The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-26
ARMY CAMP LIFE
OF BARRE MEN
Robert b. Knox Of So7d Field Artillery at
Aver, Mass. Writes Of Many Fea-
lures OF Army Training.

In response TO request for informa
tion concerning TIE Barre men who afe
with the national army at Aver. Mass,
Robert Il. Knox Of Barre sends the fol.
lowing letter TO The Times,
Monday, Sept. "a. 1917.
Dear Sir; | received your letter a
few days ago, and please pardon the de.
lay in answering for have been pretty
busy the last week on account of being
transferred so many times, but expect to
be In the present quarters few weeks.
II have been trying TO locate the Sec
ond bunch from Washington county
Have they been shipped YETI
"ln Battery C. the company / was in
before being transferred there were l4O
of the second quota from Windsor, Add.
son, Caledonia and Lamoille counties
which arrived Wednesday night, Sept. 10.
There were six OF us old men, KenefcS,
Nelson. Duquette. Pruneau and myself
1.-THE other fellow, Ploof, from Windsor
county,, helped the officers issue the
clothing which took some little time, hut
they are a nice clean bunch of men.
I'VE didn't have any bed ticks 20 is
sue and the fellows had 10 sleep on the
bare springs until Sunday when the
trucks arrived from Boston with the
ticks; then the fellows got busy filling
them with straw. The first few nights
some woke up in the morning with the |
print of the springs on their back: ,th-
ers slept with all their clothes on, over
coats and ALL The air being different |
down here, one Is bothered by hcing |
stuffed up until you have been here
week or so.
"Kenefick. Duquette and myself have
been transferred To the Headquarters
company of the 3osd Held artillery and
getting trained to be n-eommissioned
to-day being our irst day.
think the light field artillery is the best
branch in the service. You have to learn
he infsntry's foot drills as we'll as how
20 handle the field guns, horses and the
are of them. We will have about three
,r four weeks of this training ard then
We will be returned to our battery
which is CT as sergeants. There are
bout 30 men in the Headquarters com
'any from the different batteries in
btAt Aba hVh7tch o. PbciNtbuHs l..
Ve also have band.
Il should say there were about 1000
nen arrived yesterday Sunday from ,
'outh Boston. 1t was quite sight to +.
ee them marching in civilian clothes,
arrying suit cases and bundles You !
ever notice thousand men here, the !
lace is so large. There was fellow
rowned here Sunday afternoon, who
Tas in Battery 'B, who came from New
ury, VT. / didn't learn his name; they .
ont advertise anything like that here :
luch. Il have just learned the fellows !.
anne; it is George Belzil, and it was
,und to be accidentall. Yesterday tSun- !,
ay we had large number of visitors, z
lostly on foot because most of the roads !.
ere closed to autos; but there were
w that got by. q
I'VE have a number of Y. NJ G.. As,
J spend our spare time in, writing or =
eing the movies There is one theatre
Iat has eight acts of vaudeville and is .,
city nice, too. The water here is ex- y
llent, il being taken from an artesian ~
ell and pumped intc@ four large tanks u
/ hill and supplies the camp from y
ere.
II am pleased to hear that the folks ~
ck home are interested in what is go
g on at Aver and if this note is of "
" service to you | give it with pleas p
e. If | can be of any assistance at n ~
y time win gladly do so. Respect !. y.
lly yours, ~
Robert B. Knox, Headquarters Co, 70 70
I'd Field Artillery, Camp Devens, Aver, VI VI
ass.
"P. S. Some of the new fellows were 81
in from vaccination and innoculation W
fact, one fellow dropped out altogeth. .,' .n
They will have two more shots of Va Va
loculation with the dose doubled each gu
ne, We have physical examination a..
cry day" Az