Letters From the Front

Dated:

Dear Father,

The steamship on which I sailed from Halifax was one of a convoy, carrying many troops. The trip over was uneventful. I was not seasick. I spent most of the time on deck and as I was given charge of a lifeboat with 40 men I had something to divert me. To my surprise I met on board Lieutenant Keith Nellis, my cousin, Jim Denman my old companion in the Maple hockey club, and Adrian O'Reilly of Kensington, who is glad to see me for he was lonesome and out of cigarettes. I gave him what I had. When we got within the danger zone we were on the alert but escaped being torpedoed. We were signaled to make Glasgow our port, and had a splendid view of the Clyde. The scenery was very beautiful. Chaps who had traveled far declared they had never seen anything quite so beautiful. The fields were green and the trees were getting into leaf. The castles and residences are beyond my descriptive power, everything harmonized, and behind, the lofty mountains gave all a finishing touch. As we got into the Clyde the shipbuilding yards proved interesting. As we passed, and they saw we were reinforcements from Canada, the workmen on the ships cheered and waved their caps. Among them I saw women in overalls doing heavy work on the ships. At one place I saw them on unloading gravel cars. They looked strong and happy and our men gave them three cheers. Our flotilla was quite a sight coming up the firth with destroyers running on our flanks. The people on the wharves cheered us. On one I noticed two veterans, each with only a leg. They waved their crutches to us and our boys clapped their hands in their honor. Everywhere we were made welcome and everywhere we saw evidence of the huge undertakings to win the war. Ships and ships, no end of them, tanks, aeroplanes, and guns, ammunition in quantities beyond anything I imagined. Finally we docked at Glasgow and the following morning took train for London, were I now am. The trip took 10 hours and showed us a most lovely country. The trains here are made up of small cars, but they went at a great rate, over 40 miles an hour. The way they changed engines was a caution, the train hardly stopping to hitch onto a fresh one. I have seen something of London already. The streets are darkened as a precaution against air raids, but it is possible to move about with ease. There is strict savings of food even in the largest hotels, but to me the meals are no hardship, though I hear some others of the party complaining. Sugar is very scarce. I think food prices are about the same as in Canada. Luxuries are expensive, as they ought to be. Clothing is cheaper than in Canada. A trench coat here is $30. In Halifax they asked me $70. The Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Corps have been united, and we are known as the Royal Air Force.

Leslie