The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-01-01
Clifton townsend BatheS
Within German Gun Range.
WOUNDED AT M0UoUET
Local Boy Tells Of Experience
In Great War,

parents
Graduate of Local School.
Clifton Townsend is an Oklahoma
City boy. a graduate OF the local high
school. In the summer OF 1915 he
Joined the Canadian army. In Scptem'
her, this year, he was wounded IN an
engagement with the Germans near
Mouquet farm, on the French front
He was in practically every large bat
tie on the French front. He is now
in the Canadian convalescent hospital
at Woodcotc Park, EPSON, England,
from a compound fracture of the skull.
This was followed by paralysis OF the
left leg and arm and slight paralysis
of the left side of the face.
His face is now nearly normal, ac-
cording to report received by Mrs,
Townsend from an officer OF the hos
pi,al. and the arm and leg are gradu-
ally rcsumng their strength. The OF
iiccr states that the wounded man is
obliged to walk with cru,ch and tina.
"he will never be completely fit"
Letter From Son.
Mr. Townsend's last letter. written
at EPSON on December 3, follows:
Il will try to write you tonight, bu,
there are two fellows here talking and
| can't keep my mind on what ! am
writing; besides my head is on the
rampage again tonight. The lower LET,
side OF my head and left ear are real
hot while my right side is cool
guess it is a kind of fever. The
doctor says my head may be like this
for months and there is nothing to be
done for it,
"Thc pain tires me out but dom
worry, mamma, for will be all right
some time and even at that | consider
that got out lucky, Am still on 4
cru,ch. Have been trying TO use 4
cane, but can't make any progress a
all, and the other cripples will hav,
nothing to do with me when il come
to walking
Played Baseball,
81 will try to answer your questions
first The base is the place from which
a contingent gets II reinforcemcnts, anC
ours is La liavrc. France; any one
billet is the place you 60 to after yo,
come out of the trenches for rest. Our
was always within Fritz artiller,
range in both Belgium and France. A
Albert we played baseball against tn
Sixteenth, with shells flying over ou
heads all the time.
I'VE didn't worry about that, The.
sound like freight trains going through
the air At Yprcs we used to q
swimming within a half mile OF tn
front line trenches. We got shelle,
out once, but scrambled to cover befor
anyone got hit
The clearing station where | wa
taken to was at Albert All they d,
there is innocuate you and in cxtrem
cases might operate on you. 1t is jus
first aid station.
Machine Gun Operator.
"Whcn was wounded ! was firing
machine gun and was about 8 feet u
on a parapet thought thousand
ton hammer had hit me and | fell 4
the ground.
"Just after regaining consciousne"
shell explosion buried me for tw
hours. Then | was dug ou,-(gues
friry meant to make good job n
me)--then ] was taken down to 40
foot deep German dugout called a
Australian dressing station.
1T was sure crowded | had TO la
on the floor for six hours in mud an
water, but II was better than in III
trenches or in a shell hole exposed I
shrapnel and high explosive she'll fire.
Lucky, He Says.
From there | was carried about
mile on s,retcher over No Man
Land Was lucky to get out. for she'll
were breaking all around us. Then
was put in a small car with some o,he
fellow who was shot in the back--an
a horse pulled Us for about a mil,
When the motor ambulance came ] wa
inspected again and then sent on
train of ambulance cars. They too
us 10 the nnSpital.
81 made the trip pretty well fror
Boulogne TO Dover. My head hur
pretty badly and 1t was all could d
to keep from being seasick. Was oper
ated on next day and the meanes, thin
ever was they stole every cent had.
Il am sending you description O
the battle ! was wounded in-Mouque
farm. The artillery used at Verdu
was child's play in comparison. Tn
conclusions of the explosives woul
seem as though they would tear you I,
pieces, have seen boys dead with no
scratch on them, from shell shock,
Hard to Hold Trenches.
IL, is easy to take Fri,,'s renehe,
10 hold them is the terrible part, 70
he has the range down to an inch an