Shorncliffe, Kent

May 31st 1915

Dear Mother:-

Have been going to write you ever since we landed but it has been such a dickens of a business getting paper that we have put it off until we get settled down.

Well Mother we had a very enjoyable trip over and arrived safely as you will have seen from the papers or from Mr. McElheren, as Archie cabled him. We had a very uneventful trip as far as wee were concerned. We had a very smooth crossing. Some of the men were sick on the fourth day out but Syd and I never missed a meal and ate like horses all the time, at least I did. Everyone was nearly crazy on Friday noon when we saw the cliffs with hedges on them. It was a glorious day and I don't think I shall ever a sight that will look better to me than when we rounded the point and steamed into Bristol Sound. Everyone was on the deck and the band was playing "O Canada" as usual. I was right in the bow up on a spar and had a perfect view. On each side there were cliffs all covered with green although they have guns and fortifications on them. In front of us was the town all sprawled over the hills but packed close with lovely terraces and every building built of stone. There were rowboats, steamboats, sailboats and every other kind of boat scattered around. We stopped for a while and two or three little launches came out and a a few big bugs boarded us and then went off again. A little tug hooked on and snaked us into the Admiralty docks. We passed HMS Lion, the training vessel, which was just swarming with sailors. We also passed several cruisers and gunboats.

When we had supper a little railway engine about the size of a donkey engine like they use on the grade pushed some little box cars about the size of a threshing caboose to take our stuff on. The trains that brought us here were third class and we were put in eight to a compartment which just gave us enough room. We went around through several of the well known towns including Reading where Huntley & Palmer's biscuits are made, also Maypole Margarine. Sutton's Seed Farm was wonderful. We saw all kinds of cattle and sheep. The cattle were all red in Devon. It was a sight worth seeing, the green hedges, trees and grass with sheep and cattle. You'd be surprised to see how many cattle they had in one little field that would keep one milk cow a month at home.

We passed through the stations so fast you'd think it was all stations. We went through thec outskirts of London and stopped after about seven stations. It was suire smoky. I felt like I'd been fighting a prairie fire only the smoke didn't taste as nice.

We arrived at Shorncliffe about 5 o'clock and marched out to our camp and got some eats about 9 o'clock, bully beef and bread. We have bell tents with wooden floors, 10 men per tent and eat our rations out of our billy cans.

I'll send another letter soon with the rest of the news as it is time to go to bed. We are both feeling good. Love to all.

Jack