December 18, 1916 Letter #51 "The Joke's on Me"

C.A.M.C Training School
Dibgate Camp
Shorncliff England

Envelope Dec 18th, 1916

Dear Mother

I am just awaiting orders to transfer to a medical depot to dispense and expect to leave here in the course of the next day or so it will be a decent climate but I cant say if it will be as good a job as I left but a fellow can always transfer back here if he does not like it. If I keep on transferring from one place to another I will get a name of being a kind of a wandering Jew but by gosh I am going to keep on moving till I get a place that I like and then I will stay there till duration of the war.

Things in general are just as usual; drafts are coming in and going out every day some to France and others to various Hospitals etc. in England. Some of the fellows that are just coming over from Canada are not getting any leave here at all but are rushed right over to France so I guess by Spring there will be one awful host of men across the channel and the big event is expected.

Now that Lloyd George has the prime ministers job the English people expect something great to take place in the Spring or as soon as the weather over there is permissible.

You remember that last letter I wrote you about having one more week to put in on twenty cents a day. Well I loused it that very afternoon I was doing (piquet) duty on a hut that was Quarantined for measles. Some of the boys I knew very well and of course when they asked me if they could run up to the corner and get some eatables I said “Yes”. They were seen by one of our Officers and I got five days confined to Barracks the result being “Bang went my twenty cents a day for another 6 months.

Gee the fellows are sticking there heads in the door about every three or four minutes laughing and kidding me about it. It sure is some joke but sorry to say the joke is on me that’s what I don’t like about it. It simply means that I wont be able to afford a day or so pass for six months however it sure is a great way to save money but most inconvenient.

A couple of the boys that I chum around with here are going out to a hospital as orderlies. They were just told they had to go a few minutes ago Gee they are running around here swearing like the devil, mad as wet hens, you see if you are not an x-ray man, a dispenser or something like that they shift you out of here to any old place but if you are connected with either of those lines they try to place you as such as there is such a big demand for us fellows.
Well Mother remember me to Dad and V-V and write to the above address.
Love Chas
PS: I will let you know my new address the very first day I get there. Chas.