Sewell, June 3rd

Dear Mother: --

I received your nice long letter and was sure glad to hear that you had fixed my insurance info as I had written for a renewal of my note but I got a letter yesterday saying that you had fixed it up and had sent the receipt to you I also wrote to Uncle Dick last week for some but he did not send it but was in camp yesterday and asked Tucker if he knew where I was but I was out on drill and have not seen him yet. He must have come down to pay as we got paid yesterday evening. I have not written to anybody since I wrote your last letter as I was broke and could get no stamps. If all goes well I will write quite a few letters this week. I do not know if I can got a money order here or not but I can not I will send Jan about $15as soon as I can send it. We were all glad to get aid as nearly everybody in camp was broke. It is sure some hole down here, talk about dirty, you cannot keep clean now. Nearly all the grass around the camp is worn off and the wind blows it all over the place. The bottom of our tents are just a mess of dirt and sand and whne we go to our meals it is fierce. There are about 350 men out from the same cook tent as me and it is outside and it seems that it is never very windy until meal time and the grub gets full of dirt. The grub is not too bad now but could be improve a lot yet. We have had only one little show of rain since we came down and it is fearful hot drilling. My feet are burning nearly all the time, but thank goodness we have straw hats issued to us which is all the kit that nearly all of us had got yet. Very few of our boys have uniforms yet. They are not going to keep that $10 off for uniforms to the ones that have not been issued with them yet. We get up at 5.30 in the morning and fall in at 6.00 oclock and drill till 6.45 which is run of 1 to 2 miles and exercises for the balance of the time. This morning I did not make the full run as my legs are sore, my veins seem to bother me. They are getting very large and are showing red through my skin in quite a few places. I do not like to go to the doctor as I am afraid that he might discharge me and will keep it up to see if they turn out alright before long. The Srgt Major took my name for not doing the run but I did not say anything for fear he would send me to the doctor. We all have the trots for the last two or three days but I do not know what gives it to us as we have had no dope in our grub yet, a lot of the boys say it is the sand. WE have a lot of trouble about our water it is off as often that we cannot wash or take a bath when we want it. This morning we came in from drill and could not get a wash till after dinner and I sure was dirty. I saw Dryke Parkers son, Arthur down here the other day and he holds the rank of Lieut. A bunch of the B'f'd boys have been split up into tents with only two or three of the boys in them but Richmond and Rigley have about thirty of the boys in their platoon. But in our bunch we have a nice bunch of non-coms, so that makes things better. I got a letter from Irene this week. The boys in my tenet sure enjoyed the cherries that you sent down. I think Tucker wrote a letter to Muriel to day but I guess she will get it before you get this one. There are over 6000 men in camp now and they still keep coming in and a few are being discharged. There are quite a few of them in the hospital that will be let out when they get out. That man Wilson with the glasses is in the hospital pretty sick but do not know what is the matter with him. Last Saturday we had an endurance trot. We walked about four miles over country and ran back. The first 20 men that got in got a dollar each and two B'f'd boys came in first and second, a fellow named Ching came first and Vic Goodwin came second. All together there were six Battleford boys came in with the first twenty. I ran nearly all the way but took sick in the stomach and walked the rest of the way but came in with the first half of the battalion. Bill May has been sick with a bad throat for the last three or for days and does not seem to get any better I am pretty sure that the 53rd will be here for a long time yet as there are four battalions here now that are ahead of us so we are sure to be here for three or four months yet and maybe longer as we are away behind the others in our musketry drill and we have very few rifles in camp so far and are short of ammunition. I guess I will cut short now as it is getting dark and when the boys come in from the pictures show there will be to much racket to write. Hoping you are all well. I am getting fat but do not know what makes me do it. I guess it is the hard work and fresh air as it is sure fresh down here in the mornings to stand at 6 in the morning for roll call. I guess you are wondering why I have not written but this will make up for what I have not written.

With love to all

from your loving son

Gordon

You do not need to waste postage on the Herald as I get them from the office

No. 41266