Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1917-10-08
Personal Letter
From French Front

tracts from letters received by Mrs.
wv. S. Fielding from her nephew, Ro-
land R. Speers, who is at the front in
France. Mr.. Speers left the United
States with the first Stanford unit.
Although less than 22 years of age,
he is now lieutenant-co commander OF
a section of the American ambulance
service operating on the British
Franco front, which has been recently
taken over by the United States army.
These letters date from August 8
last:
81 received a telegram asking that
be sent to Paris to take command of
a new section. l felt quite badly
about leaving old Section IA and all
my good friends, but of course we
would all be split up soon anyway,
some leaving for home, and others
bound for different branches of the
service. reported at headquarters
and was told by Colonel Andrews I
was to take out one of the new French
sections, of AZ men. French section
means a new departure in our serv-
ice.
eve lost about 200 ambulances on
the torpedoed steamer Orleans a
couple of weeks ago, and as the men
were waiting in Paris for them pre-
paratory to going right out to the
front, 1t meant quite a loss. The
French government, however, sent
word that as the men were all ready,
they would supply the cars to take
the place of the Fords sunk en- route.
So thus we were able to send out
some new sections despite the
'Boches" submarines. These new
sections have French gear-shift cars
with two men to car, so instead of
20 odd men, as in the Ford section.
they contain AZ OF 49 men. Other
wise they do the same work as Ford
section except that they have large
gear-shift ambulances and twice as
many men.
II was asked If l wished to COM
mand one of these sections and ac-
cepted the commission, for since /
have given up the aviation idea, l feel
/ can be of more service all around
in this capacity than if l should re-
turn home, and so think l had better
stay right on the lot although l feel
at times homesick and long to go
back again. | had originally planned
to stay but six months, but now that
war has been declared everything is
changed and feel I could never have
such an opportunity in any service
again. The men for my section were
all in camp near Meaux (there Is no
longer enough room at Rue Ray
nouard) and so took day in Paris
to buy some clothes, as my stock was
in bad shape after nearly six months
wear and tear at the front. | spent
a day at Meaux getting acquainted
with my boys and brought them all
in to headquarters, where l received
final instructions from the field serv-
ice. | must handle all the funds,
which amount to several francs per
month, for the food, ETC., although
the government gives me man to do
the buying, as we'll as cooks, mechan-
les, etc. My French lieutenant Is
very nice chap, about 80 years old,
and very much Of gentleman. In
civil life he is the Baron de la Cheva-
lier and the mayor-governo of his
district. He acts as a go-between the
section and his government and as an
attache and interpreter for me. I
also have nice Renault staff car and
driver from the French to use in the
work.
1--WE left Paris three days ago for
a large auto pare near the front,
where we received our cars, Baby
Flats twenty of them, to replace the
lost Fords. We were attached to a
division of French infantry and are
now awaiting orders to proceed to the
front-in the neighborhood of Arras,
We are In lately recon-
quered portion Of the front, en-
camped in devastated farm. The
Job of getting provisions and sleeping
quarters for section of so, in a land
that was laid waste by the retreating
'Boche' is no small Job for new
chief de section like myself.
"My section is now attached to an
army corps and we expect to follow
them to the fighting front in a few
days. At present we are some kilo-
meters behind the lines, provisioning
and getting in fighting trim. We are
quite close to the British in coun-
try lately wrested from the Germans,
and / can see on an sides things l
used to brand as legendary when told
mt onAo ond doode oov,rott4ad