Councillor W. J.Primett, Deputy Mayor of Luton, has received an interesting letter from Seaman G. D. Pickering* (son of Mr George Pickering, of 19 Dallow Road), who for many years was cornet player in the Luton No 1 Salvation Army Band. He joined the Navy just before Christmas and is now stationed at Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada. He writes:

"After spending about eight weeks at Chatham I have been fortunate enough to be drafted to Vancouver with a number of others. We left Chatham on Christmas Eve and arrived at Liverpool on Christmas morning. We proceeded to Canada on the Thursday following Christmas, and arrived at Halifax [Nova Scotia] on Friday, January 5th.

"The voyage across the Atlantic proved quite uneventful, and we were favoured with comparatively fine weather considering the time of year. On this passage I had my first experience of seamanship, and I found my duties quite agreeable and interesting.

"The country about Vancouver is,of course, covered with snow, and the vegetation seems to be quite distinct from that seen in the old country. The houses are almost solely built of wood, sometimes with stone foundations.

"The Canadians in general seem to be very friendly, and when visiting shops or stores in small inland villages, we have been accorded a very hearty reception. Shopkeepers in the small towns where we stopped have a peculiar custom of standing at their doors and ringing their bells as an invitation for customers to purchase their wares.

"The railways are distinctly larger than any seen in the United Kingdom, and the engines give the appearance of being capable of drawing almost any load. The snow plough in front of the train is also a feature, and, although the recent weather has been comparatively mild, the train frequently has to stop in order to allow the snow in front to be loosened by shovels before the train can force its way through."

After speaking of the remarkable absence of small birds and the clearness of the sky, Seaman Pickering proceeds: "The land in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario is very well wooded, but in Manitoba and Saskatchewan the land is much more level and well under cultivation, wheat crops seeming to be the chief production.

"We were able to have a brief glimpse of both Montreal and Winnipeg, and after the dark streets of old England we found the brilliant electric lights very striking...

"There is an air of prosperity in all Canadian towns. We had our meals on the first class dining compartment of our train, and it seemed glorious to partake of the best meals and have the opportunity at the same time of glancing out of the carriage windows and seeing the beautiful scenery stretching on either side as far as the eye could see.

"The sleeping compartment is also a model of luxury and comfort, and we found it a fine experience to lie in bed and look out at night at the surrounding country, with the brilliance of a full moon reflecting its radiance upon the snow.

"Perhaps the least interesting part of the whole journey was 400 miles of prairie land. To compensate for this we were awed by the gigantic Rocky Mountains stretching away on both sides of the track. The railway enables one to have a wonderful view of the scenery, and in many cases the rails seem to have been laid just over ledges, while in other instances tunnels have been cleaved through the solid rock, one tunnel being five miles in length.

"The whole railway seems to be a masterpiece. At one point it rises to 5,200 ft above the sea level. The scenery seems to be totally different at every point, and the snow-capped mountains are most picturesque. While travelling through these mountains we encountered a severe snowstorm, and a few minutes later passed out into dazzling sunshine. The effect must be seen to be thoroughly appreciated.

"On leaving this region we passed through the cascades of British Columbia, touching both the Fraser and Columbia rivers. Unfortunately,this part of the journey was made during the night, and we therefore missed the beauties of this part.

"We arrived at Vancouver on January 12th and at once took steamer for Victoria on Vancouver Island. A more enchanting voyage it would be impossible to imagine. It was 90 miles in length, and after crossing the Atlantic, seemed like taking a trip across a large lake in comparison. The islands on either side were thickly covered with trees, with snow-capped mountains in the background, and Mount Baker - from which at one point we could see as far as 100 miles - rising to a height of 11,00 feet on the mainland.

"We are now waiting at Victoria for our boat. So far, my experience of the Navy has been a very pleasant and fortunate one."

[The Luton News: Thursday, March 1st, 1917]

[*Seaman G. D. Pickering is likely to have been David George Pickering, of 19 Dallow Road, who became a Royal Navy bandmaster. He served on HMS Avoca, which at the time was operating in the Pacific.]