Category: Methodist

WW1 Letters Home - Mar 4, 1917

3/27/2022

Methodist Central Hall, Roof view looking East, with Westminster Cathedral & Abbey on the right. Courtesy Mpilcher84, Wikimedia

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated: Mar 4, 1917 (shows Feb 4, but should be March based on content)
Mailed from: London, England
Attached to: HMS Bacchante
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman, Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 8"x10" medium weight, written on both sides of one sheet with letterhead from the King George and Queen Mary Victoria League Club, for Men of the Oversea Forces, 1a, Dover Street, Piccadilly, Westminster.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper, 27 yrs old, Noah's wife of 6 yrs
The kiddies -
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 9 months old (later called JD)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- London* - Capital city of England
- Buckingham Palace
- Westminster Cathedral & Abbey
- YMCA*
- Methodist church aka Wesleyan Central Hall**
- Post Office Savings Bank
- Toronto*, Ontario, Canada (where Noah enlisted)
- pound - British monetary unit

Word or Phrase Use:
- hubby
- kiddies

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

February 4, 1917

Mrs. N.C. Draper
Keswick Ont.

My Dear Ethel;-
Well I have been seeing London met a man
from Toronto who is also here on leave so have
been with him yesteraday & today so far,
yesteraday we went through the Westminister
cathedral & abby in the forenoon saw where
the kings & Queens were buried for the last
1000 years & all the great men think I could
sleep just as well in any old place as there
but it is very interesting seeing the old
monuments, then in the afternoon we went
to a theather & saw a good play then went
to the Y.M.C.A. for supper then to another show
at night. & back to the YM.C.A. for the night.
then this morning we went to the
Methodist church we could have went to
the cathedral but it is the English church
& we are both fed up on that. HaHa back to
the Y.M.C.A. for dinner then out to see the
Buckingham Palace where the King lives
when in London, of course we just saw that

from the outside. then came up here to the club.
& thot we would write some letters.
I am enclosing the order of service of the
church also you can see what it looks like
and it is nicer inside than it is out. so you can
see it is some place. eh.
Well Ethel I hope you are all as well as this
leaves me also I have a good appetite & can
eat as much as I can get which isnt a great
deal just at present as I put my money in
the Post Office saving bank all but 1 pound
& you have to give 4 days notice before you
can draw out, more than a pound & your book
has to go to London to be balanced before you
can draw the second pound, we only had
3 days notice so I came up to London on 2 pounds
Ha Ha. that has to last 3 days & we dont know
when we will get a chance on shore again.
Say Ethel there was a sailors wife on the train
I came up on & I heard her make a very sensible
remark, her husband is on the Bacchante & has
been a sailor for years. she said she never frets
about her hubby, because she knows if his
boat was sunk it would be reported at once
even if she did not hear from him. dont you
think she is very wise to think of such a thing
& it is absolutely true,
Well I guess I will close for this time write
often & good long letters. kiss the kiddies for me
Bye Bye. from your loving hsbnad. N.C. Draper
x x x x x x

History Notes

There is 1 History note for this letter of Feb 4 (Mar 4), 1917:

History Note 1 - Methodist Church Order of Services Bulletin

Noah mentions touring Westminster Cathedral and Abbey, and then chooses to attend the Methodist church the following morning. In this case, the Methodist church he attended in 1917 was called the Wesleyan Central Hall. Canadian census records in the decades before show members as Canadian Methodist, Wesleyan Methodist, or simply Methodist. From the posting here of Noah and Ethel's courtship letters, these WW1 letters, and census and marriage records, we know that Noah simply refers to it as a Methodist church.