No.2 Coy. 2nd Can. Command Depot, Shoreham-by- the-Sea
Dear Jeanie,
I received your very welcome letter today, dated Sept. 25, 1916, but the parcel has not come yet. They are generally longer coming than the mail. I suppose you will be thinking a machine gun is a dangerous job seeing that Archie got a Blighty so soon after being on it but it is no worse than any other branch of the infantry. I have had some letters from Archie asking me for cigarettes since he landed in England. I am sending him 100 a week as they are the only comfort a fellow has in hospital, and are great to soothe the nerves. When a shell hits close to a man it shakes his nerves up a little. Archie will have two months in hospital as he has a broken leg but he will be alright. I am going to see him when I get the necessary. It takes quite a little bit to go from here to Cardiff. His address is Corp. A.MacKinnon, 58th Canadians, #6 Ward, #3 Western General Hospital, Splott Road, Cardiff, South Wales. I had a good time in Scotland but the weather was rotten. I was up on Leavenseat for a view but could not see far for the mist. Aunt Annie was more put out about the weather than I was. All our relations are very nice. Grandfather and grandmother are a lovely old couple. Grandfather is a little quiet but grandmother is a nice jolly woman for her age. Auntie Mary is a jolly one - "laugh and grow fat" is her motto. She told me that among all my relations I would see none as big as her. Her husband, Willie Meek, is also very nice. He is a miner. Racheal ( I can't spell that name!) Meek is a very nice girl about 16. She played the piano and sang for us. She is like her mother - always laughing. I cannot remember the names of the children, and Peter and Ronald Meek are at the Front. I just missed seeing Peter as he just got on the train at Fauldhouse that I got out of. He is in the Scottish Horse. Ronald is in the R.A.M.C. in a hospital near Ypres. We also went to Wishaw to see Aunt Jeanie. She is very quiet but very nice. Uncle Wm. Young does all the talking required. He took me to see the big steel works and, believe me, they are some works and they are working all the time, day and night. He also took me to see a pit, a coal pit, but we could not go down as we had not time. Their oldest boy, Robert, about 16, is a cripple. When he was a wee boy he was playing outside. When his mother called him, he did not come, so she went out and told him to get up. He said "I canna, Ma, I canna!" When she lifted him he was lame. Isn't that hard luck for a wee boy? He is a watchmaker by trade. The other boy, Ronald, is a nice looking, laughing fellow about 14 and was very fond of me. The girls were away so I did not meet them, and I forget the children's names. We went from there to Motherwell to see Mr. and Mrs. J. Sharp. They are very nice but great talkers and have no children. Uncle Ronald came up on Sunday. He is an engine driver on the railway, and he is a nice jolly man. "Laugh and grow fat" is his motto also. His wife is a great talker. Cousin is a very nice girl with a sweetheart in the trenches. I forgot the children's names. We went to Edinburgh and were all through the Castle, Princes Street, and the gardens to see the Flower Clock which is made out of flowers, hands and all, and keeps good time. It is very pretty. Of course, it is a pretty city all over but we had rain and "Scotch mist" so we could not see much of it but had a good day. I must not forget to mention Uncle Willie's widow. She is very tall and good looking but thinking so much of him has made her quiet. She is very nice and wee Nessie is a nice wee girl. Also Aunt Nellie is very nice. As for myself I have been sick with trench mouth, but it is getting better now. I will likely be here for some time yet, maybe a month. This is a nice Camp, near to Brighton, but the grub could be a lot better. A new saying here is, instead of telling a man he has a "bad eye", we would say, "You got an eye in your head like one of Sam Hughes' fish." We had some, a very little some, this morning. It must have been caught before the war! It sure was strong, but not strong enough to be called rotten. We have lots of rain here. You can hear the lads praying in the morning, "Send it down, Davie, turn the tap!" If it rains, that means no physical torture. It is all physical drill and route marching here. We have nice comfortable huts here (you can see them by enclosed). We have two wee trestles, four inches high, and three bed boards. We put down the trestles, lay the boards on, then we have a bag filled with straw for a mattress. Also a straw filled pillow and three blankets. They are very comfortable around Reveille! We have to scrub trestles, boards, forms (seats), and the hut every week. Everything is kept spotless and our stove is just shining. You could eat your dinner off the floor. We have no rifles or equipment here as we are convalescents. Just physical jerks. Remember me to all my friends - Mrs. Edie, Mamie, Ida, and all. How is wee Ray and Herb keeping and yourself? I will not likely be in England all winter. I am not like a lot of fellows who came as far as England and got cold feet as a whole lot of physical instructors who hang around here. But us front line men bawl them out every chance we get. It is a wonder to me they can stand it, being called: "frozen feet in the Bramshott trenches and still cold;" "turned yellow with frost in the Bramshott trenches". That is some of the slurs we fling at them and we talk of bombing attacks and bayonet charges to make them worse. I'll close now hoping you are all well at home.
Your affec. brother Ronald