4/8/14 6 pm
My dear Mother
Our stay in camp was very short, as you probably learned from the papers. We are here now for mobilization, having carried out a few of the preliminaries today while waiting for the proclamation of mobilization, which has just been issued. Tomorrow we begin the full embodiment; it will be very hard work for our section for the outfit of horses, wagons, etc, has to be collected from all over London. I understand that our station will be somewhere near St Albans, but all letters had better be addressed at present to: Lance Corporal Sladden, Transport Section, 15th Battalion Company of London, Somerset House.
The choice of my rank dates from today. Most of the men have been allowed to return home for the night but I have stopped here on guard duty. I will write again as soon as I know any further arrangements.
Much love from
George