Catford S.E.
Feb 27/16

Dear Mother:-

Well I am back from London and living in billet in a house here. The second day in London we went to see the Tower of London. We went all through each tower and saw all the principal things. I will send you a guide book which will tell you what I saw and how old it is. We went across London Bridge and across the Tower Bridge which I saw open and close. In the evening I wrote that other letter I sent you. The next day we went to the British Museum and spent the day.  I cant tell you what I saw in this building it is so large and the collection so varied. It has monuments, busts carving, inscriptions, old coffins, mummies and relics of the iron and stone age. It would take two weeks, every day all day to see this museum right. In the evening we went to a show before going to bed. The next morning, Friday, we went back to Grove Park and drew our pay. I only get one £ a week now so I suppose you will get the same soon. Before I go abroad I will try and have your allowance changed to 4½ shillings which will be about 1.08 a day. There will be no use of me having any more than 36 cents a day as you cant spend it on this job. However we will see when the time comes. Friday night I got a room in Catford about two miles from Grove Park where I stayed till Sunday night when I had to go back to camp. I didnt feel good the last two days but doctored up a little and am all better now

Monday morning we went for a route march and after dinner we were enoculated and then marched down to Lee Green for billets. We stayed in a house down there for two nights. I felt pretty sore on the breast where I had the enoculation on Monday night and all day Tuesday. I had quite a fever and also my arm got sore but Wed. morning I felt fine. The feeling left me just as fast as it took me and except for a little soreness in the breast I was all better. We packed up Wed. afternoon and marched about six miles to a place called Sydenham where we had supper and stayed all night. It snowed about six inches in the night so they sent trucks up in the morning to move us again. We went to Catford on the trucks where we were put into billets. We were put into company No 648 and stationed right near the town. There are no Vanc boys except myself in this company but are several Victoria boys so I feel quite at home with them. We havent any trucks yet except four which we use to hall supplies for our convoy. We have tents and poles, blankets and rubbersheets, shovels, picks, crowbars, water tanks, flash lights, iron and timbers in fact everything you need to take trucks out and stay two or three months. We expect to each get a truck of our own next week which we will take care of. The snow is nearly all gone now and the sun is shining lovely. The weather here is about the same as B.C. but I hear through a Victoria boy that it is cold there

Well I guess there is no more news so I will close for this time with lots of love to all

Harold

P.S. Tell Slim to look out and behave or I sock him in the eye when I come back. Tell him I said he was a fathead anyhow. My new address is
   Pte HA Dean
   no M2/153285
   Company no 648 (648)
   M.T.A.S.C.
   Grove Park
   Lee SE
   London
   England.