March 20, 1917 Somewhere in France

Bill writes to his sister Mae exactly 1 year after leaving Toronto. His mood is jaunty as he describes a fine banquet for the Adjutant of the Brigade and his anti-smoking and drinking views.

 

March 28 - end of April, 1916 Aboard the SS Baltic - Shorncliffe

This long letter was typed by Bill's sister Mae Skilling and circulated to all family members by his father. It is a compilation of several letters starting with his sailing to England on the SS Baltic on March 28, 1916 and ending with his being at Shorncliffe at the end of April, 1916.

He mentions his room mate "Trotter" (Bernard Freeman Trotter from McMaster University) who, posthumously, became known as one of Canada's war poets. Trotter was killed in action on May 7, 1917. Some of his letters which mention "Skilling" can be found at the Canadian Letters Project by searching for "Skilling".

Battalion C.E.F. for rations and discipline are quartered in the Risboro Barracks,

Shorncliffe, occupying 2 huts B13 & B14. The huts are very comfortable 60 x 20

ft with a dozen single iron beds on each

of the public work; buses, trams, lifts etc. the first bus I got on had a girl for a

conductor. She asked us for our fare and I said: "How much to the Strand?"

the reply was rather unexpected, "I'm sure I 'aven't the fyentest ideah". So we

gave her a penny and it happened to be right.

February 12, 1916 Varsity Men Get British Commissions

In December 1915, the British War Office appealed to Canadian universities for men to train as officers. Of the 100 who applied at U of T, 31 were accepted and 7 of the 31, including William Milton Skilling, were gazetted in London as Second Lieutenants in the Royal Horse Artillery.