Military Convalescent Hosp.,
Woodcote Park.
Epsom
Sept 1^st – 17.

Dear Miss Lola,

This place is very different from Runcorn Cottage Hospital. It holds about 4000 and the patients are all in huts. However we have proper beds, white sheets etc. and are quite comfortable. We have no nurses to look after us. I suppose they think we should be sufficiently expert to make our own beds without assistance by now. We dine in mess rooms the same as at a Military Camp and keep our own knife, fork and spoon. Although the food is served much more roughly than in hospital we still have table cloths, so we are not quite back to the army style yet. The huts are very nicely set out in streets, with little gardens in front. We are not allowed more than three miles from the camp but as this limit includes the towns of Epsom, Ewell, Ashstead and Headley, it is not as bad as it sounds. All the towns are somewhere near the boundary and I have not been to any of them yet. I may go to Epsom this afternoon if it stops raining. You can have a very good time without going outside of the camp as it is very complete in itself. There is a large Recreation Hall in which there is a Concert, Play, pictures or something every night. I sent you a ppc. of it both inside and out, yesterday. Then there are two tea rooms – “the Queen Mary” and “the Canadian tea rooms” with recreation room, writing room and library attached. There are two Canteens with recreation rooms attached and then there is a very large building belonging to the Y.M.CA with the usual refreshment bar, billiards, writing tables etc. In addition to these places there are: A post office, tailors shop, stationers, barbers and several other small stores, a shooting gallery and a bowling alley, so you will see that the Hospital is a little town in itself.

The patients are graded according to the stage of convalescence. : - No duty, very light duty, Light duty, P.T (Physical Training) 1 and P.T. 2.

I am “light duty” at present so do not do any drill just light fatigue work occasionally. Visitors are allowed in the hospital and grounds from 2pm to 8pm daily. We are allowed out of the grounds from 4pm to 9-30pm and from 1-30pm to 9-30pm Sundays “Lights out” at 10-15pm so you will note that we are allowed to keep later hours here.

Although I was very sorry to go so far from home, in some ways this has been a kind of home coming itself. You see they are all Canadians in this camp and I have already met several old 148^th and 24^th fellows. I am going out with one this afternoon, a man called Matter. We were in the Scout Section together in the 148^th my last two weeks in England and went to France the same draft to the 24^th but he went to D company and I to B. He was wounded through the lung last April.

I had very short notice of coming down here from Warrington but wired Father on Wednesday morning as soon as I knew and he came down from Liverpool to see me in the evening. It is going to be harder to leave him even than it was the first time when I return to Canada.

I suppose you will be getting quite settled down to School life again by the time you receive this letter. I addressed a letter to you last Saturday at the Lake, forgetting that you would be home by the time it arrived in Canada. I remembered about it last night when addressing that letter-card to you and it worried me considerably. However, on thinking it over, I suppose the letter will reach you all right. There is no delivery at the Lake I believe and the Post Office probably have instructions to forward your mail. I am sorry about the delay though as it is very important letter and I am very anxious to get a reply. In some ways I should have like the opportunity of rewriting it but after all I should never be satisfied with it however many attempts I made. All I wish now is that it shall reach you quickly.

With kind regards to all
Yours very sincerely
Arthur Turner

P.S. I am enclosing two postcards from Runcorn which I intended to send you about a month ago but kept forgetting to do so. A.L.T.