My brothers, Tootie (Stewart) and Albert also joined up. Albert. was in the Airforce, he was a pilot. Tootie was in the engineers. When I landed overseas I landed two weeks after Tootie. Every time I would meet him he would want money. I guess he heard that another boat had landed and he looked me up in camp. He came to camp and I was standing in line to go to a show and he came up to me. "What are you doing here?", he asked me. "I'm going to a show", I said. "Oh, the hang with the show, come with me", We went and crawled through a fence and went to a pub. We never went through the gate at all...we went through the fence and went to the "Plough and Horses" Pub, just down the lane near the camp. We were stationed at Farmborough (near Bath, England). In the pub, I bought a scotch and a beer for him and me. Then I bought another one. Then he started to curse the Englishmen. Oh geez! I told the barmaid, "Here's enough for another drink for him and then that's all". I left him there! He saw action in France, but I'm not sure how much.

In England I got attached to the "Royal Winnipeg Rifles". I was with them as a wireless operator. They trained me in the signals camp attached to the Winnipeg Rifles. I used to get out on schemes with them. I was in England for two years before I saw action, but I would go out on schemes every week. They'd shoot live ammunition at us. I was on the Isle of Whyte.

I used to spend my leave in Scotland...in Aberdeen. Just outside Aberdeen there was a place called Stonehaven. I used to stay with Mrs. Ritchie. Her husband was a "clubbed-foot farmer"...he had clubbed feet! I stayed with them all the time. I used to go back to camp, get leave and go back up there, I never liked London…I liked Scotland. It was like Canada...like home. That's when I got engaged to that Scots girl. She wanted to join the army. "No", I said, "You join the army and that's it!". But she joined the army and she got just like the rest of them. Even after I was married she wrote me a letter and wanted me to write her. She was married then too! I never wrote her. Smith was her name.