Thursday, October 18, 2018

Lt. Veach, Pvt. Bost, Sgt. Williams Write Home From France, 1918

From the Hickory Daily Record, Oct. 17, 1918

Lieutenant Veach Writes from France

Letters from members of the 30th division, which has been participating in the great battle in the St. Quentin area, have started coming to relatives and friends. One of these letters was from Liet. W.M. Veach and was written to his sister, Mrs. B.B. Hall, under the date of September 16.

Lieutenant said he and his brother, Herman Veach, were well and that Carl Suggs, who was slightly wounded, was getting along all right. He also mentioned the death of Ivey Smith, who was killed in action.

The lieutenant’s men evidently think a lot of him for they chipped in and bought a $50 present for his girl—which will be appreciated as much by her as by the officer. Lieutenant Veach quotes prices in France. Eggs there are selling for $1.20 a dozen, a quart can of peaches costs $1.75 and if you want an apple, you can get it for 15 cents.

Speaking of war, the officer says he doesn’t know which worries him most, German shells or trench lice. He is saving his money to buy a home on his return.

Cecil T. Bost Tells of Action in France

Private Cecil T. Bost of the evacuation ambulance company is having some interesting times in France according to a letter received by his mother, Mrs. C.C. Bost. The letter was written under date of September 19 and on the 18th of September the young soldier experienced an air raid and witnessed the bringing down of an enemy machine. No damage was done by the enemy. The only acquaintance Mr. Bost has seen was Andrew Warlick of Newton, but he did not get to speak to him. He had become acquainted with a young aviator who knew Lieut. John Aiken and in his own company he is associated with another North Carolinian, Mr. Littleford of Asheville.

Mr. Bost said he was situated between a famous French town and a famous German town and was driving at night when the flashes from the big guns made the roads as light as day but said there was small danger of getting hit. He was not improving his French as he was with the Americans and saw few French people.

Sgt. Williams Was in Big Fights

Sergeant Chester C. Williams, Co. C, 117th regiment, 42d (Rainbow) division, has written his father under date of September 16, in which he tells interestingly of the part the famous division has taken in the battles in France. The rainbow first appeared in a big battle at Chateau Thierry, but have been moved rapidly since. They are probably in the Champagne yet. Incidentally, the division has been cited for its gallantry. Lieut. Orin M. Sigmon, Joe Murphy and Jimmie Smith are members of this division.

Sergeant Williams’ letter to his father, Mr. W.W. Williams, is as follows:

Dear Papa:

This is the first opportunity I have had to write to you for about a week. I have plenty of time to write, but the trouble is we move so much I can’t mail the letters. I write every chance I get and if you don’t hear very often don’t worry. I got two letters from mamma yesterday, one dated August 1 and one the 13th. Today I got one from mamma, August 19th and one from you, August 19th and one from Nannie August 20. I enjoyed them very much as it was the first mail I had gotten I about two weeks.
We have been on this front about a week. We came up to do our part in the drive. I think I am lucky to have had a small part in it, although this was not as bad as Chateau-Thierry. The Americans took over a hundred guns, 150 square miles of ground and 15,000 prisoners in 27 hours. I guess you have already heard about it in the papers. It was pouring rain when I crawled out of my blankets at 12:30 that night. The bombardment started at 1 o’clock and lasted four hours. At day break the Americans went over. This regiment was divided up. Some cut the German wire for the infantry, some escorted the tanks over and some built temporary bridges so the artillery could advance. About 7:30 the sun came out for a few minutes and there was a rainbow in the sky. It made us feel pretty good. By 8 o’clock the roads were full of Boche prisoners being herded to the rear, and it lasted all day. You would laugh to see the expression on those German officers’ faces when the Americans start taking their Iron Crosses and pistols for souvenirs. This American army is souvenir crazy. When we first came over some of them were carrying shells, bayonets, pieces of airplanes and things like that around all over France.

I think I have gotten all your letters now.

One of my allotments will stop this month for it was only made for 12 months, so I am just going to let it stop and then make another larger one. I am earning $51.20 a month now, so I think I can afford to send about $35 home and still have enough francs to buy jam with.

Keep on writing, I think your letters are coming through all right now.

Your loving son,
C.C. Williams
Co. C. 117 Engineers
A.P.O. 715 A.E.F., France

Accompanying the letter was a clipping from a newspaper telling of a service flag for General Pershing in Cheyenne, Wyo. Sergeant Williams formerly worked for Senator Warren, who is mentioned in the clipping, and has ridden hundreds of miles with him across the Wyoming plains. The clipping follows:

From the façade of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Cheyenne floats a service flag which has more interest than any other in this section of the Middle West, because it carries one bright blue star standing all alone above the rest in honor of General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Permission to add this star to this flag was given by the General. General Pershing’s connection with Cheyenne is one of sentiment, for it was there that the romance began which resulted in his marriage with Miss Frances E. Warren, daughter of United States Senator Francis E. Warren. Mrs. Pershing, with her three little daughters, was burned to death in a fire at the Presidio, San Francisco, while the general was on the Mexican border. It was in the picturesque church over which the Pershing star floats that the funeral service was held in their honor.


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