Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-11-11
LOCAL MAN TELLS
OF WAR ACTIVITY
And What the Y. NJ. C. A. Sec
rotary Does In France.

! The following letter from Mr.. J.
. u. Evers. q Y. NJ. c. A. War secre.
tary in the fighting zone is not only
OF interest because OF his graphic
manner and the fact that it is writ.
ten to his young son, but because of
the connection with the great drive
10 be started in Martnsburg next
week in the interest of the United
War Activities fund. The Y. NJ. C. A.
/ is one of the leading seven benefie
iiaries by this fund and Mr. Eyers
letter, gives an excellent idea OF
what tile y NJ. c. A. secretary has
to do and what the "Y' is accom-
plishing for the boys "oYer there"
The letter which was addressed to
Master John Upton Eyers, Jr.. Mar
tinsburg rural rout 5, is as follows
Oct Sth. 1918,
Hellol John Dad is trying TO
answer your good letter. Wish l could
tell you., near which town here we
are but the censor will not permit it.
How would you like to live in the
woods part Of the time surrounded
by big and little beach trees? The
nuts from the beach trees are falling
and they are much smaller than
chestnuts-three cornered looking.
The soldiers eat them with relish,
in fact these boys seem to have an
appetite for almost anything Open
air life causes it, / think. How would
you like TO live with shells dropping
in these woods, big and little ones
from the enemy, some tearing great
holes in the earth, some cutting off
great trees as large as you have
ever seen, some uprooted. How
would you like to hear those shells
in the night come crying as they
tear through the air with all kinds
Of peculiar sounds and striking ali
around and as they strike burst with
an explosion as loud as when they
left the gun? The other day I stood
in one huge shell hole and watched
Z shots from a big 255 Bertha go
over to long dugput which the en-
envy thought were occupied by our
men. | could not see the shots, they
went too fast for that but | heard
the howl or crying whir of the big,
big shell which looks like a huge
bullet and then 1t would strike and
burst throwing fragments and small
er bullets with which it was filled,
IN all directions. How would you like
those fellows to burst in the air 100
feet above you, and hear the pieces
whiz and whir? How would you like
to- be called by the guard in the mid
ole OF the morning, 2.30 or 3 O'Clock
crying gas masks; get your gas
inasksi Are you awake in there? get
YOUR gas masks! etc? How would
You like to be within machine gun
range. Of the enemy. where they
could riddle you with one sweep OF
a single gun and afterwards we as
certained there were over 400 ma
chine guns there. for we captured
them. How would you like to be in
trenches and out creeping over mo
mans land" with the bullets of a
mil txrJxt n. ht, aIx MI
and closer? Well these are a few of
the experiences Of Dad and he never
reveled in them either for then, at
moments, as others feel life seem
ed cheap and just like frariIn
thread Well al this is war and a
part of life at the front. at times.
Since last July 18th there have
only been II days when Dad has not
been under shell fire or Where he
could be shelled or bombed or in 9th
err words ON the front and these ia
days we were in little town and it
was rest, real rest, one could sleep
without being disturbed. There
rented the towns largest hall, open
ed a "Y" ran a canteen. opened with
stock of 3100 francs worth Of sup
plies, had reading. writing and
game, talks and was open from a.
m. until 1880 p. m. and yet it was
rest for the nerves. for we could not