Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-10-19
LIEUT.. POOL WRITES
FROM FRANCE; NOW
in ENGLISH CAMP
OTTAWA OFFICERS IN TRAINING
WITH THE BRITT n FORCES
WRITES INTERESTINGLY OF
EXPERIENCES ENCOUNTERED
NO "SUBS" ON WAY "OVER."

c\FEHtE NCeS- ENCOUNTERED
NO "sUBs" ON WAY "ovER."
A letter received by Mr.. and Mrs
Carlisle M. Pool, of South Ottawa
from their son. Lieutenant Ernes
Pool, who now Is somewhere il
France tells interestingly of the OF
tawa boys experience in a British
training camp, where he and thirty
five other American boys, includin,
Lieutenant Bushnell Fullerton, for
mer Ottawa boy, are billeted
The American officers in Lieut.
Pools party are being trained in al
the modern arts of warfare and al
soon as they have been thorol,
schooled they will return to tn,
United States to do instructing worl
In various cantonments of the coun
try.
Lieut.. Pools letter follows:
Sept 80, 1917 Sunday
Somewhere"
Dear Folks
! have at last, after months
travel, arrived at rather perman-
ent stopping place. At least | will
be here for some time to come, and
therefore will take a little time to
tell you what | expect to be doing.
did not know until yesterday where
was to be located, so there was
nothing to write to you except that
was we'll. and | presume that you
knew that anyhow
Thirty-five of us have been sent
to what is known as the Bird Brit
ish training camp. which opens hert
tomorrow. can't tell you where It
Is located. Many of the boys have
been sent to other such camps, both
of the English and the French, and
all expect to be taught the latest
forms OF military tactics.
AS | just told you, this school
opens tomorrow morning, and will
be composed of a number of Brit
ish officers, who have returned from
the front for brief rest, and we
thirty-five Americans. The camp
will cover a period of five weeks,
and during this time we expect to
learn a great deal, and also have a
good time. The English apparently
believe that sports should be played
great extent, and that too much
work Is bad for the system
AS you already know, our voyage
over the sea was rather uneventful
We saw nothing of submarine at
all, altho the last few days we hoped
that we might see one, just for the
experience. can tell you that we
did not come directly across the
ocean, but lodged about to great
extent, seeing many other ports
than New York and (censored) all
of which | must refrain from tell.
ing. There were eight big steam.
ers In our party, and after we en-
tered the real danger zone, we were
protected on all sides by eight Brit
ish destroyers 1t was wonder
ful sight to see them maneuvering
thru the water, looking everywhere
for sub.
1t has taken me just about a
month to reach my destination, so
you see that have been doing some
travelling, and as ! sit here writing
this can hardly realize that am
so far away.
Peterson and Goldschmidt are still
with me- as well as Bush Fullerton.
We have gotten well acquainted
which makes it especially nice
! Chapman was sent TO another
chool
This morning Pete and took a
little walk out to the edge of the vii
lage, and up to the top of hill
and for the first time was able tc
hear the big guns firing in the dis
tance, many miles away. They say
that you can easily hear the firms
here at any time OF day or night
As far as we are concerned, we viii
not see the trenches for long tim,
not even the last line. Perhap!
they may let us in to see them TO
experience, before we are sen
back to train the men.
must tell you more about thu
village am in and the quarters
have at present Each of us ar,
allowed room all to our selves
and also a servant, who nearl
drives me wild trying to do some
thing for me He Is an English sol
dier who has been sent back bt
cause he was too young, and tn
government uses them as orderlie
and servants for the officers Their
are no other boys here In the hous