From J.H. Barnes
September 13, 1918
Dear Mother:
I will write you a few lines to let you know I am well and
hope you are the same. I sure would like to see you and be there tonight. I
could tell you a lot more than I can write.
Well, we have been in the front line trenches twice and only
lost six men and got some wounded. I got out all o.k. I haven’t been sick since
I have been in France.
Well, I guess you heard about Dewey Adams getting wounded
but I think he is getting along all o.k., but he is still in the hospital.
Well, you bet we sure do have some time in the trenches. We
can’t have any hot meals at all, except what we warm, and they won’t let us
have any fire except can heat.
We sure did have a big long hike in the rain yesterday. We
went to see some big battle tanks at work. They crawl in the mud like a
terrapin. They have 10 men in them and machine guns, and they sure are hard to
tear up.
We don’t have any watermelons to eat; they don’t raise
anything but sugar beets to make sugar, and turnips; don’t have any corn. They
raise hops to make beer and they have plenty of wine and beer to drink.
Captain Gliddens has left us and we have a new captain. I
think I will like him fine.
Well, I will tell you while I was out in No Man’s Land I got
me a German’s rifle and a steel hat and a canteen. The Germans don’t have any
trenches like we do. They stay in holes in the ground. I saw lots of dead
Germans lying in No Man’s land, and we captured some and brought them in with
us and put them in prison.
Well, I will close. Answer real soon and tell me all the
news and how everybody is getting along in the U.S.A. and write often.
Your son,
J.H. Barnes
-=-
Floyd Felton
In France, Sept. 20,
Thursday
My Dearest Mother:
Will write you a few lines that you may know that I am well
and enjoying good health and in fine spirits, and truly hoping that you also
are well.
I feel sure you are all well pleased with what the Americans
have done in the past few days. I will mail you the Stars and Stripes next
week, which will give you full account of what happened.
Well, Mother, I wrote Dott yesterday and as I told her I
guess you will be upset because I haven’t written in such a long time, but we
have been real busy and I haven’t had much time to write but now is better than
never, and I have a long electric light to write by for the first time in a
long while. Of course, as you know, we don’t have the privilege to write much
about war conditions, but I can say I don’t go in the trenches although I go
very near them sometimes with ammunition.
Gee, mother, but it raining outside, it’s just pouring down
and I have got walk about three miles back to camp, and it’s as dark as pitch.
I didn’t have any paper, so I had to walk up to the Y and get some, and so now
I have got to hike it back in the rain, but I’m not worrying about that, just
had to write to you all. I had about 10 letters to answer, and so I’m in a good
place to do it.
Mother, did you ever receive those papers I sent you all
some time ago? I hope you did, it’s a pretty good paper and it gives you
straight war news right from the front.
Well, mother, as it’s getting late and I have so far to go
in the rain, I guess I will close for this time. I want you to write every
chance you get. With love and best wishes to you all, I remain,
Your loving son,
Priv. Floyd E. Felton
American E.F., France
No comments:
Post a Comment