The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1917-09-06


France. was received recently by o. ].
Rundahl and has been handed to the
Weekly Record for publication. He
leays: ~
Just few lines to let you know
that | am still alive. in case my last
better did not reach you. l have
moved over about half OF France since
crossed the Atlantic and we are ex-
pecting another big move before long.
I'VE are now attached to what is
called "a flying division" 1t is COM
posed OF $4,000 men and its chief duty
is attacking the enemy. Nice. choice
work. this. All the men have to do is
20 jump out of the trenches and rush
across "no-mans land" and assault
the German first line trenches. We
joined the division while the men
were on repose for three days after
filling up the ranks with recruits 1t
only took 1900 new men to bring the
division up TO its full quota: the num-
ber II had lost in two years of fight
ing. A pretty heavy slaughter as you
will conclude.
Il expect TO 20 to Belgium before
long SO will get into some nice warm
territory. Ii was with great reluct-
ance that we accepted helmets, gas
masks and identification tags when
they We're issued to us by the new
authorities. but now we are beginning
TO see of what great value they are to
a soldier on the European battle front
This new gas is invisible and will get
you quick. The steel helmets come
ea very handy when schrapnel and
scrap iron is flying around in a pro-
miscuous manner The Identification
tags are worn around the waist and
if you are blown TO pieces they can
send word to your divisional com
mander and give him a chance TO get
a new man to take your place.
I'VE get some very sad cases in the
ambulance corps once in while Il
had a man the other day tha; had
been at the front three years and he
became insane. Then / had another
with about ten medals on his breast
but minus an arm and a leg. II is
sure some job to' get about two
stretcher cases and FIVE or six other
wounded men. but able to sit up. in
the ambulance at once Some are
bowling and screaming with pain and
others look like they were dead. You
give the motor speed and then some
slightly wounded man yeils thru the
phone TO slow up over the bumps An
other fellow. whose wounds need in
stant attention at the hospital, orders
you to hurry up. so there you are The
only thing you can do is to use your
own best judgment in the matter. You
are sure TO get e,lssing from some.
body.
The worst predicament Of all is to
get broke down in the line and not be
able TO move your car. either forwards
or backwards. Along the front the
road is just wide enough for two ma
Chimes 10 pass. On this road is an ap-
Darently endless line of vehicles;
transports. ammunition wagons. am
balances, artillery and nearly every
thing else you can imagine. You are
not permitted 10 pass a car ahead of
you and if you break down you stop
the whole procession. Then the fun
starts Everybody begins yelling or
ders of some kind and using profanity
like the army in Flanders" The fel-
lows going in the opposite direction
cannot stop 10 help you as they run
about four feet apart. and. if they at
tempted to do so. they would tie up
their own line All of this time the
artillery is firing over your heads so
you see II is bad situation to be
caught in. | have not been caught yet
and am trying to be careful to avoid
it,
The only sweets We can get out
here is sweet chocolate and II costs
like fury. In Paris one can buy ice
cream at the small price of forty cents
dish. and the dishes are not very
large either. 1t was sure hard for our
fellows to get used TO the kind of food
we have over here. No breakfast and
potatoes and stew and army bread for
dinner and supper In three weeks
from now | will get a week of and
am either going back to Paris or cross
The channel 10 London for the purpose
OF getting a square meal with all of
the dainties on the bill Of fare.
General Sherman was sure right
when he said war IL hell II is all of