#460609 Pte L Sinclair

St Peters Ward.

Mater Hospital

Dublin Ireland.

Sunday Nov. 5 1916

Dear Mother:-

Its raining again today and rather dismal out, so thought it a good time to write a few lines again. If it had been a good day I might have gone to church but Im not altogether stuck with this suit of mine. Its alright when your wearing an overcoat but when you’ve to take it off well I dont fancy it at all. It’s a very bright blue, which looks like a sack and fits where it touches. The pants are a very light grey and more like balloons. It’s a good thing I’m in Ireland alright.

Yesterday (Saturday afternoon) I jumped on a tram so as to see a little of the residential parts anyway

A Gentleman told me to take a Dalkey tram which I did, leaving Nelsons pillar about 3 o’clock, and it was after five when I got back. I certainly enjoyed the ride, and was able to see quite abit on top of one of these double deckers. We passed some very pretty places, numerous churches, colleges, and fine large dwellings, but I was with myself so could not name the different places I had seen. It was four o’clock when we’d reached the other side of the bay and at times ran along quite close to the shore where we could see the entrance of the harbor and the green hills along the coast. For awhile the sun was out this afternoon but just awhile, so that one could say it was a fine day. It was starting to drizzle again as we got back and with the mist it was quite dark when I reached hospital.

I passed a couple of colleges where girls were playing ground hockey and one where the boys were playing rugby. I did not see many soldiers and nothing looked more like peace times to me than the country about there.

As we came back along the bay it was getting rather dusk and the lights on the buoys and entrance of the harbor were flashing off and on. It reminded me of the time we first left Southampton for France. We’d to zig-zag through passed these buoys which were forever flashing off and on. Some had red lights, while others bells, and low sort of whistles, which rang and kept up a sort of a wailing sound with the swell of the waves. Along the coast were other lights flashing off and on and every now and again a flash light would turn on us making things as light as day. These came from sort of forts along the shore marked in checkerboard design from which guns protruded. Further out we passed light ships and the torpedo boats which were escorting us across kept signaling to some one or other. It sure gave one a creepy sort of a feeling and when we’d got a little ways out well that put the damper on it altogether. I was feeding the fish and all over the boat at the same time.

It stopped raining at noon again so went out, but it was cloudy all afternoon. I dont know where I walked but I walked until I was tired. I passed some church which had a peach of a set of chimmes which reminded one of those in St Pauls in London. Some of the streets were so narrow I thought I was walking down some back lane or other. There are an awful lot of biuldings which have no architecture about them at all and are just straight up and down whether people have suits in them or not I am not sure if so it would be the lower working class I’d imagine as it is close to the city. A little further out you’ll get whole blocks of these terraces, which are just as plane, with the exception of a high iron rail in front. The further out one goes the terraces get smaller with a little lawn in the front, then you get double houses. For blocks in some streets the houses on both sides of the street are alight until you are out in the suburbs then one gets the single houses with their pretty lawns and large gardens. There is lots to see in a place like this but one with a couple of hours a a day and every other day like I have one cant judge the place with what he see’s. I’m sure of one thing though and that is we have them beaten for dress from what I’ve seen on the principle streets, and the girls in Winnipeg dress far neater than they do over here. I dont doubt that the scenery over here’s amongst the prettiest in the world but I dont fancy their city streets at all. It may be the dull days but their down town streets some of which are very narrow seem dark and dingy to our wide and open ones.

I will very likely be leaving next week on furlough (10 days in London) or convalescent I’m not sure yet. Tomorrow (Monday) a lady is having some of us boys in the ward to supper and is taking us to the zoo again. Theres a couple of Janes who generally come around with John Bull to the ward every Sunday and I’d a hunch they were going to ask me out to supper too as they’d mentioned having other boys. I thought Id got out of it by going out this afternoon but it was just my luck to bump into them coming back for they just lived about a hundred yards from the hospital. They ask me to go over Tuesday but I don’t know how I’m going to manage it. I’ll have to get on the right side of sister but I’m not at all anxious about going.

Well mother its seven thirty and I’ve to be in bed by eight so think I’d better close. I am sending some cards of the place to swell the number I’ve already sent. Still address your letters to this place and they will forward them on to me should I leave. So good-night and love to all I am as ever,

Your loving son,

Larry