Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-07-12
YOUNG PHIL" HAS
BEEN UNDER FIRE
Son Of Governor ,Goldsborougl
Writes OF Life In France
During War Times
sHRAPNEL HITS CAR

Young Phil" Goldsborough, former
Annapolitan and son of Ex-Governor
Philips Lee GoIdsborough, in letter
just received by his father, which is
dated at point in France, tells most
interestingly of some of the things
which are happening to the American
lads "over there"
Young Goldsborough enlisted in
May, 1917. a few weeks after the
declaration OF war He was 20 years
old at the time and a student at the
University of Pennsylvania. He has
been in France about year.
His letter follows:
I'VE have now adopted the French
system of eating-that is, only two
meals day, one at IL and the other at
5. However. you can get coffee from
the kitchen any time during the morn
ing that you wish. The French have
been living on that scale for a long
time. We have had it only a week and
half, but everybody SENS to be fair
ly healthy. so | am sure ii is all right.
ION my last trip TO an outpost
had more excitement than have ever
had The roads were crowded with
troops, machine guns and wagons of
various kinds: a whole division going
back in the trenches The boches
were evidently on to this change, for
they were sending over a bunch of
shells. The boy that | was with and
myself had to go up to a dressing sta
tion TO get some men, and the German
shells were landing in the field right
alongside of the road 1t was just
about dusk, probably 9 o'clock, and
we could see the darn things kicking
up an awful dust, and you could feel
the concussion in your head for some
time afterward. We sure did tear up
that road at a good clip, passing
troops, wagons and everything else.
One piece of shrapnel hit the car, and
we found it sticking there the next
morning.
IF anybody tells you that they are
not afraid of shells, you can certainly
put 1t down as so much hot air. 1 do
not believe there is a man living who
would not be pretty well shaken up
with those things alighting around
him. The French have been at it four
years, and they surely do get down on
the ground when they hear a shell
coming. They do not waste any time
about it, either, for they have evident
ly learned from experience that it does
not nav To he fOO brave
"The French soldiers are certainly
funny birds. If they did not get their
pinard cred wine) they would stop
the war tomorrow They tell you so,
too, adding, no pinard, no fight and
they undoubtedly mean it. Since /
have been in France / cannot recall
ever seeing Frenchman take drink
of water. When they see Americans
drinking water they think it is the
1 biggest kind of a joke. Nor do they
understand why wo do not like the
pinard. To me it tastes like so much
carbolic acid, but have to drink it
sometimes to keep from insulting a
Frenchman
French tobacco, as / think / have
told you, is another unpleasant luxury
that we have. One French cigarette
and drink of pinard will just about
kill the average American citizen. ]
never have the nerve to try both OF
them together.
my hair has just about grown out
again, after having shaved it off a
month and a half ago. 1t improved
the hair so much (not to speak OF
other things) that / think l will do il
over again. l am feeling fine and am
perfectly well in every way"