Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-10-08

extra suit Of underwear and carried
it into battle to use after they became
prisoners. Well. these are fire symp-
toms when combined with the vast
'n,ateriel" controlled by the Allies.
superiority in the air. in guns. In men.
in almost everything. It can't be too
quick an ending, nor too soon. There
is enough sorrow piled up for Re
children Of earth! But it must be an
end, not a pause.
am we'll and reasonably contented.
doing a little on the Big Job.
Regards. CECIL.
The following are extracts from let
tiers from John Richards. ID lieutenant.
Sd battalion, machine Gun Co.. some
where in Frcace. to his mother. Mrs.
Laura E. Richards. Gardiner. Me-:
August 18th CO 19lS-seven miles back
of the trenches! Time was when that
would have seemed like thrilling place.
But now it means bliss-to sleep with
out YOUR boots on; to walk abroad. in
stead o. living in the ground like
mole; and to wash: I get bath this
afternoon.
When I last wrote to you We were in
the support line, just moving into the
front line. Now we have done our trick
in the latter, and have been moved to
a rest camp. probably for only a few
days in this particular spot. as it is evil
IDENTIFY meant to be temporary-roofs
fallen in anG water a mile away. But
when we move. well. probably 60 far
Their from the front for rest and train
ing, as this regiment has been In the
trenches very long time. So I am
lucky to have joined them towards the
end of their hitch. For however short
Re the time in a lively sector, it is al
ways lone enough!
Let me tell you how we've been livinS :!
In dug-outs, naturally, anywhere from
20 to 40 feet under ground. Dug-outs
vary. Battalion headquarters. for in
stance. was pretty decent, but the Pla-
toon dug-out is messy. You acquire a
stoop from crawling up and down stairs
with no head ROOM and from the Indian
crouch that you adopt while moving in
the trenches. And when you come up
to the sunlight from your solitary cam
die below stairs you are as blind as an
owl is by day. Another lieutenant and
have been taking turns in charge Of a
certain important group Of guns. A
very good arrangement for it gave us
every Their night off. My night on. I
am up all night, sitting in the platoon
dug-out talking with the boys. anon
81 <o< he 20 hot
all is we'll. and being especially vigilant
when the blackness begins to turn to
grey. That is the time to look out,
though there may be doings at midnight
just as we'll. But when it is broad day
light, 7 go back to headquarters where
have a deep, dark bed. Well, = sleep
all the morning. In the afternoon,
must visit some position, to see how
they fare as to ammunition, or to in
spect their gun. In the evening / .alk
with the captain, or watch the front
from an observation post, getting a
pretty normal sleep unless there is n
raid. Next night I'm on-and so it goes.
Our grub is apt to be pretty cold be-
fore 1t gets to us. but it is easy to heat
over a candle. Next to blankets AMI
food, candles are the most important
things as far as living goes. Some one
will always have an electric torch
which. like this summers new star
burns brilliantly for while. but fades
away. You can't get new batteries, ana
things are too wet anyway. We are
supposed to be issued canned heat, but It
never shows up. But there are plenty
Of candles.
The captain likes to talk of sailing,
which is his hobby; Lieutenant. a New
Yorker, through and through, discusses
the meals he used to have at Jacks"
and the Brevoort For two nights IN
terested Them with discussions of row.
ing. We boast of our warlike past, mine
in the open, theirs in the trenches, but
keep off the immediate war all we can.
When the cook sends onions, we cheer;
at boiled potatoes we growl.
I can't say too much of these colored
boys. They have not the brains or MT
tiative Of white troops. but they are 90
wiling and cheerful and comic. And
YOU find such splendid characters among
them. and. when you are used to the
color. superb beauty. At night their
eyes are twice as good as ours. They
can't get lost, and at hand to hand
fighting they ere demons. much feared
by the Boche. They are better mixers"
than any other troops 1 have seen.
Sept /, 1918-when we're on the road
as much as we have been lately, it does
no good to write letters, for they can
not be mailed.
When I wrote last, think we were
just out of the trenches. Since then we
have been mostly on the move-hiking,
resting up for a day. and then hiking
again. Now we are in a rest camp where
we'll probably stay for month or SO.
though that Is rash statement. We
might be taken out tomorrow-you never
can tell.
Several times I have been billeting
officer. That means I go ahead Of our
battalion to some little French town,
find the town major, and have the whole
place divided up into quarters for tie
men by the time they come next day.
I inspect the officers rooms, find out
about the water supply. and get stabling
for the animals beside Sometimes it is
an easy job. sometimes not 1t was dis
concerning to arrive in town with my
billeting squad at 1890 P. NJ. latter
weary hike. to f:1d that we had to bill
let $50 more men than the town could
hold! We got them in. but sardnes
were nothing compared to IL