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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