Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-08-27
"No One w orrles."
BOUND FOR THE TRENCHES BUT READY
TO Goa WORD ALSO ABOUT THE
DEPTH BOMBS.

The following extracts from the per-
sonsl letter of q former Oxford County
teacher, now an officer OF the new
National Army in France is interesting
in many ways, but perhaps most In show
ing the spirit with which our boys "over
there" are advancing toward the front.
France, July 4, 1918
Dear Bill:
I'm quite sure don't owe you let.
ter, but il don't write you q note you
of course won't know my address.
mailed you ''safs arrival" card at the
wharf the morning we sailed and you
probably got it about June 10th, q mat.
ter of five days or so after our arrival.
was 10 England for time and wish
i could have stayed longer. 1t Is very
beautiful there, every available acre Is
under cultivation apparently and from
the ship the country looked like a huge
garden.
Now Pm In q small crossroads French
town about the size of Hebron. IL is a
typical rural town and there are hun
dreds of them In France. There Is q
church, school and wine shop but no
store. Wine shops are very abundant
water 10 scarce and wine plenty. The
shortage or scarcity of water handicsps
the people great deal. When we frs,
arrived and took up our abode 10 ouI
little billefs, which are barns, We were
much impressed with the pools of stag
napt water that were In every door yard
My first thought was that | would sci
my platoon TO work and drain the pool
al up the place and do the poor people
q service. To my surprise soon found
that the cattle had to drink out of It.
and even saw girls and women wash
their hands in IL. There Is q great lsch
Of farm machinery too and of course the
people have to work the harder to make
mp for il. There are few men about
and the women and girls do the heaviest
and dirtiest kind of farm labor. From
dawn till dark they work but everyone
seems to be cheerful. We officers are bill
letted in the houses and in tents and oil
course We are more fortunate than the
privstes.
We are not very near the front, but
we hear the guns every day and see
many seroplanes daily. In one camp We
had . slight cir raid from German planes
but no damage resulted. It is or wal
rather startling to be wakened out Of 9
sound sleep by the sounds Of bombs and
snti-sircrsft guns. The big guns can b.
heard in England so you see Ii doesn''
signify anything to say that the guns
can be heard. It Is strange that one
thinks so little about the war here, and
about the actual going up to the front
Our men are working to it step by step
and Of course it Is only matter OF
weeks before We have to 60 In but nc
one worries.
Our papers are much more sensational
about the war than the English, aud ouI
people read more about IL than they Dc
over here. There is no hiding the fact
however, that everyone was glad TO ses
the Americans. The English papers SAY
openly that there 10 nothing to do nov
but to hang on and wait for the Ameri
can army.
think the submarine problem ha,
been rather well met. OF course they
sink ships but when you think OF the
great number that 10 moving, you vii
see that only q small percentage 10 de-
stroyed. can put 10 . word for the
depth charge, and no submarine lingers
long when there 10 danger of one OF
those things being loosed. 1t 10 ALSO
lutely startling how Q depth charge will
shake large steamer ~ far away a. two
miles evon. They are mighty powerful
things. af
I've censored many letters to-day foI
the men have availed themselves OF the
holiday to write many letters. I'm glad
that mine don't have to pass through q
censor's hands.
There 10 much thar you can write me
Bill, and lettsrs.srs about the only thing
we have here to look forward to. Tell
me all the Hebron news and oil the news
Of your own family.
s. sd ga ALTON.