Catoctin clarion., 1918-08-08
Somewhere In France.
Interesting Letter From Pri-
yate Walter S. Rice.

NdJC w ulJCI ~. lNlOt.
This week many letters have arrived
from Maryland boys overseas. The fol-
lowing comes from Private Walter s.
Rice, who, just prior to going to camp in
this country, was married to Miss Violet
Flower of this place. Mr.. Rice's home
il at Mountaindale several miles south of
Thurmont.
June %, 1918.
My dearest Violet:
Yes, somewhere is sright, but where
is quite another question, for me as well
as you. really do not know where we
are, but do know that we are just
short way back of an American sector
on the western front. By we, do not
mean our entire outfit. Just few of
US from the Signal Platoon. I'm rather
glad to be able to get some dope on how
things are run up here on the line before
| have to really take my share in run
ming them
guns cut loose at some Hun airplanes
They had the air full of white putfs
around the planes, and an allied plane
has gone over our heads after them at
at least 1916 miles an hour. think he
lost their trail in the clouds. Our bird
men are a nervy bunch This one was
going after four Huns
Some of our men made an attack the
other day and found German soldiers
chained to German machine guns to keep
them from retreatng. I'm sure glad |
am in the u. S. n A. instead of the
German army. We can see enough of
German kulture from our side of the
barbed wire.
Personal envelopes for writing have
been discontinued owing, | suppose, to
abuse of the privilege. Some of the men
would write of everything most, thinking
that the base censor would likely not
open them. That sort of guy spoils a lot
of good things in the army, and of course
others have to suffer on their account
They are generally of the pure ivory head
type and you can't tell them anything
until too late. They are the clan that
stick their heads up over the trench to
see where the Huns are, Result Kill
ed in action, and their names on the
hero list in their home towns.
Lots of the chaps are expecting to
spend Xmas at home. Let's hope they
are right.
June 10Th.
At this time am up on the line where
the ferries are. am rather pleased
with our location, and would rather be
here than in training camp.
| wish you could have seen the dugout
| slept in most of the time since being
up here. 1t was dug back in hill and
had about twenty feet of earth above me.
We had board walls, ceiling and floor
hunks and electric lights All the shells
the Huns ever sent over would not have
hurt us. and We were beyond reach of
the Hun rifles.
have perfectly good Boche SOU
venir already. It's belt buckle marked
'gott NIT uns" Found it in dugout.
Wonder if the poor chap was SO silly as
to think that God was really with them
in spreading Hun kulture over the world.
saw a rather impressive sight few
days ago Was on hill and watched the
Huns shell a deserted village near the
lines. The buildings were all in ruins as
| could see through glasses. Could see
the cloud of dust and smoke as the shells
exploded and then the roar of the gun,
the scream Of the shell and then the noise
of the exploding she'll Owing to the dis
tance | saw the shell explode before |
heard the discharge Of the gun.
Saw German anti-aircraft battery
shooting at one of our planes last even
ing and one shell came 50 close that it
nearly upset the plane thought
we sure had one plane less, but the chap
had luck and came through O. X. Some
excitement? Well guess, yes
was Up in the second line few days
ago getting some dope on signal work,
but at present am back in reserve. You
may think | am prevarcating, but I'd
rather be up front than here. You can
see what is going on up there, while here
you can not, and you really get to enjoy
hearing those big shells go over your
head and land with bang on the other
side. It's real sport SO long as they go
over When they get too coming close
it's mine for the dugout at double time
Two of our chaps got their wind up,
as the Tommies say, a few days ago and
both beat it for dugout The first one
there got his rifle crossways in the en-
trance and neither got in until after the
shell had passed far over and exploded
July 7th
didn't get much sleep last night as
Boche airplane and one of our big bat
teries were playing hide and seek The
plane was doing the seeking. The bat
terry would wait until the plane had pass
ed over it and then drop big shells over
in Hunland at the rate of ten to the min
ute for several minutes, AS the plane
would get back and try to locate the bat
terry by the flash of the discharge, the
boys would quit firing and reload till
Jerry got far enough away on the other
side and then they'd cut loose again.
Jerry generally sends his planes over our
lines at night, as flying is healthier for