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Date: 1917
From
Grant Mowat
Letter

[Editor’s note: Parts of the letter are missing; the pages below were numbered as four, five, and six. The date assigned to the letter is based on content.]

 

Its hardly of use going into detail of my two and a half days stay in London.

Suffice it to say that I spent every bit of that time with Mina, was introduced to half a dozen pretty nurses and met several old friends among the officers. We took in two shows – “Chu Chin Chow” and “Daddy Longlegs”. The same company played it here as played it in Peterboro last winter. It was very good.

And during the days we visited the Tower, the Temple, Westminster Abbey, London and Tower Bridges, and travelled on the Subway. The Temple was easily the most interesting place we struck. I wrote a description of it to Mother and sent her some pictures of it. So you can have her send these to you.

I asked them to extend my leave over Sunday, but they refused. So I had to come back Saturday evening. When I got back I found that I had been stuck for about as unpleasant a job as there is here – that is the Musketry Party. You start out long before daybreak (about 6.15 AM) and march your party about 6 or 6½ miles down to the beach. Here you work till 4 P.M. and then march back. Every inch of the way back is uphill. You arrive back just before six.

I worked at this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and then got a telegram from Mina that she would spend the rest of her leave in Folkestone. I was pretty sore then for besides being very tired I couldn’t get down town before seven P.M. However, luck is with the wicked. On Wednesday we went down as usual, but at noon it started to rain so hard that the [?] couldn’t see. So we had to come home then. Result – when the 4.48 with Mina on board pulled into Sandling I was right there on the platform.

The next day (Thursday) we went down to the ranges again. In the afternoon a heavy fog rolled in and we had to come home. By nearly walking the legs off my men, and doing a little desperate hurrying myself I managed to again make the 4.48. Friday I had to work all day, and did not get down till seven. Saturday we had a half holiday and I was down town at 2.

Sunday they stuck me on for Orderly Officer. However in the afternoon I got Armstrong to take my duties and started

[remainder missing]

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Original Scans