Pte L Sinclair. #460 609

“C Comp” 44th Canadians

c/o Army Post Office

London Eng

Dear Mother:-

Just a line to let you know everything is jake at Bramshott. About six hundred of us are here so we are pretty well together yet. What will happen to our officers I am not sure but I think some may be along with us afterall. I heard eleven more were needed so they may get as chance to be with us. None of our non-commissioned officers accompanied us and I guess there working the life out of them at Shorncliffe. There is not so much rush in this camp and the meals are fine. The 44th were always noted for this and you get all you want. At shorncliffe in the camp we were first in, there orders were to have men ready for the front in three weeks so you can imagine how we had to jump around. Here the 44th are going as a battalion, it is their turn, after being broken up [?] times. The 61st has had to do the same, so they may bring it up to strength yet for all one know and some other battalions will find themselves in the soup as we did. Being a Winnipeg battalion it was up to us to reinforce the 44th who are the senior battalion in the 10th brigade of 4th division and who will very likely leave for France this fall. [?] brigade are the 46th Sask. 47th Calgary and I believe the 50th B.C. Most our officers are Wpg men so we are alright. Charlie [?]. Moffat, Caldwell, Corley, Fowler are some of them and Allan Hart is still here. Col. Whalen is the O.C & he is from Fort William.

We are about 8 miles from our first camp and the place as usual is very pretty round abouts. There is a deep valley just alongside our parade grounds and we can see quite aways from where we drill. There is a little village about a mile away “Shottermill” that we can see, & beyond it “Haslemere.” This is quite a sized village and we were down to it on Sunday and had a walk about. It is quite and old place and the roads to it are very pretty with its large trees and high hedges. Another village close by is Liphook this is where we came in and about two miles south of the camp. It is about twenty five miles from here to Portsmouth and about 40 miles from London so we are not so bad of at all.

Just now we are getting a course in bombing and everyone has to know how to throw bombs. You throw them as you would a cricket ball & it is a darn sight harder than it looks. We were taking notes this morning & afternoon and just on the opposite side of the valley you could here a coockoo all day. I thought it was a clock at first but we heard it again in the afternoon. The meadow lark is another pretty singer. It sings as it rises and peeps it up like a canary bird. I suppose the grass and trees are beginning to get greener in Wpg. You had some flood there this year. Do you still here the frogs? It is something I never hear out here. I see plenty of Sunrises but no Sun sets and it gets dark here quicker than in Canada. I got your films O.K & hope to have some pictures for you the next time I write.

How are you getting your assigned pay? Have you been getting it alright? There must have been quite a bunch of Canadian troops come across lately The 79th from Brandon got here alright. They arrived in Shorncliffe a day or so before we left. Have the 78th left yet? What is going to happen to the 90th. I heard they were to take our places at Shorncliffe, and there welcome to it. I met Jack Asseltine down at Folkstone the day after he arrived and Frank Webb was over to the hut but I was down to Folkstone that evening, so did not see him before we left. Alex Donner is just alongside of us & he is having some time with boils. He says he cant stand the grub and has been buying all he eats, so I guess that’s the reason for them. He told me he ate twenty five pds of Fruit cake on the boat coming over so that is what they call him now, “Fruit Cake” I just had a bath tonight & feel fine. I have plenty of clean clothes so dont worry about anything in that line. 

There are a lot of women about the camp every day for washing and we have just to give it them and its back in a couple of days. How is everybody at the house? I hope you are all well. First post is blowing so I had better close. Give my best regards to all and tell them I have’nt felt better. 

From your loving son.

Larry.