A promotional poster for the Sandow Trocadero Vaudevilles (1894), showing dancers, clowns, trapeze artists, costumed dog, singers and costumed actors
Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated: Feb 1, 1917
Mailed from: Chatham, England
Attached to: HMS Pembroke (Royal Naval Barracks)
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman, Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 2 pages of 9" x 6" medium weight, smooth, linen-look, folded into booklet form, but with the inside pages written across the width instead of down the length like foolscap. The pages are not numbered.
People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper (Noah's wife of 5 yrs)
Mr Butts*: The hired man on their Saskatchewan farm
**Sadie* & Cecil* Prosser: Sadie is Ethel's younger sister
Ethel's Father: James* H Nelson, Belhaven, Ontario, near Keswick
George* Draper: Noah's cousin, George* Milburn Draper. For more info on George, see his letter to Noah on my post, Sep 1912: Letter from George Draper.
Charley: Suspect this is Noah's cousin Charles Joel Draper, brother of George* Milburn Draper (above), and Stewart* Truman Draper, both mentioned in these letters.
Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- The War (WW1)
- Daily routine**
- Vaudeville show (see poster sample above)
- Wawanesa Insurance
- Vaccinations
- Weekly pay day
- London - Capital city of England
- Liverpool - maritime city in northwest England
Word or Phrase Use:
Noah consistently misspells many words such as the following and more:
- no apostrophe for contractions - dont, wont, isnt, havent...
- Saturaday vs Saturday
- navey vs navy
- roumer vs rumour
- shure vs sure
- payed vs paid
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
| Chatham, England Feb. 1/17. Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont Dear Ethel;- Well I recieved two letters from you yesteraday and was glad to get them you can be sure. am expecting quite a few now as I have written two or three to all of them. Well Ethel there is some roumer of us being sent over to patrole the Pacific coast, but you never can count much on hear say in the navey. altho you can be shure I would not kick |
| Well I guess from now on the war will be worse than ever as the Germans have sent word to the neutral governments that they intend to sink all boats on sight with in the blockade limit. Say I dont know as I ever told you our routine here, We are called by our own sentinal at 6 a.m. every morning. we get up dress & lash hammocks. wash & get ready for breakfast at 7 oclock at 25 to 8 we fall in outside of the hut all but the cooks & Sentry, they tell off 6 men to help the sentry wash the floor & the others are sent out on the working parties. untill 8 20 then the come back to the huts untill 8 40 when we fall in again & march down to the parade ground, & have a little drill untill 10 minutes to nine when we all line up for prayer which lasts about 5 minutes, then we drill or go rowing or into the seaman room where we are taught to tie knots, how to stear a boat the different anchors. compass & a thousand & one other things. |
| untill 11 20 when we march back to the hut for dinner. at 1 oclock we fall in again and go through much the same thing or go to the gym. or swimming untill 2.35 when we get 10 minutes stand easy. then we go at drilling again. untill 3 45 then up to the hut for tea. after which we are free. we have supper at 730 and the hammocks come down at 8 oclock but we do not have to go to bed untill 10 oclock, that is our usual routine, I was out to a show |
| in Chatham last night. it costs about 22 or 26 cents for a seat in the gallery it was very good vauderville there is 3 or four theaters here beside picture shows but I dont go very often. So you got notice from the Wawanessa about insurance well dont pay it write and explaine the policy and tell them it is paid but next fall when it is due be shure to send them the money. Say Ethel if Mr Butts wants to quit why not offer the place to Sadie & Cecil they could work it |
| the same way as Mr. Butts. & you could go out with them to look after things, it might be the best way, you can speak to your father about it if you like, & see what he thinks about it. now do just as you think best Ethel & things will be all right I know & it might be a good thing & be the means of giving them a start for you know I would help them all Icould when I get back. We were all marched down to the doctors and vacinnated on Monday. My arm is beginning to itch now so I guess it took all right. although they say you do not feel it for a week or so very much. hope I dont have much trouble with it. Today is pay day. Friday. we get payed 7 shilling a week I have about 11 pound left am I not doing well. Ha Ha. Suppose you have seen George by this time tell him to write if he has time. I have not. written to Charley yet but will |
| Sunday if I have the time, think I will get some snap shots taken tomorrow, & will send some through if we are not blockaded to closely. We will be able to judge more of their power to injure us by sea in a month or so. Well I guess I will have to close for this time, Say did you get a letter adressed from Liverpool. the told me it was censured & stoped. Well Bye By love to all. X X X X X N. C Draper |
History Notes
History Note 1 - Sadie & Cecil Prosser
As you can see from the surname, Ethel's younger sister, Sadie Nelson, married Cecil Daniel Prosser on Janary 14th, 1915. During the years between Noah & Ethel's Courtship Letters previously published on this blog, and Noah joining the RCNVR, Sadie, whose birth name was Sarah Eliza Nelson, began spelling her name Sadye, while others called her Sadie, a designation she carried throughout her life.
As you can see from the surname, Ethel's younger sister, Sadie Nelson, married Cecil Daniel Prosser on Janary 14th, 1915. During the years between Noah & Ethel's Courtship Letters previously published on this blog, and Noah joining the RCNVR, Sadie, whose birth name was Sarah Eliza Nelson, began spelling her name Sadye, while others called her Sadie, a designation she carried throughout her life.
Cecil was the son of William Walker Prosser and Hester Soules, also of Belhaven, North Gwillimbury, Ontario. Sadie and Cecil were married in the Nelson home south of Belhaven by Cecil's great-uncle, Elder Daniel Prosser, a prominent minister in the area who would go on to become known as "Marrying Dan" due to his high record of marriage ceremonies. On Nov 14, 1929, after the Nov 4 death of Rev. Daniel Prosser, the Stouffville Tribune reported that people came "from great distances to be married by the same preacher that had married their parents."
History Note 2 - Daily Routine
For more info on hammocks and the daily routine at the Royal Navy Barracks at Chatham where Noah is awaiting orders for sea duty, check my post, WW1 Letters Home - Jan 3, 1917.
