Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-05-15
OUR BOYS
OUR CoUNTRY'S SERVICE

Friends of Erwin Higgins Of Man
chester will be pleased to learn that
ne has been well ever since leaving
TOR France, last August. But just
no" he Is IN the hospital on account
or has eyes. He has been taking a
course in electricity and has passed
his examinations with high rank
his eye trouble is conjunctioritis,
caused by straining. Mr.. Higgins
WRITES nome that the people use the
boys fine and that the country is
nice but it cannot come UP to the L..
;. Where he was stationed the win
ter was short and mild with no very
cold weather. He had pleasant
surprise not long ago when he saw
Ernest Hewett and Willard Jackson,
two East Winthrop boys. who were
the first boys from home he has seen
since he LETT the L. S. last August.
He is hoping to see some Of the boys
in the old I'd Maine soon. The name
of Erwin Higgins outfit has been
changed and now it is Battery D, SD
Artillery, {. A. c., A. f. +.
HC lOiloHl uS ID at reuter- IeCNullS
received from Private First Class
Oliver d. Letendre, NJ Company,
1881 Infantry, A. L. F.. France, by his
sister, Mrs Eva Arbour, Z Bond
street, Augusta:
February IA, 1918.
My Dear Sister:
Received your last letter with
| oh I Of a. n
! hear from you all. Well. Eva, | hope
you didn't worry too much while we
were in the trenches. l will tell you
all | can Eva, because you know the
censor will not allow us to write
things that might give information
to the enemy. ! Will not tell YOU
just how long we were there, but |
will tell you | was right close to the
front all the time the battalion was
in the trenches and | went in the
first line quite q few times. | know
what it is now to be under fire and
it was quite a sensation. Believe
me, when l first heard the music Of
machine gun bullets pass on both
sides of my head ! got used to it
pretty quick though, and | wouldn't
mind it after awhile. 1t was a great
experience Eva and III have to ad-
nit l liked it at times. What |
didn't like at all was those big Ger
! man shells. NJ Company did not go
In the first line trench. They We're
quarantined for scarllt fever. AS for
me being orderly for the Major |
went with the battalion. 1t is too
bad the company couldn't come. it
would have been a great lesson for
them, it was a quiet sector and some
companies did not lose a man.
My first real wal experience hap
pened after / had been at the front
for about five days. That night the
Germans sent some gas. You have
heard of that awful gas they use.
But we are well prepared for them.
we have good gas masks. Well. the
gas was sent and a few mon got it
pretty bad. AS we were not very far
from that company all of US orderlies
got up and we went and got those
men on stretchers. That was my
| first smell of German gas. The rcgi-
ment did all that was expected Of it
III sure. ne Germans never COnid
! get nearer than the barbed wire, and
then what was left of them ran back
| During the time We were there we
were almost constantly under shell
! fire. but the American artillery in
back Of us always got the best of the
Gsrnans.
Gee, but | think l could write
whole week and have something more
to say Of my stay in the trenches. but
we are allowed TO write on only
one sheet ard Only once a week to
I the same person. because otherwise
| it would take all the officers time to
censor our mail. Tell them all not to
worry about the Old I'd Maine. we'll
take good care of ourselves. Trans
late this letter to EdOuard. III write
again soon. Ask ne anything else
YOU want to know and I'll try to an
swer YOU. Pm in the best Of health
We will go in our old place now for
good long rest
Your loving brother. as ever.
LIST Glass Private
Oliver David Letendre.
M Co, 1913 u. S. Inf.