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Date: October 25th 1915
To
Brother
From
James Fargey
Letter

Bramshott Camp
Oct 25/15

Dear Frank

When writing home I thought I would drop you a line also. It has been very windy here to-day and the wind is rather chilly. We have been drilling all morning and went for our first route march this afternoon. It is rather hard marching many hills; but we do not catch the wind while marching on account of the high hedge on each side of the road.

How are you getting on fall plowing or has it stopped raining yet? How did the feed turn out? We don't owe any threshing machine around here. The farmers do not go in for grain raising very extensively around here. Most of the fields are not any larger than five Acres and the ground a light clay All the work around the camp is done by steam engines. We never see a team hitched onto a wagon but a single horse onto a two wheeled card. We have been getting very good meals lately but a very poor one to-night. Just a little slow and three little potatoes. We have to use our mess tins and our knives and forks. We have our own cook and we have to serve out the grub. I am [?] fatigue to-morrow. They generally get their dinner time and have the afternoon off. I expect two or three drafts are going away some of these days and they expect another lot in to-night.

The 40th from Nova Scotia and us have to stay aand do garrison duty for a couple of weeks. The twelve Mounted Rifles from Calgary are in camp near us. They are a pretty wild bunch, they came over on the same boat as we did.

The other day we were out for a short march and our platoon was acting as rear guard. We were not marching very fast and they passed us When half of them were past they began crowding us into the bank. We were kind of mixed up but we went along for a short distance when one of their privates hit out sergeant and knocked him over and skinned his nose, one other fellow thought he would take a poke at home and made a dive at him abid[?] the sarg. puts the boots to him. Two of the officers were marching behind but they didn't take any notice. When we came in the sarg reported him and he is in the [?] now waiting till he has to go before the Colonel.

I suppose you will be going to College this winter. IT certainly would be a fine rest for you and you will certainly need it. We haven't any idea when we are going to Shormcliffe. One commander [?] to Shormcliffe and they didn't know anything about us. At present we don't know what to do. The 79th Battalion from Brandon should have been here in lead of Shormcliffe and us in their place. Mae and Arthur are playing checkers at present in the soldiers home where I am writing

Arthur wants me to go home with him when we get our leave and I think I will as I have no place to go. Things are not so cheap here as we expected in fact they are nearly as dear as Wpg here are not any restaurants in town where you can get a good square meal just those afternoon tea places. The Canadian and Haselmere played football last Saturday. The Canadians won 8-3 None of our fellows were playing. Well I guess this is all I can think of this time. Tell Father not to work too hard.

From your loving brother
JH Fargey

Original Scans

Original Scans