Jan 7th 1940

Dear Mom & Dad:

I dont know if the letter I wrote to you on the boat got across or not. It is rumored around here that the boat was torpedoed a couple of days after we left her. All our letters were collected by a Canadian Legion man as we came ashore. We didn't have to pay any postage on our first letter. The boys figured their letters might have gone down with her so most of us wrote again to make sure.

We went ashore some where in Scotland on New Years eve. There was a train waiting at the dock to take us to our training base. We rode a day and night and arrived here next morning tired enough after our long journey. We had the first day off to rest up. Very few of us rested however, with such cramped quarters on the boat and train we welcomed the chance to walk around & stretch our limbs on solid ground.

A couple of days after we arrived here they paid us and gave us five days leave, so most of the boys are in London now. J.C. Dan and I stayed in camp as we didn't have enough money to keep us there a week. We are waiting until the last of Feb. or some time in March to get our leave and then we figure on going to visit Scotland. It sure is a pretty place even in winter, what I've seen of it, is away ahead of England.

We were in to Aldershot a couple of times since we came here, and what a job to get around. The streets are crowded with soldiers there is lots of them there some dressed in khaki and some in blue. They have a continues blackout here from sun-down to sun-up every night, and is it ever black the fog is no help either, every body got to head for home before dark or they'll not get home until day-light next morning. Even the old veterans are complaining.

Our quarters are very comfortable the grub is great. We get better fed than the English or Scotch soldiers, Canada feeds us and pays us.

The weather is great here, there is no snow. Its like April or May in Canada.

We went to church this morning. I want you to send me Tom McGee's daughter's address, I may have a chance to look her up. I guess this is about all for now. I'll write soon again.

Love Boyley