Dated:

Letter from Capt. T. Magladery

Jan. 6.
As usual we have been all day at the ranges and are going again tomorrow. That means that no less than five mornings this week, the blooming old alarm clock has done its daily duty at 5 o'clock. One thing that makes it nice is that the two bands (brass and bugle) meet us at Liphook every night and play us into camp. You would be surprised at the difference it makes in the spirit of the boys. They will be dragging along tired, hungry and cross, but when the bands boom up, everyone forgets his troubles and woes, marches at attention and is happy again. Our band as you know was always considered away ahead of all the others at Niagara and it is just the same here. Although this is a much larger camp and although there are many bands here, still none can compare with the band of the 37^th. Lord Brooke, who is Camp Commandant was pleased to congratulate them and praised them very highly.
The mounted regiments here are getting ready to move somewhere but I do not know to what place. It is rumored that they are going to Egypt but I am not sure. The weather is bad here but no Egypt for me.
Jan. 8.
Yesterday was an off-day as far as letter-writing to you was concerned as I have had a very hard week and was very tired when I got home from the ranges. The real reason for not writing you was not that I was too tired, but on arrival in camp I found Jack Munro waiting for me.
You may be sure that I was delighted to see him and he in turn was greatly pleased to see some Canadian boys and more especially some of his old acquaintances from New Liskeard. He, Pat, Alf and I went out to the Moorland's Hotel for dinner, then back to camp and in spite of the fact that I was dead tired, we sat up till 11.30 listening to some of his wonderful experiences. He certainly is not the same looking Jack Munro who used to stand all kinds of hardships in the North. His right arm is practically useless although he can move his elbow a trifle, but the hand is absolutely without feeling. Then his face is drawn and pale and he is very thin. However he is cheerful and happy and has his usual broad grin. One thing that makes him feel happier, is that his arm is getting better, though slowly and he expects in a year that he will be as good as ever.
It worries him some though, that he is going to be so long in getting well as he is in a hurry to get another crack at the Huns with his old Battalion. This morning he knocked around looking up some of the boys from the north, including Jack Mackay, and then he was entertained by our Sergeants for dinner, Alf., Pat., and I drove him back to the station to catch a train for Netley, where his hospital is. Just as we were leaving camp all the boys of the 37^th lined up and gave three cheers. The old boy was surely tickled.
On Monday we start for the ranges again with a firing party of 250 men. It will be just bang, bang, bang from morning till night - but is quite enjoyable. If it doesn't rain there is nothing that can give more pleasure than walking out 6 or 7 miles with a bunch of healthy, happy men. Of course they grumble but all soldiers do that, anyhow it is good healthy sort of grumble.
No more letter have arrived since but there has been no Canadian Mail for any one so I am no worse off than the others. What a mad rush there is when the word is passed around that there are letters from home, and it is worth while to see the different expressions that the different faces take on. Some of the boys never get a letter and are quite indifferent but the great majority are tickled as can be when there are letters for them and just as much disappointed when there are none.
There are many rumors of air raids but I am firmly of the opinion that there have been none for months. Every time a report circulates that there was a raid at any certain town some of our fellows beat it there just to see what damage was done, etc. On every occasion so far, when they arrived at where the raid was supposed to have taken place, the natives know nothing of it, and we all have the laugh on the curiosity hunters.
A great number of the officers whom I met in Ottawa taking a musketry course, are here and it is like a whiff of Canada to meet them.