Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1918-05-08
A SPLENDID RECORD BOMBS BURST IN AIR
BUT LEROY DURNI AND HIS ENGT-
NEER REGIMENT SAY IT'S LUL-.
LADY MUSIC.-AIR COMBATS.

Somewhere in France, April 6. rs.
My Dear Mother:
| just received three letters from
you. Two were dated about Jan. II
and the other Feb. %. When reading,
them it seemed so funny to think that
they were so old, but welcome YOU
bet
| am working at my trade. I am
20. tailor and you should see the
work | do, at least one months work
ahead no joke. The Co. barber and
shoe maker are in the same place
with me. 1t is like the old cabin on
the farm in the heart of a wood. 1t
IS very wild around here. There are.
wild hogs and lots of geese and
DUCKS. | DO not understand how thew
can live. 1t seems to me that gas
would have killed them long ago.
nave 1t very nice now and [ surely
wish you would not worry about me.
mere is no cause for you to worry
SO please don't. We are just back of
the third line trench. There is al
ways the roar Of guns in my ears.
Aeroplanes are as thick as flies
German, French and American planes.
Great battles take place over our
headS between two or more planes.
At last one will fall. How we all
cheer when it is a Boche's machine
When Boche comes over the line
shower OF shrapnel shells and high
explosives follow him. We have to-
wear our steel helmets then for safe
ty sake or we might not help win the.
war
You people at home will probably
never know just all we see but it is
something | never can forget. A.
shell exploded in our new road about
htty yards from this hut. The bows
are driven into dugouts nearly every
day but the fellows don't mind it at
all they are so brave now.
Nearly all the boys that were down
10 Lake Geneva last year with me are.
in service now.
Well mother do not expect a letter
SO often as it is hard for me to write.
| suppose you read a lot about the
z3rd Engineers in the papers. You
know the engineers put up the barb
wire entanglements and cut them
ahead OF the infantry. They are al
ways first and last on the field.
nave nice fire going in this old tin
stove that | use for heating irons and
my hut is real nice and comfortable
tonight. The rats are busy bothering
me. Some of them are as big as cats
About every fifteen minutes a big gun
goes off not too far away some times
The jar knocks my candle over. They
have been dropping shells very near
today and I guess it Jared me into
writing. The most interesting thing
we see is the air duels. [ have seen
q No.
flyers are pretty good. They get a
German nearly every day in this sec
ton but once in a while they are un-
lucky.
Well | suppose you Will be anxious
to know when this war will be over.
but not any more than we are. Those
bloomin' Germans had the nerve to
try and shell g. road the bows had lust
finished but they missed it a mile.
They couldn't hit the broad side of a
barn. Our artillery answers them with
with twenty shells for every one Of
theirs, but to take it as a whole this
life is playing with death, but to be
honest with you I am glad I'm here
think it will be over in few
months. The boys in the first line.
trench have found women in the Ger
man trenches. Well this is enough
OF this dope. I will try and write
once a week. I had my picture taken
and will send you one. I see by the
papers some of the boys from home
were on the Tuscania How about
Jack Edwards? The sky is beautiful
when they shoot the star shells up
and the flame flashes across the sky
from the mouth Of the guns. Well I
will lie down and let the big guns
rock me to sleep. Tell Lloyd [ am
getting SO strong it will be easy for
me to handle him. Well give my
very best to all inquiring about me.
lie Roy D. Durni