The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-10-30
From Corp. w. J. Hill.

Dear Folks at Home
During the last three weeks have
written the least number of letters
since have been in France, but ! have
done the best could under the circum-
stances 50 YOU folks viii have 20 excuse
me.
Now we are at the front again and
pretty we'll settled for business. I will
try and catch up with my letters. We
certainly had a good move this time
and / saw many interesting places and
some fine scenery. ] can't 60 into de-
tail about the trip nor tell you how long
il took because that would be going
against censorship rules. I would rath-
er travel any time b. motor convoy rs
we did this time, than by train You
travel slower and 50 can see lot more
than if YOU travel BY train The truck
T was on was the ration truck so you
know l didn't starve. We had fine eats
during the whole trip and are getting
The same now We passed through
lot Of devastated country and we also
passed through civilization again ana
saw my first civilian in about month
However. we are back again in 40
Mans Land" and everything IS just as
barren and desolate as the other place
The only difference is that before we
were in a ruined village but now we
arc in dugouts in a big woods Tar
away from any village said woods.
but there isn't much Of woods left The
trees are nothing but skeletons. with
no leaves and the limbs broken off The
ground is covered with shell crsters and
in some areas they are only three or
four feet apart. Right now Il Is com
paratively quiet here but at one time
there must have been an awful BUNCH
OF shells fired here.
The best part of the place we are now
located is the dugouts. The dugout l
live in is certainly a coy one and a
regular home There are four double
decker hunks or eight in all and I sleep
in an upper Why. they are every bit
as comfortable as Pullman and we
have the coolies thrown in TO boot We
are about fifteen feet under ground with
plenty Of protection over us. The cell
ny IL well supported BY big beams and
rafters and then there IS a large layer
of sand bags, a layer of sheetiron. a
LAYER of stone etc. and about fivet feet
of earth on top These dugouts were
built by the Frenchmen and they GER
tainly are good ones. Then we have 2
VGntilatQr smart at DIb tiib 80 ~ 10
pure air all the time. There is a wood
en- floor. the walls are wooden and it IS
lust as dry as a powder house The
rats and coolies keep us good company
50 we don't get lonesome For the FIRST
time / have found some "cooties" and
they sure are pests. 1 haven't had q
hath for about a month and no chance
/ for one very soon. That isn't worring
me because we're out to lick the Huns
I and get home VIII write again soon.
(, Love to all,
CORP. VIM. ]. HILL.
| Somewhere in France, Sept p, 1918.
Dear Folks at Home;
/ Am seeing some real fighting nov
| DAYS and the greatest artillery bonn
bardment since We have been at the
/ front. Fritz is certainly getting hi
1 and no mistake and the prisoners arr
pouring back by the hundreds. | have
seen no less than Ave hundred forlorr
looking Dutchmen pass along thes'
roads in the last three days They arr
all satisfied to get out of the scrap ant
never make an effort 10 escape. GU
bows feed them we'll which IS more thar
thew would do to our prisoners. ~
that's the difference in men. It's conf
cal to see a crowd of our fellows gather
around a bunch of these fellows cuttini
buttons off their coats and getting al
I kinds of souvenirs. / haven't beer
lucky enough to get a souvenir as We
as the only one l want is the kaiser
scalp. They haven't got any heart t
fight any more and they give themselves
up with out any resistance. They know
we'll enough that it's losing night an'
Bill from Berlin had better realize tn
same fact soon or he won't have enough
men to keep the country going. 1 can't