Letters From the Front

Dated: November 8, 1916

The course we are taking here is very comprehensive, including, as it does, lots of practical work, such as map-work, trench making, night attacks, etc., and we are given numerous lectures. There are about seventy of us here living in long, low buildings called 'huts.' They have electric light, hot and cold water, open fireplaces, etc., so we can hardly say we are roughing it. Imperial as well as Canadian officers are here, but in our hut we are nearly all Winnipegers, the 100th, 107th, 108th and 144th all being represented.

The mess is very formal at night—six or seven courses, each with a ten minutes', or so, interval. We come off very well, though, for we have five meals a day !—a bite and cup of tea before physical training, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. All the instructors have been in the present campaign and wear either the D.S.O. or M.C., or both.

We are less than thirty miles from London, so, naturally, we are able to go there quite often, especially as we have the week-ends to ourselves. London looks pretty dismal at night now, for they enforce the laws regarding lights. Still, with a little practice, it is fairly easy to find one's way around through the main parts. When you get into one of the theatres, restaurants or large hotels at night, it is hard to believe that there is a war on at all. Not having quite got over the habit of digging out financial facts, I learned that the Hotel Victoria, where I stayed on one visit, took in on the average £400 per day, while the Savoy on the day I was there took in £607 through its restaurant alone.

We see no signs of our going to France yet, but can expect such a move as soon as this course is over, I believe.