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Thursday, August 8, 2019

Corp. Sedgwick Tells of Horrible Accident That Killed Many German Soldiers, Aug. 8, 1919

From The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Aug. 8, 1919.

Corp. Sedgwick Tells of Horrible Accident. . . But Suppose This Had Happened to American Prisoners in Germany Instead of to Germans in France?

Corp. Harry Sedgwick of this city, still with the American Expeditionary Forces in France, gives a horrible account of an accident recently witnessed by him, in a letter written to his father, H.E. Sedgwick, of this city, and dated July 9.

Corp. Sedgwick says that one of the American companies sent out 40 German prisoners under four guards to blow up a lot of ammunition. There was an explosion and out of the 44 men, two or three were killed instantly. About 30 of the Germans were sent to the Hospital and were burned so badly that 17 died shortly afterwards and the remaining 13 have little chance of recovery.

Corp. Sedgwick is with a Guard Company looking after 75,000 tons of ammunition stored at St. Loubes, France, the largest ammunition depot in the world. He tells his father that he isn’t staying in France because he likes it, but because, like thousands of other boys, he can’t help himself. He is in good health and says he hopes to be released shortly if that 150,000,000 pounds of ammunition he is helping to guard doesn’t go off under his feet.

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