Dear Mother,

After 13 days weary travel we have at last arrived in England. We are not at Shorncliffe but at Bramshott Camp, two miles from Liphook and 40 from the city of London. Canada is indeed a fine country but for a tidy place and clean you will have to give England the hand. Mother, I never did believe a place could look so nice. There is very little use of me trying to describe it as you could never realize it unless you actually saw it.

One of the grandest scenes imaginable was when we were steaming into Plymouth Harbour yesterday morning. There was a slight fog and rain which suddenly lifted to reveal great high cliffs with forts on the top and the sides covered with ivy and right through the centre came a beautiful rainbow. It was a sight you would never see in a lifetime again.

I did not get a chance to send a cable from Plymouth. We sure got a start Friday night as word was current throughout the boat the Canadian papers were full of news about the torpedoing of the SS Lapland. We could not find out if it was true or not but it sure gave us a start.

We were exactly seven days on the ocean and it sure got tiresome as there was 2,600 troops aboard. Some crowd believe me. Neither Jim or I was the least bit sick on the voyage although it was very rough the last two days out but that was all the better as it is rather difficult for a submarine to work in rough water. Both Jim and I had to do guard on the boat. He had a fine night but I had the worst night of all. How would you like to be out on deck with the waves rolling over the sides, the boat being tossed about like a cork and trying to keep you feet and look out for submarines? Sure was some nerve tonic, believe me.

Cliff