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8. a continuous park, and everything is so clean and neat and green and fresh. I thought of the poets many a time, especially Wordsworth; with his nature poems. I was also much impressed with the crops. They grow crops [underlined] here. Stooks of grain nearly on top of one another. Wheat, they are just cutting and also oats. Always green clover in the stubble and before the grain is drawn in the ground is green. The root crops and gardens beat anything I have ever seen, and every spare patch of ground is growing something. They often get three crops of hay in one year. Many of the farm buildings are ancient and just as you have read in descriptions. Red brick prevails in all dwellings. You very seldom see a frame house.
I might also mention the reception we received here. Do they cheer Canadian soldiers! Everybody turns out, - and that means Old men and physically unfit men, & women & girls & children. Everybody
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9. to the little lads cheered, and waved and cheered. This was kept up till it was dark. Look out of the window anywhere and you would see people waving, - in the fields, the roads, at stations and in the numerous towns, and along the railroad fences. The thought ran through my mind that our services are certainly appreciated here, and I also noticed the intense hatred of the Hun which you do not notice in Canada.
The country roads here are like sheep paths as regards direction. They wind along in every direction. But they are roads! All macadamized road, just like pavement in a city. One can easily see why this is necessary, as the climate is very wet and the traffic enormous.
I am also in love with the trees here.
I shall not mention more about England at present except to say
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10 it was a swell trip up the mouth of the Mersey to the docks. The city and its suburbs on both sides of the river. The town of New Brighton the first we saw is about the prettiest place I have seen. The land slopes gently toward the river, and from the height of the ship we had a great view. It is merely a residental town and is all houses and lawns & flowerbeds and public buildings. The houses, of course, are one continuous row built into each other; no space is lost. The other side of the river, however, presented another side with its docks, freight sheds, factories, and wholesales. The immense harbor was thickly mottled with ships of every conceivable kind. Every boat saluted the troopship and the sailors and passengers cheered.
I saw a couple of Cruisers & several destroyers but no big battle
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11. ships. Can those destroyers go! I had no idea that a boat could travel so fast. They burn oil and when they let loose they simply leap right out of the water. They do not carry many guns, but are built mainly for ramming submarines. They are small, and heavily plated with steel, with an immense steel bow. Our ship was one of the fastest afloat but a destroyer could go around us in circles while we would be going at full speed ahead.
Well now, a little about Canada. I missed the beautiful scenery along the St. Lawrence as it was about morning when we struck Montreal. The way Toronto turns out to give the soldiers a send off is not slow. Men, they do not know, the girls and women walk along the train
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and shake every soldier's hand + often give a package of cigaretttes or tobacco, or some other token, which is occasionally a kiss which a soldier gets in exchange for some souvenir. Crowds of men + women everywhere.
But such a change when we struck Quebec. I would like to see a bomb placed under that province. Very few speak English and they almost looked hostile. At any rate they treated us with cool indifference except when they wanted to sell something for twice what it was worth. We had a route march through Chadière and we got a cheer from one lady who came out and waved a Union Jack. She was a fine looking young lady and we gave the "Eyes Right!" in respect to the flag when we passed her.
Again, what a change when we struck New Brunswick. There we were certainly loyally received