The Natchitoches enterprise., 1918-08-15
Letter From England

lens staff, he was appointed by |
Gen. Biddle as officer-in-chief with
two others as assistants to take
charge of the United States En-
barkation Office. at Southampton,
England. All of the American
troops feed" thru that port aud
it his duty to look after their de-
barking and re-embarklng; send
them to rest camps, on to France
Italy, etc., and while a very re-
sponsible, it is very interesting,
'''job,' and he has seen men from
every part of the United States,
the Natchitoc1es boys among
them.
! He writes that he wishes he
could tell some of the interesting
and exciting things that happen
daily, but is of course unable to do
SO; but the following letter to his
mother is so full of interesting
things, that at the request Of
! friends it is published
England, in war times, is very much
different from any of the things | had
conceived. We all read about these
conditions, but can't realize them until
you hit them face to face.
| To begin with, you are first struck
/ by the entire absence of men here;
none but the very old or very young,
no man up to 50, physically fit, is left.
! The women do everything, run the
street cars (the double decker trans,
something like the Fifth Avenue
busses), do practically all the laboring
work. street sweeping-everything.
Then all wear sombre coiors and seem
to be oppressed, this, of course, being
the natural result OF iour-year war,
with almost everyone having felt GAS
uahty. They are all very enthusiastic
about the Americans, tho, and the
streets are lined every day and night
when the troops pass. There is moth
ing too good, in what they can Go, that
they don't do.
The food condition is still serious,
tho they say, and | can believe, that
England is in no danger Of starving
row, due to her many precautions. We
all eat British rations, and they are
Just 45 per cent of the American ra-
ton. we have TO have our meat cans,
and are allowed one pound week: the
same with sugar, only chat half a
pound, ana every one carries their lit
tie sugar can around with them. Like
wise you are rationed on few other
things, and there is an order about
American troops buying meal in the
city (which you could hardly do any
how. DON mean that we are not
getting enough 70 eat; We are getting
4 enough, but no surplus. 1 miss the
sweets most OF all; no such things as
candy, deserts, ice cream or any OF
taose--ittle- things that l par
ticularly used to like. Whe n
anyone gets a small box, ne
divides it around like knight used
TO give largess.> There are lots of 9TH
er wartime regulations. such as no
lights at night ton account of an occa'
sional air raid), no cars on sunday and
only during cert,in hours Of the day,
ana many other chings.
Many of the hospital ships and trains
con.e in mere daily, here are several o!
tie largest Engnsn hospitals, and | see
and hear many of the things directly
from the front. They make'every one
all the more anxious to get in and GO
their part. Tne colvalescent English
soldiers wear sky-blue and bright red
coJton-suit, and you see them by the
thousands every where in TACT, you see
nothing but evidences, and grim ones
at that, of the wax everywhere.
This is one or the rrettiest and most
historical spots in England, old Hamp-
shire, and Is, in some ways, perfectly
, beautiful. Our camp is III the midst OF
in old private park, magnifcently laid
out, and with wonderful flowers and
shrubbery, 1t is, perhaps, the pretti-
est spot ever aw,-tho not the pref
tiest I'd like to see right now. as you
| can well imagine. There are many in
teresting rla ,es here, tho haye only
managed to see a few on my way to
and from camp, made in our "Dock
Ford, " one of the few cars in this city
: Of two hundred thousand people. Only
War Department cars are allowed, no
, private autos, because of the shortage
of gasoline Il mean petrol; / speak in
British terms in many things now, and
because of the need of all ears of every
sort on the front. So every one rides
|, bicycles-men, women and children,
The total absence of autos, and the
tremendous lot of sedate old people,
cycling around, are perhaps the oldest
things to be seer around here now-a-
days.
We had some great day July Fourth !!
The staid old English outdid them
selves. We never had so many Fourth
of July decorations back home as they
had here. Everywhere was flags and
bunting. Then the school kids had a
jubilee with American songs, and end
ed by forming large flag on the Com
Ioons in colors. all the churches had