Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-10-10
Letter From Sergeant Snyder.
At Home, France,
September 4, 1918.

| SSRlSlllSNi -
Dearest Dad-Well, we have sure had
some celebration tonight. Today is the
anniversary of our first six months in
foreign service, and we figure that we
will not have a great many chances TO
celebrate over here, so we decided TO
make this occasion one that would 60
down as the biggest party in the history
of the company, and We have come near
doing Just that little thing. About two
weeks ago we got our committees ap-
pointed, and the finance committee
undertook to raise two thousand francs.
The supper committee agreed to spend
all that the finance committee could
raise and the entertainment committee
said that they would do their best to get
up a program that would be we'll worth
listening to. The two thousand francs
were promised in short order and paid
on pay day, and then the eats committee,
having already bargained for the most
of the food, borrowed truck from the
transportation and began to gather UP
the various items of the menu. The
pig, and il would make Oaker Hebb
Jealous, was brought in after supper
on the day before the feast, and as we
have several butchers in the outfit II
was not long until the meat for the
BANQUET was hanging in the store room
ready for the oven. Then today the
various men in charge have been flying
around and getting things in shape
so when the time for supper came there
was a general rush for the mess hall.
won't attempt to 60 into detail about
the feed, but am enclosing menu and
you can see that we really had some
dinner. After dinner we all went to
our little 'Y" and there had the pro-
gram. which is also enclosed. And
now that it is all over and We are back
in the barracks, think that there is
not one but who would say that we have
had some time and that our anniversary
was celebrated most fttingly. We sure
had a good time, and we all wish that we
could celebrate like this every week.
The Captain made fine speech, and
since was elected to do the honors, J
told the bunch that "The Various Topics"
would not include any unpleasant
subjects, such as missing reville, getting
soused, failing to go to work on time,
or any of the numerous things which
the Captain usually talked to them
about, and he refrained nobly. Lieu
tenant Burbank had long piece OF
poetry giving closeup of all the
officers, and his offering was a scream.
Lieutenant Eek, as suggested in the
program, did not get back in time for
the celebration, having missed his train
about fifteen miles down the line. The
Jazz band is combination post affair
and added materially to the occasion,
being made up of violinS, guitars, man.
dolins, etc. They sure do make good
music, and they had several new NUM-
bers for us, their pay being all the sup
per they could eat, and they unanimous
w agreed that they would come back
whenever we had a celebration of any
sort. Just how hard the men will be to
get up for reveile tomorrow morning
remains to be seen, and | am expecting
that a number will have some exercise
on the wood pile tomorrow night.
There seems to be a certainty that we
are going to move from our present To-
cation to some other place in camp and
give up the transportation, owing to the
fact that the Motor Transport Corps is
going to take over the field here, and
it seems that if we stay at our present
work that we will also be taken over,
which is Just what none of us want, for
as the fellows all say, we were doing
automobile work back in the States and
we are all anxious to get to work on
aeroplanes. There seems TO be lot Of
room here for that sort of work. We
are settled comfortably here now, and
| presume that the next thing to do is
10 move on and fix up somewhere else.
only hope that they wait until the
CAPTAIN gets back from his visit to
England, for which he leaves tomorrow
morning. His mother and sister live
in London, and it has been nineteen
wears since he was home. Not so long
ago Captain Edwards got letter from
one of his sisters who told him that his
brother, the only survivor of four, had
been called to the colors and asked If he
could not get home before the last
brother left for the front. There is an
order that no foreign leaves will be
granted except in extreme cases, and
so the Captain was not sure thathe coulo
90. His first application went up as
far as those things do in the ordinary
run of things, and after two weeks came
back disapproved. About that time the
Captain went to Paris to see some OF
our men stationed there and took the
matter up at the A. E. F. Headquarters,
and was told to apply again and that
especial attention would be given the
leave. The circumstances Of his SER
vice have been about like this: When
the Spanish American war broke out he
left his home in England and came TO
America and volunteered in the U. S.
Army, and with what success ! have
already told you-how ne gained his
decoration at the San Juan Hill, also
his commission. At the end of the war
he went back to his home, and then
Il