The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-11-29
FROM over there
PROF. A. Il. IRELAND, BANDNAS-
TER, WRITES.

Under date of Somewhere in
France, October 81, Prof. A. T. Ire
land writes The Daily Leader in part
as follows:
"The bands and myself are doing
nicely. We were, as you know, at
Camps Greene, Mills and Merritt be-
fore e~mbarkation. We had a good
voyage across the Atlantic. Thirty
six years ago today | landed in New
York from England.
well, we crossed the old sod and
were within 40 miles of where my
mother and one of my sisters reside.
1t was quite a disappointment to me
to be so nea to them and not be able
to visit them even for a few hours.
Our time was very limited in that
region, only So hours. We embarked
for this part and it took us three days
TO cross to a point on this side. Our
headquarters had crossed in eight
hours and of course they had given
us up as lost, but at last We doomed
up as usual. We stayed here about
10 days with Portuguese, French,
English and other nationalities. /
went on to Mont Richard, where we
were received very kindly. We stay
ed here about 10 days and then pro-
ceeded to La Courtine in box cars, in
open cars, but / know it was the best
that could be done. We had a long
stay at this latter place, five months.
This is a mountainous region and
stoves and coal, also good stone
buildings used as French barracks.
About July a we moved on to n of
the fronts, this being our fifth after
leaving our first. We arrived at Cha
teau Thierry July 27 and played for
some French ceremonies of which the
147th F. A. band of South Dakota
had the honor of giving the first Of
ficial concert after the Hun evacua-
ton. This city is simply demoraliz-
ed. / stayed here i'm charge of the
instruments and baggage and two
other details were with me.
From here I was ordered to Paris
for musical and medical examination,
the former under DR.. Damrosch, con
ductor of the New York symphony
orchestra. | was ordered to my regi-
ment at once and have been with
them ever since. My first night out
at Chateau Thierry with the regi-
ment was not to be forgotten. If
you could imagine bombs dropped
from aircraft and machine gun fire at
the same time it would perhaps make
you feel a little bewildered.
my band boys are doing excellent
work in scouting, laying telephone
wires and doing wireless work. Col.
Wales says they are fine, every man
of them, SO you e We are good for
something besides blowing a horn.
1T is three weeks since we came
here or to this front SO well known
in 1914. The French say the Huns
can never be driven from it, but they
are steadily re~treating and are sure
to go before our men. If o saw
our doughboys go into action you
could say not less than wonderful.
A few nights & / saw a unit of our
brigade after a short session on their
knees with their chaplain, march
forth to take their positions only a
short way from here. could not
help but say God speed you and good
luck. This was some of our boys
who / knew would never return. But
they are the men that the Huns can
not stop. Out into the cold, rainy
night with no shelter to protect them
they lay until the word is given to
advance, as we say go over the top, to
say the least they get them. | think
the time is very near when the MUIR
derers will be brought to their knees
and all cry "Kamerad," but none
should be taken as such"