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[Written by Private Harold Dean to his Mother from onboard the troopship S.S. Missanabie, headed for England as part of the British Expeditionary Force.]

Dear Mother:-

Well we are on our way. We arrived in Halifax about 7.30 am on Saturday. We were switched in to the yards there and found two other troop trains there. We have on board now a draft of the 66th battalion a couple of hundred tunnellers, a bunch of Lord Strathcona Horse a bunch of C.M.R’s and about 500 M.T.’s such as myself. I think there are between 16 and 17 hundred troops on this boat. We got on the boat Saturday evening about 5 pm had supper on here and then got settled down in our rooms. We had a stroll on deck after supper and without any warning we started to pull out at 8.30 oclock. The first night was fine, some of the boys were sick but I was feeling fine I had a dandy sleep Sat night got up in the morning feeling fine. I went down and ate breakfast and after coming up and making my bed I took a stroll on deck. I stayed on deck till 10.30 and when I got up and came down stairs I found out I was seasick. I came up for a while and my head went round and round. Everybody said stay out on deck but I went to bed. I never had such a funny feeling before. Well I could not eat I couldn’t walk around, I couldn’t sit up in fact I didn’t feel good lying down. Sunday got by somehow and when I got up Monday morning it was the same feeling rotten. I lay around my stateroom all day Monday and Tuesday. Every time I thought I could eat I started down to dinner. I got half through made a bolt upstairs and fed the fish. They had a concert down in the dining room but I couldn’t go down. Everytime I stand up the ship seems to turn over and I fall down. On Wednesday I felt better. Ate my breakfast but found out about 8.30 it belonged to the fish. My head didn’t feel dizzy however and I walked around and tried to enjoy myself. Dinner time and it stayed down also supper and then I began to feel fine. I can walk anywhere now, can sit on the flag pole while the boat tips over and I don’t feel anything wrong with my stomach or head. I went down to the concert in the dining room last night and had a good time. We have had dandy weather for this time of year. We have had what everyone says is a smooth trip. Of course until you get used to standing on deck when it is tipped on an angle of about 30 or 35 you enjoy yourself but at first it don’t seem reasonable.