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LETTER FROM A SASKATCHEWAN FARM KID, NOW A RECRUIT AT CFB BORDEN, ONTARIO

 

Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Canadian

Forces beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up

quick before all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because

you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. but I am getting so I like to

sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your

cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix,

wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it

is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like

fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc. but kind of weak on chops, potatoes,

ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and

Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their

food plus yours holds you til noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder

these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route marches", which the

platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's

not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to

our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back

in trucks. The country is nice but awful flat. The sergeant is like a

school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school

board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother

you none. This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting

medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a

chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett

boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit

it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes. Then we

have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with

them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It

ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got

in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Moose Jaw. I only beat him

once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds

and

he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get

onto this setup and come stampeding in.

 

Your loving daughter,

 

Gail

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