at last our many months of training are
over, and we are soldiers at last, proud of the fact and beginning to
be proud of ourselves as we march down to the station. I was very much
struck by the great send-off given us by the women of the cottages we
passed who, despite the fact that they had seen thousands march out,
all turned out at that early hour, and from their doorsteps wished us
a very sincere and affecting God speed. At 7-0 we reach the station
and the train, uncertain from what port we sail, to what port we shall
go, and almost in entire ignorance of our destination, even the C.O.
knows nothing and our staff less.

But in three or four hours we reach our port of embarkation and go
straight from train to boat, and are soon out in the Channel. Before
we sail all the men put on lifebelts, in accordance with orders, much
to the amusement of two or three blase Canadian Officers returning to
the Front, who, however, are soon unable to take any further interest
in our proceedings, and seem from their earnest studies of the sea to
be trying indelibly to impress upon their brains a distinct
remembrance not of the ship but of the Channel itself. As soon as we
started we all went in to the cabin and lunched, I, attempting to fill
myself so full that the pitching of the ship in a choppy sea shall not
affect me. It was all of no avail. I paid three shillings for my
lunch, and discovered afterwards that I had not bought it, only hired
it for a short while. I was greatly relieved when the voyage was over
and we backed into our port of debarkation.

There we had to fall in about half a mile from the landing place, and
Staff Colonels and Captains completely lost their heads trying to get
us to form up without telling us where to do so, or in what formation.
We did not know what we were to expect or what we should do for the
night. I expected to sleep on the ground and to eat cold
bully-beef--the remains of the rations we were carrying. It had been
impressed upon us by all the officers whom we had seen, who had
returned from the Front, that directly we arrived abroad all comfort
was gone, and that troops were rushed about here and there undergoing
frightful privations and fatigues, but not a bit of it. We marched up
about two miles to a rest camp, and arrived very tired to find a
beautiful dinner ready for us. Tents (two officers to a tent), beds,
spring mattresses, and as many blankets as we wanted. There we
received all so