Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-22
SEES HULKS OF Nine
TANKS ON TRIP
TO FRONT
PLANES WRECKED
OTTAWA PHYSICIAN ON DUTY
WITH BRITISH FORCES PAINTS
GRAPHIC WORD PICTURE or
WASTES SOMEWHERE IN
FRANCE.

Thrills In plenty are contained in
Dr.. Roswell Pettit's latest letter from
somewhere in France in which he
relates his experiences while serving
with III British expeditionary forces
at the first line casualty clearing
houses. The story is best told in
Lieut.. Pettit's own inimitable way. He
says:
October 29th, 1917
Dear Father:
II seems like an age since wrote
last and In fact, 1t has been about
that az ! look back on all | have
heen through during the past four
or five days.
Last Wednesday, believe it was
III Is hard to keep track of time)
s0t orders TO proceed to Man
Dressing Station from the Casualty
Clearing Station. had expected to
stay on at the c. c. S. until the
present 0tfensiyes were over, but
there Is one thing about the Army
that Is Characteristic; a fellow never
knows what to expect next.
! telegraphed for car. 1t came
went up to the Main dressing sta
tion II had rained all day, the roads
were covered with mud and water
and the farther up we went the
worse the roads became. We could
hear the boom OF the cannons get
ting palmer and palmer. The
flames from them grew brighter TN
I'll at times these flashes would
light up the whole landscape. Dur
Ing the last part OF the trip We had
some little trouble getting around
places where dropping shells had
blown holes In the road We finally
got there and found the Main dress
ing station in the cellar OF dilapi-
dated house In village that had
literally been shot to pieces. The
cellar was nicely whitewashed.
lighted by electricity and very well
equipped to take care of the wound
ed. | went on duty Immediately
and was kept fairly busy all night.
There were two of us on duty and
about 600 cases passed thru our
hands and were taken by ambu-
lances down to the c. C. S. where
they were operated on ii urgent. of
II not, sent on to the base.
In the morning | stepped out to
have q look around II was cold,
drizzling rain, and across the road
In o big graveyard men were busy
digging trenches and burying the
dead In another field. under a
camonfage. big ten-inch gun was
pounding away. The noise was
fierce. hadn't noticed so much
down In the cellar, bu, the first time
! heard 1t close up, jumped abou
q foot.
slept most of the day and JUS
as J was going on duty in the even
ing an order came thru directing mt
to the advanced dressing station tt
relieve a man that had been blowl
up by a shell, and while not severe
ly injured. had been badly shaker
up. went up In an ambulance ]
the other roads had been bad thes
roads were Bladder" or even bad
dest." We passed up roads that
would have thought impossible
some places up 10 the hubs in mn
and then over loose planks swim
ming In mud. All the time we wer
passing wagon trains carrying Il
ammunition and we went thru acre
of piled up shells.
MULES uNMlNDFUL
OF DANGER.
We got up TO the end of this roa
finally and the officer In charge {
this car rendezvous" gave me
guide--we couldn't go any flrth,
In a car. My guide took me mp
marrow plank road and from tn
point on we passed men on hors
back leading trains Of pack mule
Ammunition was carried on u
pack mules In saddle bags. Ca
mons were literally all around Il
a .earu A 49,. sn.,, ,,r ,,ttk .hs