied on sticks weeds etc. with little messages and their names and address on them some men gave cigarettes and magazines.
There was a funny incident which happened in camp this morning and which we forgot to mention. We have been saving can goods out of all our Lunches from home and this morning we took an inventory which is as follows.
- 1 Bottle Olives
- 1 Large Pork + Beans
- 1 Prep Coffee
- 1 Frys Cocoa
- 1 Cowans Cocoa
- 2 Fruit Cakes
- 1 Camp veg soup
- 1 Cand milk
- 13 Boxes sardines
- 1 “ salmon
- 5 Large tins oxo
- 2 small
- 4 milk chocolate
- 1 tin health salts
- 1 spearmint gum
- 1 can opener
In addition to this we swiped some bread at supper, so we are all set for a mid-night if we feel like it.
I am going to leave Murray for a little while so we will give you some more dope when I get back. I am going to try and find the other members of the Rusty Hinge quartet and try and get some Harmony. We had quite a nice time and we expect to have some good times before we reach England it is too bad Murray does not sing but he enjoys it just the same. We did not have very much sleep last night and when we woke up we felt pretty well twisted. However after having a good wash + a good breakfast we are feeling pretty good. We came throught Ste Annes this morning and saw McDonald College it was a very beautiful spot. We then came through Beaconsfield, Valais + Dorval situated on Lake St. Louis. They are summer resorts and are certainly well situated for that. We have now passed Lachine and the next stop will be Montreal.
We arrived O.K. and were put on a switch for about an hour, nothing exciting one troop train passed us and the route march I spoke of did not come off.
We left Montreal about 8:45 Came across the Victoria Bridge and had a good view of the good old St. Lawrence There was kind of a mist on the river But we could plainly see St. Helens Island, which is as you know a sort of Picnic ground for the people of Montreal. We are now pulling out of St. Lamberts where we stopped about an hour. By common consent of the two parties concerned He + me have decided to post this chapter at the next station and the next chapter will begin there.
As ever
Yours Loving
Bob
Murray
Please show this to Edna + the others as this is on absolutely a joint stock affair
Bob
Commentary
Setting Off: Camp Borden to Toronto
This letter was written on August 18, 1916, by Bob Leach and Murray Sangster. It is addressed to Bob’s parents and sister, Carrie and is in Bob’s handwriting. Murray’s character, as revealed in other letters, suggests a more reserved demeanor. It leads one to believe that Bob includes his friend to reassure the family at home that both men are well and together.
This letter documents the beginning of Bob and Murray’s journey from Camp Borden to Toronto. This marks a significant step towards their deployment overseas. The tone is still optimistic. Bob takes note of the beauty of the scenery. He will struggle to do this later when he is disillusioned by the war.
The Departure from Camp Borden
This detail provides a raw and realistic depiction of the physical challenges faced by soldiers even before leaving Canadian soil.
The mention of ‘trouble coming from London’ refers to a previous disruptive train journey by other soldiers. However, it’s not clear which journey it was. The local newspapers mention soldiers going AWOL before leaving Canada. The inability to interact with the Western University Corps at Union Station underscores the strict regulations in place.
Letter Summary
- Sender: Bob Leach
- Recipient: Mother, Father, and Carrie Leach
- Date: August 18, 1916
- Location: Train from Camp Borden to Halifax
- Battalion: 135th Battalion
additional Historical Figures
- Ches Tucker
- Bob Axton
- Edna Sangster
The Rusty Hinge Quartet
Bob formed a barbershop quartet with other members of the 135th: Tom Selby, Ted Williamson & Hughbert Hamilton. All three men are from London, Ontario and they all survive the war. Bob mentioned reuniting with the Rusty Hinge boys in multiple letters.
- Full Corporal? – Mar. 17
- The Hinge of it All – May 1917
- Reunion of the Rusty Hinge – July 1918
- Back to Whitley – Nov. 1916
- Bob and Murray’s Travels Part 2 – Aug. 1916
The inventory of their ‘swiped’ food reveals the lightheartedness among the soldiers. The humorous tone used to describe it shows their camaraderie. This moment of levity provides a glimpse into their daily lives and their ability to find humor in challenging circumstances.
Our Part 