Letter to Mrs. Elton Newman – July 20, 1940
Transcription of Artifact Content
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Sat. Morn.
Dear Frances:-
We received some mail last nite. I got your letter that you wrote last Sun. Boy! Was I ever glad to get it. It’s the first mail we’ve received since we left camp.
You can send my mail to “Base P.O.” instead of Camp Borden from now on. Until I tell you different. I got two letters from Peggy. & on from Garnet & his folds. Peggy’s was written Sat. nite before I made the phone call. & the other Sun. nite. I haven’t got any that’s been written since Mon. yet.
I’m sure glad you let La Verne know I had left Camp. I haven’t herd from her for more than a couple weeks I guess. I should write to her. I guess I’ll have to write to her. I’m not going to write many letters tho’ until we get stationed somewhere.
We are not allowed to leave the decks. Outside of parades. & I don’t go on parades only special ones. As I haven’t have a permanent job carrying cases of bottles & cigarrettes to & from the canteens. But the regt. went on a route march yesterday x morn. And again this morn. Into the city. I wouldn’t mind going myself some morn. For a change.
We have pretty good food here. & it was pretty good the two days we were on the train too. Only we had coal soot instead of sand. And y the weather down here makes you want to sleep all the time I guess it’s the water.
So you’re thinking of taking a refugee child. Are you? It would be nice for the girls to have someone new to play with. I have saw quite a number of refugees & also german prisoners. I’ll tell you where some other time. When I think they’ve reached their destination.
Our mail is all censored by the officers before it. goes on land. But I hope Peggy told you where I am. I think she would get my letter that I sent as soon as I got here. You want to tell me in your next letter. Just which letters you received of mine since I left Camp. I wrote some on the train I hope you got them.
It is raining a little this morn. The boys will be a little wet when they get in. We get our cigarettes a lot cheaper on board & I am stocking up a little.
You don’t want to send me anything that will spoil Franc Cuz’ we’re liable to leave any minute And then it would have to be sent from the Base P.O. to wherever we are. And it might be quite a long time before I receive it.
But I told Glen & the Burns Bros. that they could keep me here for the duration of the war as long as I could eat & sleep the way I do.
We are supposed to have a fire drill in a few minutes. So I’d better close for this time Keep on writing to me. And if you keep in touch with Peggy. you can find out other thing about me probably. As I might get a chance to write a letter to one of you & not the other. Be sure & send my letters to S.X. Scots. Base P.O. & it will be forwarded to the regiment. Well I’ll say “Bye Bye” for now
Lovingly
Your Brother
Harry
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