July 22nd, 1915

 Dear Mother;

We landed at Plymouth on the 9th of July, two months from the time we got to Niagara. We came over on the S.S. Northland and had a very good voyage. We picked up the two destroyers the day before we landed and were glad to see them. We had boat drill every day and the last two days had the boats hung over the side ready for use.

England is very pretty but I don’t think much of the climate. The winds are cold and it rains too much.

I have seen Will McNichol and Jim McMillan and several others here. Gordon Elliot is at Sandling, about three miles away and I think I will see him soon. The Kinnairds, Riddels, the Andersons, Manuelo and others are all camped within a few miles. Last Saturday most of us were reviewed by Sam Hughes and Borden. 

Col. Rogers is now Brigadier-Gen. I met both him and Allister Gillespie just after we got here. 

There are Canadian Hospitals here as well as the camps and we see lots of wounded men. Folkstone is full of bandaged and limping soldiers, English, Scotch, Canadian, French and Belgian. They are certainly an encouraging bunch. I haven’t seen a man yet who wants to go back. There are some poor beggars who are going back for the fourth time. Col. Buller of the Pats spoke to us the other day. He has lost one eye. Maj. Gault has his arm in a sling. Every day trainloads of men go through to the Channel boats and every little while another bunch come back for the hospitals. It doesn’t worry anybody though; the men play baseball after drill and go to the show at night if they can get off. 

I forgot to say that No. 4, the first University Coy. went over the other night. Harris Brighton and Cyril Beck were with them. Capt. Barclay and another officer were the only two of their original officers they took with them. 

They have four airships at Folkstone, Zepellin destroyers they call them, and several aeroplanes besides the torpedo boats, destroyers and cruisers watching the cost. 

We go for Divine service to Dr. Bruce Taylor every Sunday. I haven’t spoken to him here yet. 

I will have to close now and get this off tonight, but I will write again soon. 

Your loving son
Alec R. McQueen