The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-07
LIEUT.. H. B. GRAY, ]R.,'
WRITES ON SCENES
ON A BATTLEFIELD
Birmingham Boy Serving as
Liason Officer Somewhere
at the Front
BOYS UNAFFECTED
BY DEATHS SCENES
Lives in Natural Cave Whose En-
frances Are $50 Metres Apart and
Which Is Fifty Feet
Under Ground

Henry B. Gray, Jr., who is a second
l;eutenant and who has been serving
as liason officer in an artillery bat
TALON somewhere along that oatlle
line in France. has written an interest
ing letter to his father, former Lleus'
Gov. Henry B. Gray, regarding ,he
work in which he has recently oeen
engaged
Through these ''home letters" from
tha BOYS in France glimpses are given
of the great drama in France, which
are not otherwise obtained. Tney con-
tain no information of military value
of course, but they contain Informal
ton highly Illuminating to those who
have to stay at home.
Lieutenant Gray's letter reads i'll
part as follows:
Thursday. February IA, 1918.
"Here is another short not to let
you know that l am well. Indeed, since
my last letter I've been leading an
easy life, off on detached duty with
a corporal and private. There's no
work attached to it, only three square
meals a day and 10 or IL hours Of
sleep night. / fell into the place be-
cause of my knowledge of French
ard that is all l can say on the sub
ject. No, not quite all: may add that
I've been associating mostly with ma
jors, with an occasional colonel or
general thrown in. Indeed, my regular
seat at mess is on the left of French
major who speaks no English. And
you should hear us jabber! So lons ss
I keep him in second speed it is o..
X. but if he gets excited he goes
into first.
VEIL OF SECRECY LIFTED
Later The lights went out on me
SO 1 had to stop. However. I'm glad.
because I've just learned that the veil
Of secrecy is lifted and I can give you
an idea of what I'm doing. To be-
sin with, our regiment has been at
the front 10 days now, in a quiet sec
tor, of course, but just the same where
Bcche shells drop fairly regularly and
where we are no longer playing at
war When we came in was first bat
talon telephone officer, but after J
n
was detailed to my present post, which
| is First battalion infantry headquar-
| ters, in the capacity of liason officer.
| Here, as / say, 1 have little to do ex-
cept sit around waiting for some
thing to happen, in which event the
| infantry major comes to me to ask
for artillery fire, when it is up to
ME to decide upon the kind of fire,
sort Of projectiles, etc, to be used.
HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH ACTION
| Except that there isn't much action
| have found things at the front ali
| that they are pictured, and more. One
of the biggest allied offensives was
staged in this sector and the desola-
| ton is indescribable. Nothing but
piles Of stone remain where were once
villages; all vegetation is absolutely
| RACED, except for dead tree here and
there. AS for as the eye can see
miies-the whole landscape is pitted
with shell holes, ranging in size from
these of the 75-millimetre French gun
to the 420-millimetre German. | used
to think the pictures in the magazines
we're 'doctored' now I know that one
can't appreciate conditions without
CONTINUED ON page Elcven)