Imperial Valley press., 1915-07-29
FORMER RESIDENT
TELLS OF SOLDIERS
LIFE IN ENGLAND

From Imperial Valley to Bristol
England, where everywhere the prepa-
rations of war are going on, the drill
ing of men who will take their places
in the depleted ranks at the 'front.' the
sounds of martial activity and the
tense anticipation among the soldiers
who are waiting, most of them for
their first sight of real war-that Is
the story told in letters written by
Charles Webster, formerly of FL Cen
tro and now a member Of the Brit
ish army, to friends in this city.
Excerpts from his letters follow:
q am wearing a British uniform
now and am in hopes of going to the
front soon. There are many Amer
leans serving in my regiment and
there are more in other regiments.
These people over here are different
in every way to the English that you
meet in the states and they sure treat
you right.
"They don't seem to be in the least
excited over the war here and if you
don't read the papers you could hardly
tell there was Il war.
This is the finest looking country
| believe that | have ever seen; every
thing is kept so clean and neat.
Il hope you can find some way TO
send some tobacco and wheat straw
papers, for the price of tobacco is
awfully high here and We can't get
any Bull Durham at all. You know
what that means.
81 am doing . hours drill every day
and it gets monotonous, but of course,
it is needed. Eve been picked for
the first draft out, but the battalion
is short 200 men yet so guess that
won't get away for a month and a
half or more yet.
81 shall see you again if | come
through with a whole body and that's
the only way | shall come through
because | can assure you that | am
not going to let Il leg or an arm go
alone. am going along if it should
come to that for. as you know, | would
be worthless if | was in pieces.
prices are coming down a little
, over here now, due | suppose to the
, quietness of the submarines for a
couple of weeks, but they seem to be
opening up again now, for one came
right up to the docks at Avonmouth
about 6 miles from here today and
torpedoed a merchant vessel anchored
there. To do this they had to come
60 miles up a narrow channel (aVer-
age 5 miles wide) and pass ? lookout
stations, so you see it gets close some
times. The shore batteries opened
fire and sunk the submarine after the
damage was done, but | guess she
paid for herself
"There is talk Of conscription and
from the number of young men not
in the army | think it should bc done.
every nearly everything in Bristol
is od-fashioned and it is absolutely
the worst town for hills l have eve
been in.
"The buildings and dwelling houses
are all made of stone; | haven't seen
one wooden house since I've been here.
"There is no ground wasted at all
and the city doesn't cover as much
ground as San Diego, yet it has 300
coo inhabitants.
"l should like to be back there this
summer, but the war is going to last IA
long time yet, so ! suppose ! must
have my good times in the old way.
"My regiment has been transferred
from the draft for France to that be
ing sent to the Dardanelles."
"On your early morning trip To
San Diego stop at DiXieland Rcstau-
rant for breakfast Homemade ice
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