An Early 20th Century Street Scene on a Double-Decked Street Car. Courtesy of bbc.co.uk
Noah mentions that sitting in a double decked street car feels like "riding on a boat swaying sideways." A bbc.co.uk post, How did people travel? shows one of the best views I've seen on people riding in a double decked street car and so you can imagine what Noah meant.
Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old, b 1887
Dated: Undated (Contents show letter should be dated Jan 7, 1917)
Mailed from: Royal Naval Barracks, 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. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he's using the same technique he used for some of his previously posted courtship letters to Ethel, where his first page is the front "cover", then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side - turned the page sideways - and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.
People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Noah's wife of 5 yrs, 26 yr old Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper
Eva* - Eva Amelia Draper Perrault, 40 yrs (Noah's sister, married to Joe)
The children/kiddies:
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 7 months old (later called JD)
Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Royal Navel/Naval Barracks Chatham - aka HMS Pembroke
- Chatham - town outside the Naval Barracks yard
- hut - barrack building
- *Keswick - where Ethel is visiting for the winter
- 6th Anniversary - see Noah & Ethel's 1912 wedding post
- anchor - suspect a jewelry piece for anniversary gift
- registered - postal method ensuring security of delivery to Ethel only
- **English Church - Church of England
- Presbyterian - Noah & Ethel are Presbyterian in 1916 Canada census
- **double-decked street cars
- Y.M.C.A - Young Men's Christian Association
Word or Phrase Use:
eh**
Hubby
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
Dated: Undated (Contents show letter should be dated Jan 7, 1917)
Mailed from: Royal Naval Barracks, 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. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he's using the same technique he used for some of his previously posted courtship letters to Ethel, where his first page is the front "cover", then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side - turned the page sideways - and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.
People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Noah's wife of 5 yrs, 26 yr old Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper
Eva* - Eva Amelia Draper Perrault, 40 yrs (Noah's sister, married to Joe)
The children/kiddies:
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 7 months old (later called JD)
Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Royal Navel/Naval Barracks Chatham - aka HMS Pembroke
- Chatham - town outside the Naval Barracks yard
- hut - barrack building
- *Keswick - where Ethel is visiting for the winter
- 6th Anniversary - see Noah & Ethel's 1912 wedding post
- anchor - suspect a jewelry piece for anniversary gift
- registered - postal method ensuring security of delivery to Ethel only
- **English Church - Church of England
- Presbyterian - Noah & Ethel are Presbyterian in 1916 Canada census
- **double-decked street cars
- Y.M.C.A - Young Men's Christian Association
Word or Phrase Use:
eh**
Hubby
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
| Sidebar: P.S. this is my 4th since I landed have you got them all. N.C.D. | 16 hut East Camp, Royal Navel Barracks, Chatham, England. Mrs. N. C. Draper, Keswick, Ont. Dear Ethel; - Well I am still alive and able to eat my allowance so am not run down much yet, hope you are all well, say I posted you an anchor yesteraday you may get it when you get this it is registered so you will have to signe for it. hope you like it did not know what else to get you, will send the kiddies something next week if I get out. I can go out every other night from 4 30 pm untill 8 next morning but have only been out Sat. after noon as the town is |
| in darkness & there is not much to see worth seeing after dark. We were lined up and marched down to the English church this morning. could have went to the Presbyterian but did not, know it in time but will go there next Sunday if I can. Was out in Chatham from 2 P.M. untill about 7 30/xx last night was in 3 stores & a tea room, We have heard described so often, of course not one of the swell affairs. Well we will be married 6 years on the 10 of Jan. we are getting old eh. the first anniversary to be spent apart & I hope we may be togeather for the next but we can never tell that far ahead. |
| Chatham is quite a town narrow streets & double decked street cars. they are like riding on a boat swaying sideways. There is a Navel Y M.C.A. here but I have not been in it yet but want to hunt it up next week. they have lectures here every night or so & I guess they are pretty good. altho. they must sound dissagreeable to some men who do not do as they should, morally I mean. There is a number of new recrutes comes in here every day altho. I think we are the last Canadians to arrive here & we have a great deal to learn about every thing. English, even their money |
| bothers us at first but we will soon get used to that I guess. There is a Canadian mail in here now but it has not been sorted yet so am expecting a letter or two sometime soon. Well I have only been on as cook.here once so far but will have another turn soon I expect. I dont mind much for if we are doing that we are not doing any thing else. have just finished a letter to Eva was afraid if I wrote to you first she would not get a letter, ha ha. I like writing just as well as ever. Well I guess I will have to close kiss the babies for me Love to all, from your loving Hubby N. C. Draper |
History Notes
There are 3 History notes for this letter...
History Note 1 - Y.M.C.A
History Note 1 - Y.M.C.A
| Begun in 1844 England, the Y.M.C.A. was a social club which served as a home away from home for male travelers as well as soldiers, sailors, and airmen. The facilities were similar as present day with some including a gymnasium and swimming pool, as well as game room, reading room, and a place to partake in wholesome food and refreshments. |  |
History Note 2 - English Church
I've found "English Church" on Upper Canada and Canada West census records and understand it to mean the Church of England. In Noah's case, he means St George's Church aka the Naval Barracks Church, which was part of HMS Pembroke. The church was built in 1906 and is shown in the next two photos.
I've found "English Church" on Upper Canada and Canada West census records and understand it to mean the Church of England. In Noah's case, he means St George's Church aka the Naval Barracks Church, which was part of HMS Pembroke. The church was built in 1906 and is shown in the next two photos.
History Note 3 - Double Decked Street Cars
An early 20th century street scene. Image copyright of the Bishopsgate Institute. Courtesy of bbc.co.uk
To continue from the top of this post, the bbc.co.uk post, How did people travel? goes on to say that in 1900 most vehicles on the Britain's streets were horse-drawn, but by 1914 motor buses and electric trams were more popular for public transportation.
Next to the Royal Naval Barracks was the Pembroke Gate to the Chatham Dockyards where civilian workers and longshoremen worked and maintained the ships. I found this photo at Chatham & District Traction Company which shows double decked trams waiting for the workers at the Pembroke Gate.
A line of cars waiting for Dockyard workers at Pembroke Gate. Courtesy of Chatham & District Traction Company.
The Friends of Chatham Traction are in the process of restoring, exhibiting and operating the sole surviving Chatham Traction bus, GKE 68, and although it ran 20 years after Noah's naval tour of duty, I'm posting this information as a thank you for allowing their photos to be used and shared for education and promotion.
