Letters from Pvt. Davis, Pvt. Madry Published in The Commonwealth, Jan. 24, 1919

From The Commonwealth, Scotland Neck, N.C., Jan. 24, 1919

Letters from Overseas Soldiers

Pvt. Joe R. Davis

Under date of December 29 we have just received a long letter from Private Joe R. Davis, who is attached to Co. E, 119 infantry, 30 division. Like all men who have been overseas and faced the ruthless foe he is full of enthusiasm and grit.

In part Joe Davis says, “It was on Sunday, September 20, when we boys went over the top and smashed down that famous Hindenburg line.

While my comrades were falling at my side, some with machine gun bullets and some from shell fire, and here it was that I also got wounded. As I lay on the ground and the bullets were whistling by then was the time I thought of home and mother dear.

For some hours I lay on the battlefield, waiting for some stray comrade to help me back to a first aid station. Finally there came from out of the mist and powder smoke a bunch of captured Germans, and the boy in charge made them gather me up and carry me back.

One of these Germans could speak broken English and he asked me if I was a Tommy or what. I told him I belonged to the Red, White and Blue. He acted rather queer when I told him that and was silent for a few minutes, then he said ‘the war will soon be over.’ I asked him why he said that and he replied ‘because the Americans were too much for them.’

We were not alone in this great battle, as you can imagine, for the artillery was there behind us at the zero hour of the morning, and when they opened fire it sounded like all hell had broken loose. Such a roar I had never heard, and the screaming of the shells as they passed over our heads was terrific.

Three minutes after the bombardment we hopped over and so eager were some of the boys for the fight that they rush on into the great barrage and were killed by our own guns.

On my 23^rd birthday I was standing in the front line trench on the lookout for the Boche. This was at Ypres, in Belgium, on that well known Flanders front.

You may have heard of the German women being in the battles, and this is true for when we smashed the Hindenburg line we captured some women along with the rest of the prisoners. I don’t know what their part was in the game but in some places the boys captured some operating machine guns. Maybe the ones we took were doing the same thing but they were not around them when they were captured.

We captured many villages and towns in our battles and the French people, who had been prisoners since 1914 sure showed their appreciation of freedom by giving us hugs and kisses and what little bit to eat they had.

As we passed through Calais we saw many prisoners in the cage and they said ‘hello boys, there is a big national ballgame on up at the lines,’ and believe me it was some game, but they lost. The Kaiser went to the game and his knees were shaking and to his bodyguard he said ‘give me room to run for I have got failure of my heart’ and run he did.

Pvt. R.C. Madry Writes Mr. R.L. Hardy

An interesting letter has just been received from Private R.C. Madry, written on December 27 from ‘over the Rhine.’

He states that he was on three fronts, two in the Argonne and at Sedan, and apparently escaped being wounded as he does not mention it.

Of course he is anxious to get back since “all is over-over there” and he is now encamped on the Rhine, at a summer resort facing a beautiful castle owned by Anheiser Busch, the St. Louis brewer.

Since the armistice has been declared he has marched through France and Belgium and 100 miles into Germany.

He mentioned how glad he is to have received the copies of The Commonwealth, which seem like letters from home.

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