Roffey Camp, Horsham,
Sunday January 23rd, 1916

Dear Everybody:

It is now 8:30 and will start a letter. Don't know that I'll have time to finish it tonight but will go as far as I can. Have been writing to Murdoch all evening. Got a nice long letter from him about two weeks ago and never got around to answering it until tonight. Also had letters from Nelson McEwen. It must try and answer it to more or night and right to Clemmie and Ethel. Got a letter from you a few days ago but there hasn't been any Canadian mail lately. Am expecting a bunch of letters again soon. There is not a great deal of news. We are having splendid weather here now. It has been fine for the last three weeks and so very pleasant. Suppose you have lots of snow down in P.E. Island now. Here you will see one man topping turnips and in the next field a man sowing grain. But I would change it all for a good sleigh drive anytime.

Nelson said in his letter that Mr. Cross had gone with the 64th. They are a lucky bunch to have him. I just wish that he was with us. He is certainly a wonder. What about Mr. Taylor? Is he going with the 105th? I've heard that the 105th is about filled up and that Danny McKinnon is going to start a new siege battery as soon it is full. I hope there will be a good response as the siege is certainly the best place. P.E.I. is responding nobly and we are proud of her, for not only is it an honor but a tremendous privilege to have a share in the avenging of the merciless atrocities that have been perpetrated in the name of God and even to give one's life if need be for until peace is declared. There will be more men needed and the man who shirks so plain is not worthy of being called a man. I can't understand how those who call themselves men can go around having a good time as if there was nothing going on in the world without wanting to have some little part in crushing such fiendish cruelties off the face of the earth. For my part we can't get into action too soon to please me. We are getting along splendidly and I hope that by the latter part of April or possibly early in April we will be ready to cross to France and do our bit.

I was out on duty today, the first Sunday since a good while before I left Charlottetown. Lieut. Hooper, our signalling officer wanted four volunteers to go out and map out a line for a test for the battery tomorrow. Kelly, Smith, Peter and I went out. We were given the position of the battery and of the commander's post and the rest was left entirely to our own judgement. We got a military map of Horsham and vicinity, a compass and started out about 9. Went down to the battery which was 6000 yards behind the enemy's trenches which we were shelling. We picked out our course along a valley where we never came in sight of the enemy's trenches at all until we got right up to the observing station which was 500 yards behind our own trenches and 700 behind the enemy. It was certainly
interesting work and we learned more in the three hours that we were out than we had learned in a week at our ordinary work. Well we got in that 12:30, had dinner and started to draw our sketch. Ernie and I spent from 1 - 4 on it and drew it to scale and every line for direction by the compass. It was the first time we had been out on this kind of work and Mr. Cooper had trusted to our judgement so much that we wanted to make as good a job as we could. Went over with it at 4 and they were tickled to death over it. Gave us great praise for our work. The Captain and Lieut. Cooper and the McDonald were there and they all praised it up fine. Hooper said he was proud of us and that we were a credit to the battery. He said it was an altogether different course from what he expected us to
take and a much better one. It was certainly some puff for our first experiment on that kind of work.

Clemmie wrote that there were reports going that we were all broken up and going into infantry companies. That is rejected by us. You know we were a good deal over strength when we came and the R.C.G.A. men and a few of the small men of our own battery were transferred to the field artillery and went to Shornecliff last week so you see how stories grow. What is more, every man who went from the original battery was the kind of man that we were better clear of. No doubt too you have heard stories about all the fellows going to the devil with drinking and all that. I may as well explain that too. You know there are open bars here and one can get all the liquor he wants. A few took advantage of this and let themselves go. This led to the battery getting a bad name in the meantime but these men have all mostly gone to Shornecliff and now that they are gone we are getting back our good reputation again. So that any stories you may have heard are all on account of some half a dozen men. No.98 is the best bunch of men morally that I have yet to run across in uniform. There is not what one could call a bad fellow in the battery. Don't think I have a great deal of news. All the fellows are well and we are having beautiful weather. Our old tent bunch is sticking together well. Lawson, Bart, Ernie and I are in one hut. It is certainly some crowd and we make a good showing. Everyone of us is specialist; Lawson and Warren our observers and plotters; Ernie, Les and I are telephonists. Bart is a gunsmith and Howard's batman to Cpt. Prowse. Don't think there is another hut crowd in the whole bunch that can make as good a showing.

Must stop now. Will write again soon. Am going to number my letters after this [a pattern HHS followed inconsistently] so that you will know if you get them all. After this it is better to address mail to the Army P.O. as we may leave here by the time we get your answers. We will go to Lydd from here for firing practice. Lydd is out on the east coast of Kent. From Lydd we will possibly go to Egypt although that is very improbable. There is practically no doubt of our going to France. The Egyptian trip would certainly be the more interesting but I think there will be a larger field of service in France. Dear Mother give up your idea of the danger in artillery work Major Stanley was here a few days ago
and he told us that his battery has been in action for four and a half months without a single casualty.

Well good night and bushels of love from your loving son and brother, Harold