25.9.14
After being in Valcartier five weeks we left for Quebec on the afternoon of Friday Sept. 25 1914 having a plesant run in the train right to the side of the S.S Tunisian we where off the train & on the boat in 10 minutes very smartly done indeed we had a sprendid tea every body enjoyed it much their is four in one birth 1 Irish 3 English & a nice lots of fellows & went to bed about 8:30 & had a good night sleep beautiful awoke at 5:30 AM Saturday we just leaving Quebec at the time only to go a little in the river to allow some of the other ships to get to the quay their is quite a fleet on ships of all lines laying around the Royal George is laying by our side at this moment six bells I am now going to my breakfast it was a good one Porage Liver & Bacon Bread butter & Marmalade with coffee I am now looking at the cliffs & fortress on the St. Lawrence where Wolfe fought it is some Height & it look as if it must of been some fight to get it it is a lovely day Left Quebec Friday morn early for Rimouski we stop their until Wendsay after noon we are now at Nova Scotia Gaspe Bay Thursday morning there are four crusers in the bay & two other ships since then the ships as been coming in all the time night & day & to day we are thirty strong with all soilders guns & horses ready for the work move it is a nice little Bay we have had a fine time for a week aboard the ship we have not seen a paper letter or any thing since we left Valcartier a week ago we do not know a word about the war or anything about where we are going or when but we expect to go to day or to morrow Oct 2 or 3rd 1914 we all hope so as we are tired of laying about Dear wife I received a letter from you to day Oct 3rd Saturday & pleased to hear you got the money all right now we are leaving hear this afternoon for where we do not know & I am writing this & I do not know when I shall be able to send it to you I have been on it now over a week I was sorry to hear Earn lost his job but it is no more than I expected because if they have not caught him doing them directally they have indirectally through the books well I must tell you that he could of done better for me than he did but I am satisfied with my lot & take all chances & let other do the same as I could not ask for a cents to help me out in any way so do not forget be straight to me & my children as I have left the money out of my pay to look after them & you contenfortable with what you will get of the government I am giving my life on a chance for all you conforts & not to help out others for their benefit that would not do right to us so keep an eye on you own business & do not let others in on it & every thing keep lock up this may mean a long job for to keep things going so when you can look out for a day to come not rush at things but only get just what is necessary for you while the war is on keep every cent in the house & let no one know where it is if you should have any for a rainy day
it is now 8:30 P.M Saturday night Oct 3rd 1914 we lost all sight of the coast of Canada now it is a beutiful moon light night & the Ocean looks fine as smooth as a plate & a pleasure to look out on it Sunday a beautiful day a few sea sick & we are 554 miles from Quebec but on what course we do not know where we are going or where we shall land Monday a fine morning the Royal George as lost a man over board & could not fine him 9:30 Oct 5 1914 it is nice to look at the ships in 3 lines, on our ship we are last but one in the second line so we have a good view of them all we are now 774 miles from Quebec the weather is just beginning to get rought it was the worst night up till now Triboli who has just in front of us got out of its course in the night & our ship closed up on the one that was in front of Triboli then all at once the Lake Erie found it was wrong and came dashing across our bows very nearly causing a collision with us we where just full speed astarn & just missed it by about a foot by doing that the ship that was following us Laurentic came right up on our stearn & very nearly ramed us so we was between two very narrow accident of being collieded with to-day the water is still a little rough & we are now 993 miles from Quebec Tuesday 6th Oct 1914 I hope all it well at home Dear Wife I have a packet of post cards at Quebec of the camp & I address one to Tucker Oliver & Earn but could not get then posted & the stamps is on them & all so I am going to put another stamp on them when we land & send them on to them & you the remainder I have them all ready but yours would not of had any stamps on I put the last three on them I could not get any more stamps The water is still rough to day Wensday & we are now 1203 miles from Quebec I am sending you a list of all the ships that is in the convoy so look after them & keep them of me as I might be glad to have a look at them some day we are traveling very slow in deed only about 200 miles a day we are having a sing song to night it is very quite of a night after in gets dark you must not light a match on the deck or make any lights on the deck of any sort at about 7:30 PM you cannot see your hand in front of you it is very dangerous traveling on the oacein in such time, as this good long night every port hole is blancked up so that none of the lights between the dacks can show out the other boats is only a little in front of you & be the sides of you as we are the middle line but you cannot see one of the boats after dark not a light on them anywhere it as been a very rough night very few had much sleep she was rolling all the night long & it is not much better to day we see a lot porpoise this morning about 9 A.M. we are now 1417 miles from Quebec to day 8 Oct. We have just seen the first ship since we left it was a war ship but we have not heard what goverment it belongs to yet it was going some it as gone on towards Canada the weather is not much better we are now 1661 miles from Quebec cannot tell you of any thing that happen only we have a consert ever night aboard but seeing anything out side our own ships we do not thank much of keep looking at them now we have just been to bathing parade & had a fine fun pushing one other under to hose pipe it is some sight to see one company after the other fell in & then march under the pipe all sises & all shapes pushing all around over the deck some olding the chest & some sticking their behind up at the pipe Well on Saturday it is sports day on the ship but it is a wet morning the worst morning we have had so we cannot start the sports until after dinner the afternoon as turn on pretty good & the sports where not so bad we are now 1913 miles from Quebec & the concert to night is very good so wet day have not ended up so bad after all now to get ready for Church Parade Sunday a nice & we had a good service the best I have heard on a ship now we are 2136 miles from Quebec so we must be getting close to some where I believe we shall disembark at Southhampton about Wednesday well we will all be glad as we are about tired on the ship now & the food is beginning to get a bit bum I hope all of you are quite well as it leaves me I have been fine all the way over I feel healthy good in my self from the journey
Monday Oct 12th 1914 a wet morning so we was told to finish the sports I was in final of the egg a spoon race won my first heat in the potatoes got beat in the wheel barrow race by a second as the winner of the race was the faster time & then in the beginning their was boxing for each of the company so I was one of the men of our compy to finished the last of a good day we started up a good consert & one of the best I have heard for a long time now we are 2381 miles from Quebec so we shall soon see land while we awoke Tuesday goes up on deck to see land but none could be see anywhere & it is a very rough morning blowing & raining a good one 2615 miles now from Toronto it is still rainy & very rough the worst it is been all across the ocean we must be in the English channel but we have not seen any land at all since we left Canada they are keeping us well out so as the news shall not travel to fast
Wednesday Oct. 14. 1914 we first see the Land of old England about 10:30 AM it must be the coast of Cornwall & now we get the news we are going to disembark at Plymouth we are 2823 miles from Quebec the channel is a little rough still but it is a pretty good day I am glad we are hear the food is very bad now I have not numbered any of this letter but you will be able to trace it up by the milage every day I do not think I shall have any more time to say any thing more but I am finishing it up in case so good bye & God bless you all from your ever loving Husband kiss all the Dear children for me hoping all is in good health
J. Howe
I will rite a letter as soon as we are at the place we are going to be station at do not right to much about thing in your letters to me as you never know get them at a time like this I mean about the help you may get as I have been told by the Officer that all Wife's & Family will be looked after well & be lots better off then those with their Husband's that is in Toronto it is now 5 o'clock & we are just outside of Plymouth breakwater waiting for orders I had a good look at Cornwall Coast as we came along & now as we goin Plymouth I intend having a good look for the chain that I have hear so much talk about I was interested all along Cornwall it was a place I had never taken much notice of it before only just to see land and it was all right.
