Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-08-13
Io,Oa College Student.
in Canadian Army
on War in France

AmeS, Aug. lS.-ln the ielteT WHICH
| is given below Zakir .Abdullin, Rus
| sian student who attended Iowa state
College for two years and departed
| last summer 10 join the Canadian
! forces, some interesting phases of the
| war are related. The letter was re-
! ceived by Prof. Z. E. Eastman OF the
! soils department at Iowa State College
| The Russian lad went TO Canada TO
! enlist and from there was sent to Eng
! land to train and was put in action i'm
! nediately. AS ne tells below he was
| in the siege al Vimy Ridge, where he
was injured by shell fire. 60"
The letter in part follows:
i was in France during April and
was put out of commission at Vimy
Ridge. but l hope my old service gun
wiped out about twenty Huns. ana l
don't in the least regret il. On April
% I was in the front line when one OF
the Hun shells dropped right in front
of the place where ! was sitting MY
comrades dug me out later as learned
and l got a small piece OF schTapnei
out of my finger. ! was sent back 10
England but stayed very short time
in the hospital and am completely re-
covered from my experiences as wei
as the conclusion. Inc nurses |G:e
very kind TO me and coming back to
old England seemed like going 10
heaven.
Il am now again ready 10 &c 2- the
Huns for the second time, altho know
what hell Of place l am going to.
had a long leave in London and en-
loved my time tremendously. l saw TWO
American officers. l talked with them
and they told me a lot about America
They surely were surprised TO md an
American college boy in the ranks OF
the Canadian army.
~ am glad that you people are
awakening to the fact that there IS
a war in Europe and coming TO give
US a hand. | suppose You folks want
to know something about my expert
ences and let me frankly tell you
that it is just like going in not water
and getting out as quick. l was only
eight DAYS at the front. When ! first
went there / felt kind of nervous,
not scared or trembling, but just not
feeling very easy. Bullets whizzins'
machine guns keeping up their in
4
| bombs and trench mortars going and
| coming and shells swinging by-lt is
worth while seeing anyway You
| know nothing and when we went
! over the top We were feeling good ana
did not stop TO figure it out, but Went
| TO it any old way and l came throusn
unhurt.
German soldiers are of all sizes
| fat, slim. wearing glasses and LOOK
| like typical German professors. AFTER
STAYING bit I got used to 1t, eul
wish I was at home. You trot along
| lust the same as if German shells don
! blow. you TO pieces
y hope single people will be drafted
| first and let the married people alone
in the United States, and hope that
hand in hand we will clean up Kaiser
! Billy BY the fall OF 1918.
| For the easy side Of life here we
are not very far from London and get
passes occasionally. Lots Of girls
around here and the place Is not so
| DRY as Iowa. Such is the GONZALES
| cent life we lead and hope you dom
envy us as consider them needful Tor
| a while. 49,.
81 am glad that Russia Is coming
| along and recovering from the SET
| backs and changes. German taubes
| come here and sometimes succeed IN
| killing a few women and chndren
| and demolishing some houses but to no
| military value But that is the way
| the Germans fight and l am glad
| was not born Hun"