New Britain herald., 1917-10-04
WAR ALMOST ENDED.
 HUMAS0N'S BELIEF
New Britain Ambulance Driver
 Sees IA Year Old Prisoners
KAISER ON LAST LEGS
Christmas Dinner in New Britain, Is His Optimistic View-Man Miles Behind the Gun As Important As Poilu in the Front Line Trench.

Behind the Gun As Important As
 Poilu in the Front Line Trench.
 While the boys are marching away to Camp Devens, a letter full of optimism, declaring that the war will soon be brought to a successful close and that he expects to be home for his Christmas dinner, has been re- ceived by MT. and Mrs. Harris B. Humason of POI Vine street. from their son, Howard c. Humason, who is with the American Ambulance corps in France.
 The missive from the war-ridden frontiers of France depicts in a most vivid manner the activities of the AL lies to down the Kaiser. That the Huns are slowly but surely being reduced to dire straits, is evident, Humason writes, from the appearance of the prisoners brought into camp Some are merely boys of about the aPos of IA years.
 This war is won now" declares Humason, land while the Allies may have to pay for a while longer, peace is none the less sure."
 The letter in part follows:-
 Enjoys Quiet for Three Weeks.
 Aug. 26,1917 My Dearest Mother:-
 "I am afraid that somewhat over week has elapsed since my last letter but l have really had nothing to write about. This may seem an extremely strong and strange state ment from one in the war zone of France but it Is a fact. This sector has been exceedingly quiet for three weeks. Since my last letter to you we have had just three trips; one to a town back of the lines for an ex- change of cars and we no longer sport the Croix de Guerre on our cars; the second with load of shells and the third with some lumber de- lenses. The last few days, however there has been every evidence of usual activity and by the time this letter reaches you we will probably be in full swing again; at least every sign points that way. The presence of a prominent general in this vi- cinity, number of troops on the road moving to and fro. and q large number of guns moving always to- ward the front. in fact right at the the front. or as near the actual line as we get are a number of changes in the past three weks. Yesterday, for example, we made a journey to point well up but sheltered by a high hill which renders the road invisible to the Huns. When we last made the journey but a comparatively short tirae ago, it was over a fair but rough country lane; but yesterday it had changed into fine, wide, macadam road; at the unloading station there ri> o1l1 where formerly the camions were the only source of getting supplies and there are also a series of narrow gauge railways running up and be- yond. The same is true of the other points of usual call. Well built roads. train service and extensive telephone systems are now seen where none existed before.
 I've little realize back home what France has had to bear during the last three years and just how much it amounted to to keep it conducted on an offensive basis. Somehow we get, or at least l had a hay notion that all that was necessary was to raise an army and navy and keep them fed and that was all there was to it but here one begins to see 8 totally different view, particularly in this service for one gets much moro intimate view of war as conducted behind the lines. It is not nearly as glorious or hurrah work perhaps but just as important in the part it plays. The country is just as dependent on those engaged few miles behind the lines as they are on the front trench poilu and 1t is only by seeing it that you begin to realize what France has done. For you can read of the iron, anywhere these days but little is said of the man way behind the guns The horse drawn vehicles of course carry loads to the very front positions but they are very limited in their ca pacities and this means that roads must be kept in condition good enough to allow heavy vehicles to pass over them-the narrow gauge railways must be built to handle guns of the heaviest calibre-telephones must be laid and kept in repair to allow prompt forwarding of orders men must be had in numerous quan- titles to load and unload all mater ial at innumerable parks-enough me- chanics must be had to insure cam ions etc, to be in the best of con- ditions-carpenters are needed every where to erect barracks for the constantly changing troops and every time an advance is made the lines must be pushed forward and all com munications already built. whether rail, road or wire, must be kept in repair and all of the above must be done without drawing on the neces- sary troops who are doing the worst bit
 Cest la Gucrre.
 Tt is really pitiful sight at times to see and realize how all the things are done. The track layers, the road builders, the leaders and the car penters are all men of age ranging