Letter from James
Hicks
Soissons, (Aisne)
France
January 22, 1919
Dear Sister:
I take pleasure in dropping you a few lines today while the
sun is shining, for I tell you it seldom ever shines here. The weather is
pretty cold although I have seen no snow yet but we have a lot of rain and damp
weather.
I am on the front again and am with an organization that is
engaged in finding and marking the graves of the American soldiers that were
killed in the war. It is a very interesting as well as a very sad job, for it
takes us over the ground that the boys of the different nations fought so hard
over. I have been working in the office since I came here and like it all right
especially as the weather is cold and bad out side and I can take better care
of myself than if I were on the field, although I will not get to see near so
much of the sights as if I were on the outside. I am near a city that was a
very important one and a nice one before the war but it is only a heap of stone
and mortar now and it is a very sad sight to see the people who were driven out
of their homes by the Germans and find their homes nothing but ruins and often
they have no where else to go for shelter and some of them we find among the
ruins with what shelter as they afford.
I expect to see more on this trip that I have seen
altogether before, as we can look around now without expecting to get shot every
time we show our heads as it was when I was on the front before. I was somewhat
disappointed when I was sent back here as I was in the shipping area and had
hopes of going home soon but I think that it will be worth my time here for I
will see sights that no doubt some folks will come over here from the States to
see after the shipping is so they can travel, and of course it is better now
than it will be by the time they can come for it is better now that it will be
by the time they can come for it is just as they used to see them now and will
soon be changed and lots of the trenches filled up.
There is no use for me to tell you that I want to see you
and all the folks at home for you know that already, but if you will think of
what it is to go months without any word from home and in a land where you can
not talk to the people, you will get an idea of how I feel so often when I am
sitting around and thinking of you. I do not mention this to make you worry for
I am glad to tell you that I am well and able to fight it out to the end and I
know that it cannot be so long as it has been and the conditions can hardly get
worse. I have no news to write and hardly know how to write as it has been so
long since I received a letter. I must get to work so I will close. With much
love and best wishes to you and all my friends and relatives I am as ever,
Your Brother,
Pvt. James F. Hicks
304th Unit
Grave Registration Service
A.P.O. No 782,
American E. Forces
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Letter from Rowland
McLeod
The following letters are from Pvt. Rowland E. McLeod,
S.S.N. 580, Convois Automobile, Par. B.C.M., A.E.F., France, to his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. A.B. McLeod of Pleasant Garden, who were formerly of Richmond county.
Dec. 19, 1918
Dear Father:
Am going to give you a little sketch of our movements, now
that the censor’s rules are not so strict.
We were at the front March 20th a little to the
left of Rheims, stationed in Beaumancourt, a small town. Our posts were around
Berry-au-Bac.
May 14th we were transferred to another division
going to Fismes, Braisne and Soissons, staying a few days in each town.
May 26th we were attached to the 13th
French division, joining them at Roniguy; and have been with them since. At
that time they were just coming out of the lines for a rest. May 27th
we were with them around Fismes and were with them through the retreat back to
Chateau-Thierry. Two of the sections were captured near Fismes.
About the first of June we worked a few days from Ablois—a few
days later had a ten days’ rest near Challons.
The Division went back into the lines at Suippes about June
13th. The section was stationed at Bussy la Chateau from that date
until July 15th.
Most of our posts were around the little town of Sonain—this
part of the front was very hard to hold the 15th of July, as you know,
that was one of the main points the enemy expected to come through.
Went to Dampierre, near Vitry-le-Francois, Aug. 13th,
for a rest until Sept. 5th when we went back to the line at Somme
Suippo, near Suippes, where we worked from until Sept. 26th when we
began to move up. Worked up around Somme Ry. Until Oct. 4th when our
division was transferred to another army to the sector north of Rheims after
four or five days’ rest at Epense, near St. Menehould? They began fighting
again around St. Germamont? and Germont about Nov. 1st. After a week
or ten days we began to move on up, passing through Menzierres. We were about
five miles from this place at a little town. This Nov. 11th I was at
Belval with one of the regiments—passed Bouillon, Belgium, Nieufchateau and
Bretagne.
At present we are at Boxhorn, near Clervaupe, Luxemburg. Of
course have covered all towns anywhere near these mentioned. We stayed around
Rheims long enough to get very well acquainted with the place. Have only been
in Paris once for a few hours. Had four days at Versailles, which is a very
interesting place, on our way up from St. Naziere.
This is just a brief account with nothing to make it
especially interesting, however you can see that most of the time we have been
doing something. Its needless to say that I am very anxious to get back now—for
that’s always understood.
I am well, and have very little work—in fact am a little too
comfortable to be satisfied.
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