Sunday

Witley Camp

Surrey

April 22 1917

My dear Mother, Father + Carrie

               Well dears here we are still in quarantine but expect out. Thursday or Friday and believe me dears we will be glad to be out and around with the boys again.

               Everything is going on here much the same as usual the rumors about going away are the chief topic of conversation but when and where we are going no one seems to know so you see we may have to go without our passes after all. And Mur and I have been counting so much on getting one.

               This quarantine of ours has turned into a night quarantine, we parade with the battalion and do just as much and at night we go back to our pen and are guarded so we cannot go out. Last Thursday we fell it [sic] at 9 AM with heavy marching, which consists of a full pack weighing about 60 lbs and our rifle, we wore our steel helmets which have a habit of giving us a kink in the neck. I suppose until we get used to their weight. We marched all morning and stopped for dinner at Waverly Abbey. It is an old estate and the mansion has been turned into a convalescent hospital. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. A great stately house surrounded by beautiful grounds etc. Also the old Waverly ruins are there, we had some very interesting talks with some of the soldiers, who took us through the hospital and showed us around as much as time permitted. I saw some of the most pitiable sights I have ever seen or imagined but nough said of this. At 1:30 they blew the fall in. We were then paraded up in front of the hospital where the nurses gave us some cigarettes after which we started for camp. “It was raining nearly all day. We arrived back here about 5 PM and had marched 22 miles and believe me dear this quarantine hut looked just as good to me as if it had been a palace. Nearly all of our feet were blistered and we were pretty tired.

On Friday I had to finish up my class. The brigade officer was examiner all the way through.

               Here are the results:

Written exam on mechanism 86%

Range firing 75%

Drill + field work 90%

This is the average. The officer was well pleased and I could have hugged each one of the fellows for doing so good. Murray lead in everything and he is certainly an A1 machine gun man if he ever needs to be. His written work and firing were almost perfect.

               On sat. morning we went out to Hankley Commons 5 miles from here for field maneuvering. The quarantine huts ours and the signalers were divided up to represent a battalion and we had to make an attack on the other, we each had about 50 rounds of blank and we had quite a nice little show fight. Gen highes was out there and he seemed very well pleased. We arrived back here about 2 PM. The last days have been dandy + by the looks of things we will get some nice weather which is as you have heard half the battle.

               We have not had any Canadian mail lately and believe me we can hardly wait to hear.

               Oh say. Please send me a fifty box of Murad. Cigarettes. I had one the other day and it was a dandy change.

               Remember me to all with all the love I have

                              Bob