19th F[iel]d. Regt. R.C.A.
Camp Borden, ON.
1942

Dear Folks:

I guess I am rather slow about reporting my whereabouts. Have been in charge of battery up here. Expect Bob Hetherington [also from Wingham] next week. Haven't had much trouble so far but we have only 85 men in our battery so far so that fatigues make training difficult.

Have been home several times. The roads have been passible so far but don't know how long this will continue. We are very fortunate in being so close during the winter. We have organized our officers, men and are quite comfortable.

There has been a lot of flu-pneumonia up here. I had a couple of bad days but recovered rather quickly. I have one boy up here who is seriously ill. I am rather worried about him. His father is coming in tonight sometime and I will be waiting up until he arrives on the train and we fetch him into camp. We haven't any guns here but have Brens and tommy guns. We will need lots of practise with these as the way the battles run now I think we will often need to be infantrymen half the time.

There seems to be a decided turn towards conscription in Ontario. It is almost time. The present system is very discouraging. Unfortunately the recruits who have enlisted are not being properly trained and the fighting spirit is rapidly being taken out of those who had a spark of patriotism in them. This seems evident from the Government officials right down the line. It is very depressing. However we are trying to do the best we can with our boys with the cooperation we get. We rather expect to get moved again now that we are nicely settled. Nobody seems anxious to go back to Petawawa, but many would like to go to the west coast. I suppose far away hills look green. I should like to stay here until spring because we can't do very much real work until then.

I hope everybody is well and kicking around home. I don't expect to see you for a while. To get to Art's [his brother in Woodville] is almost as far as going home the roundabout way we have to go to get there and naturally if I have time to get there I prefer to see the better half.

I have seen Ethel [his sister also living in Wingham] and Family often and they seem to be O.K.

Love
Elmer D.