Pte L Sinclair

Company “C”

44th Canadians

c/o Army Post Office

London England 

Monday 22.nd 1916

Dear Mother:-

Your letter dated April 29th arrived Friday evening May 19th. I had a hunch you would write and you were not like me, I almost let that days pass forgetting all about my birthday. I was in London that day and had gone through the Tower that afternoon. I suppose tramping about so much that day, I had forgotten all about it, and it was not until I was waiting for a bus that evening to go back to the house that I remembered about it. It was too late then and I was by myself so did not have any celebration. On account of Zepps London is very dark at nights and one not knowing the place is sure to get lost if he does not watch himself. At night I used to keep within distance of Trafalgar, [?] square and Piccadily circus and I could always catch the bus at these places. There was hundreds of place for one to go besides being in the heart of London.

You must have had some time with the water in Winnipeg this spring. How was it back of our place? I suppose mosquitoes will be plentiful this summer, well let me tell you there are a few where I am writing. Just now we are at Longmoor and will put in the next ten days or so on the [?] here. We are in tents and this morning it was a mosquito that wakened me up. There is rather marshy ground about here and I imagine it is from it they are coming. This place is about two miles from Bordon where we first stayed and different battalions are now put in time here learning musketry.

Saturday afternoon we left Bramshott camp and walked to Hindhead, about a half an hour walk from camp. It is supposed to be one of the prettiest places in Hampshire and I met Stanley Ford at the Devils Punch Bowl not far from the village of Hindhead. It is very pretty at this spot and I am sending you some postcards of the place. We left Hindhead after supper and walked to Haslemere another little town close to camp. Shottermill you can see down in the valley from our parade grounds and Liphook is where the station we get off for the camp is.

Sunday afternoon we walked to Longmoor 7 miles with full kit & rifle and talk about hot it was like a summers day in Winnipeg. In fact this last week has been the same. I hope you are getting good weather. There is a little pond close to where we have our camp pitched and we make a bee line for this place as soon as drill is over and its like old time to here them say “Going down for a swim” I see that have advanced the clock in Winnipeg one hour. How does it work? We moved our watched one hour Saturday night and lost and hours sleep through it. Well mother it is getting onto nine and we have to be in lines at that time so I had better close. Give my regards to all and hope you are all well a home.

Your loving son

Larry

PS. We have no trouble changing Canadian currency, any of the banks will do it here. I am returning your pictures and hope to have some of mine soon I left them in London and what happened to them, lord only knows. I have written for them and expect a reply soon.