November 3rd 1918
Dear Dad:-
It is a long while since I sat down and wrote to you but as it is a rainy Sunday I may just as well write as sleep. I wrote Mother a couple of days ago telling her what a lot of old mail I received Wed. Thurs. and Friday of last week and I may as well tell you right here that yesterday did not fall behind on the record as I received 12 more. Seven from Mother dated Jan 6, Mar 17, Mar 24, Mar 31 May 8, May 14 and May 22. Two from Mary dated Mar 22 and May 9th Three from Ruth and one from Frank The letter from Frank was mailed from Seaford Camp here to East Africa May 3rd just one week before I landed in England. There was also a letter from Roberta and one from Osborn enclosed in Mother’s One of the letters also contained a piece of poetry composed for the Wedding Anniversary you and Mother had last May. Quite a nice piece of verse for the occasion
I had a letter from you in the last batch of old mail. I am glad to hear you are getting on well at the shipyards. That job has been a great help to you these hard times. I am sorry to hear you are having trouble launching the boats but I suppose you can not stop the river from piling up sand.
I see by a cutting in one letter that Honest John is head of the house again in B.C. I suppose it is his turn again now as the other side have had quite a long run.
Taking all things in consideration these days I think you are well off in New Westminster, with Mary teaching and you at work things should slide nice and smoothly. There are lots of families where the father and a couple of sons are in the army and the wife and kids at home can’t get any more than an existence on what money the soldiers send home and the govt allowance. Of course in England the soldiers wage is very small and the food is as high or even dearer than it is in Canada. Last week eating apples in one of the stores were marked 60¢ per lb so you see an apple is a luxury over in this country now. That high price is because the most of the apples were imported before the war.
The girls of course are doing a great part of the work in this country now in all branches of industry. The most them make good wages so the people that are working are even better off than they ever were because they can only get a certain amount of bread, meat, sugar etc and although they have to pay more for it then in pre-war days they do not buy a whole lot which in ordinary times was wasted. It has been a hard war but it certainly has been an eye opener to the working class of England and I dont believe they will ever go back in their old ruts. Their is too many Dukes and Lords etc over here for the working man to get his proper show. I think myself when the war is over the soldiers or working classes will buck up and run the country for themselves or else they will leave for the colonies and let the landowners have it to themselves. I certainly do not want to live here anyway.
Well Dad I think the news is good in regards to the war finishing up. Of course it may last another six months or so as the winter is bound to hinder them. We certainly have gone a long way towards the end this past three or four months at that. Lets hope for a home coming next summer anyway.
Well Bye Bye for this time Dad with loads of love to all
Your loving son
Harold.
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