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WW1 Letters Home - Jan 14, 1917

1/14/2017

 
Picture
Presbyterian Church and Manse, Chatham. Published in The Building News Volume 75, July - Dec 1898

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated:  Jan 14/17
Mailed from:  Chatham, England
Attached to: HMS Pembroke
Profession:  Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Addressed to:  Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument:  Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 10" x 6.5" medium weight, semi-rough, folded into booklet form, but with the inside page written across the short width and all the way down the length like foolscap. The pages are not numbered.


People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Noah's wife of 5 yrs, Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper
Mother - Noah's mother, Sarah Sophia Deverell* Draper, widow of David Draper
Percy* - Noah's older brother, lives near Adams, Saskatchewan
Louie* - Sarah Louisa, Noah's sister, 37, married Fred Coventry, Kelowna 
Eva* - Eva Amelia Draper Perrault, 40 yrs (Noah's sister, married to Joe)
Ethel* - Noah's sister, Ethel Maud, 35 yrs, married to Will Rigler

Will* - Will Rigler, husband of Ethel Maud, lives at Grand Coulee, Sask.
Mr. Butts - 60 yr old John Butts is Noah & Ethel's lodger/hired man**
​Charlie - unknown at this time

​The babies:
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 6 months (later called JD)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Keswick - where Noah's family lives (the ones who didn't move west)
- Halifax - historic, protected harbor on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia
- Chatham - Royal Naval Barracks in Chatham, England
- hut - Noah's barracks at HMS Pembroke 
- English Church - St George's Church of England, HMS Pembroke
- Presbyterian Church - St Andrew's Presbyterian in Chatham**

Word or Phrase Use: 
ect. - Noah spells the abbreviation for the Latin phrase of et cetera as ect whereas modern dictionaries say it should be spelled as etc. because it means "and all the rest" or "and so on and so forth". However, I've noticed that many seniors members of our society, as well as those on the other side of the pond, both in Great Britain and in Europe, spell it as ect. like Noah does. 

Noah always spells the following as:
- no apostrophe for contractions - dont, wont, isnt, havent...
- Saturaday vs Saturday
- untill vs until

Legend: 
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this 
  person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below
​
Picture
Chatham England, Jan. 14/17
Mrs. N.C. Draper,
     Keswick, Ont.-

Dear Wife; -
     Well Ethel I hope you are all well
as this leaves me at present save
for a cold which is getting better.
     We are still at drill & am getting
a little better every day, (there is
room for improvement yet
) We
will be in a seaman's class
soon I expect, where we will learn
to tie knots & ect. dont know
hardly what all,
     Well I was down to the Presby
terian church this morning
it is about a mile & a half from
the barracks, & when I got back
the dinner was all gone, so I
​
Picture

think I will belong to the English church
after this, it is only 5 minutes walk from
the hut, hope you have received your
anchor before this I think I will be able
to get out next Saturaday after noon if
I can I will get some thing for the kiddies.
      Have not got any mail since I left
Halifax & may not get any for two weeks
yet but am looking every day for aletter
I have written to Mother, Percy, Louie, Eva, 
Ethel, & Mr. Butts, havent I done well.
     I was down town Friday night from
4 30 P.M. untill 7 30 have not been to a show
since I landed but think I will try
to go next week, I am trying to do as I
would have one in my position do, goody boy, Eh.
     Well we had snow here one night last
week about 1 inch but it was all gone
by night, we have rain nearly every
other day. Oh say I got my pay a week
ago Friday. 54 Shilling that was from the
time we left Halifax & last Friday I
got 1 weeks pay 7 shilling or $1.68 cents
of our money, will soon be rich Ha Ha.
suppose you have had your pay
before this $38 you get isnt it. never mind
I have about 12 pound yet that I brought
with me have $18. Canadian money yet
will get it changed when I get to London
but do not know when that will be.
​
Picture

I hope you have the money for the
hail insurance before this, dont
forget to tell me all about it. &
wheather that man paid his note
which I left in the Bank for
collection, also that from Will.
     Well Ethel I miss my pitcher of
milk have not had a drink since
I left Halifax but tonight is my
night out & I am going to try &
get some, HaHa. I am going out 
after tea & think I will go to
Church after supper. I was going
to write to Charlie this after noon
but this is the last of my paper
so will have to write later,
     Well I guess this will be all
for this time hoping to hear
from you soon I remain your ever
loving husband. N.C. Draper
​
​

History Notes
​

Picture

This is the same map as the last post showing Rochester Castle on the River Medway, as well as HMS Pembroke where Noah is quartered. 

I've added a label near HMS Pembroke to show the location of St George's Church of England which Noah refers to as the English Church.

I've added another label to show the location of the Presbyterian Church, 1 1/2 miles southwest of Noah's location. You can see why there wasn't any food left by the time Noah hoofed it back. 

WW1 Letters Home - Dec 6, 1916

12/4/2016

 
HMCS Niobe in Halifax after conversion to Depot Ship Source: ReadyAyeReady.com
HMCS Niobe in Halifax after conversion to Depot Ship Source: ReadyAyeReady.com

Noah Clement Draper and his wife, Ethel Isabell Nelson, lived on a farm at Adams, Saskatchewan, but were known to leave the cold prairie winters and spend the off-season with their families in North Gwillimbury Township, York County, Ontario. 

So when Noah joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) in Toronto, we know Ethel and the kids are either with her parents near Belhaven, or his relatives in the Keswick area, which must have eased his mind somewhat. 

This first letter is dated two weeks after Noah joined the RCNVR so we're right there at the start of his journey. The letters will all follow a similar format with the information first, then one page of the actual letter, my transcription of that page, the next actual page, and so on. This enables those who cannot read handwriting to know what is written. Please remember that my transcription will follow exactly as I read what Noah has written, spelling errors, included, and that way we keep the integrity of his writing. 


Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated:  Dec 6/16 
Mailed from:  Halifax, N.S.
Attached to: HMCS Niobe
Profession:  Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Addressed to:  Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument:  Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: Thick, rough standard notepaper of the period. The 10" x 6.5" paper is folded in half and written in booklet form but with the inside page written across the short width and all the way down the length like foolscap. The pages are not numbered.

People (friends and family) mentioned in this letter:
The babies:
- Mildred aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David aka Jay, 6 months (also called JD)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Halifax - historic, protected harbor on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia
- Niobe - HMCS Niobe - a **Depot ship stationed in Halifax
- Petty Officer - Holding a rank below an officer, but above an enlisted sailor


Legend: 
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this 
  person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see Genealogy Notes below

​
Picture

Halifax, N.S. Dec. 6/16
Mrs. N.C. Draper,
           Keswick, Ont.
Dear Ethel,
      Well I have got this far
on the way but do not know
when we will go on, was
on the Niobe for tea they
have five meals a day here.
breakfast. tea Dinner tea &
supper at 6 don't know what
time we get the other 
meals, We arrived here about
3.30 p.m. was met at the 
station by a Petty Officer

​
Picture
and taken right on board the
ship and given our hammocks
and showed our place to put
them & then taken to the mess
room & showed our tables there
is 22 at a table so you see we
are not lonely.
     There is a draft of 50 men
going over seas Friday but
do not expect we will be among
the number as there is about 75
or a hundred men ahead of us
but I hope so as they do not do
any training here at all and I
do not like to lay around on
the boat doing nothing. the boys
I came with seem very nice
and I hope were sent over
to geather. had to laugh at a
jew they had us lined up at
attention & asked if we wanted
to ask any questions (on the ship)


​
Picture

& we had been there about five
minutes when he walked
up to the officer & said he
was sick & wanted to vomit
he will make a great sailor
eh.
   Well Ethel I have not much
to tell you but hope to
be able to write longer
letters after a while after
I see something. Kiss the
babies for me every day &
I wish it were possible to do
it my self. Good bye for this

time from your loving husband. N.C.D.

​Genealogy Notes​
Built in 1897, the Royal Canadian Navy acquired the HMCS Niobe from the Royal Navy in 1910 and made its home in Halifax Harbor.
​
Picture
HMCS Niobe at Anchor, Halifax, N.S., 1910. Courtesy of www.navy-marine.forces.gc.ca

The Niobe was almost lost during the night of July 30-31, 1911 when it ran aground off Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. The damage was extensive and although repairs were completed at the end of 1912, her maximum speed had been permanently reduced. 

With the start of World War 1, the Niobe joined the Royal Navy's 4th Cruiser Squadron on contraband patrol off the coast of New York.

17 July 1915 saw the Niobe return to Halifax where she was converted into the Depot ship you see at the top of this post.

On 6 December 1917, exactly one year after Noah wrote the above letter, the upper works of HMCS Niobe was wrecked in the horrific Halifax Explosion. Repaired, she continued to serve until decommissioning in 1920.

Sources:
- ReadyAyeReady.com
​
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Niobe_(1897) (includes links to more)
- http://www.navy-marine.forces.gc.ca/en/news-operations/news-view.page?doc=niobe-day/i0vikji8

Update: Thanks going out to Noah's grandson, John W. Draper, for this link... On December 4, 2016  The Chronicle Herald published the article, Blast a Fiery Baptism for Navy Town. The article highlights Tues, December 6, 2016 as the 99th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion and includes links to more informative articles. Also included in the article is an image of the Niobe with this caption, The HMCS Niobe was heavily damaged in the Halifax Explosion, and 26 crew members were killed. The force of the explosion was enough to dislodge the ship’s anchor from the floor of the harbour. (Naval Museum of Halifax).


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