Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-11-10


 are publishing in detail below
 :Somewher in France. Sept 14-15, 1918.
 Daily Graphic. Publishing Co.,, Pine Bluff, Ark.
 Editor-Sir:
 I take great pleasure ill writing my home town paper. No doubt, some people will be interestd in Pine Bluff ito know that one of their boys is fighting with the Canadians and wweH through two of the greatest victories the British or Canadian armies have ever achieved. We were in the center of the fighting and had the hardest part to do.
 On both fronts we advanced 45,000 yards and took 21,OOO prisoners, be- sides capturing about three hundred guns.
 There wasn't much ceremony; eacn battalion had an objective and as soon as they would reach their destination another would take up the chase and l can safely say Fritz would rather face a thousand guns than to meet the Canadians in an open fight. He calls our boys who wear kits the } woman from hell.
 It's great to see Fritz after we make him prisonr. He will stick to the machine gun post (we call it the sacrifice post) until we get almost to him, then off goes his equipment and up goes his hands. and then it is Mercy, comrades; me poor Ger man boy, forced to fight" If they have any trinkets or souvenirs to offer they sure get them out in l hdG2y. They think we are souvn;r huntrs. They say the Canadians are no bun. We sure get his wind up when he knows we are against him. But don't think for one minute that we do not run into a snag once in awhile. He fights until we get al- most to him and then he begs for mercy. My battalion carried off the biggest honors of the big pushes, so we are well satisfied with our part in it. (R. E. Thompson, B. D. F., 54th Can. Batt.)
 am in bombing section, so get a chance every now and then to give him dose of poison, and l never overlook the opportunity. | had great chance few days ago when my section was picked to take up an outpost in No Mans land. We advanced in open daylight. but he soon spotted us and opened up on us with machine guns, so we had to make dashfor it. Of course, some got there and some didn't. 1 made it ok. But, believe me, we certain ly could see those tracer bullets pass ing us thousand miles an hour.
 A tracer bullet is flaming bull let that sets fire to air planes ami balloons, but they are no bon when they hit you.
 We got our chance to get even. We picked a location and set our guns. Fritz soon come out of his hole, so we didn't bother him. Pretty soon lhere was gang and, oh, boy! didn't we get him? He thought an earth quake had started. Those who were left didn't wait for an encore. They 1 beat it fast and didn't bother us any l more that day.
 You would be surprised to know how many folks we have in our bat 1 talion, and we are all proud to sec I and know that the Americans arc doing a big part in the war now ] The praise is all for the Canadians 1 and Americans on this side. 1 tried 1 to enlist in the American army but was rejected on account of defective l eye sight so joined up with the Cana dians.
 My mother. Mrs. l.. Thompson, is a resident of your city so l cannot help but think of my home town with pride and hope to come back some day and visit my people. We art all fighting the same cause and il 1 won't be long until we will hays the whole German population crying and begging for mercy.
 I am writing this in dugout b, candle light. so you must excuse m! mistake and blunders, as shel bursts occasionally on top and shakes things up bit.
 I suppose there are some peop! who still remember me in Pine Bluff I. used to sell the Graphic and de liver papers for you people. l thinl Mir. Mead was over me then. don suppose he is still with the paper, bu tell the folks in your city there arr lots of Tanks in the Canadian arm, and we are going to fight like hcl until every German is out of France and Belgium. and as our Presiden says. "They can't leave anything herr but their bones"
 Yours sincerely, | Pvt. Raymond E. Thompson,