Milford chronicle., 1918-08-23
LETTERS FROM OVERSEAS
July It, 1918.

July II, 1918.
My Dear Mother
1t has been over two weeks since
L have written to you. but l have
thought of you every day and wanted
to write sooner, but as usual ! have
so many other things to take my time,
especially just when / start to write
a letter. everybody wants to buy some
tObaccO, and / have to get up to serve
them; that is the way my time goes.
Well, my place here is developing in
10 one of the largest of its kind in all
France. 1t is a regulating station;
Ehat is a railroad center where the
troops pass through on their way to
the front, and come here in small de-
Sachments and wait until others come
in from a different camp and trains
are made up and sent to their final
destination Also whole divisions,
consisting of $4,000 pass thru here
every day or so. and stop over a few
hours The whole day long there is
a continuous stream of troops, of all
kinds, French, English and Ameri-
cans Not less than $4,000 a day pass
through here. So you see that this
is a most important place in which
to be My Y. NJ c. A. hut is right
in the railroad yard, and is a build
ing almost a whole block long. In
one end / have my counter and store
room; in the other end is the kitchen
and mess room, and in between is
where the boys sleep and rest. Most
of the soldiers who stop off here have
been riding two and three days in box
cars, and so are tired and sleepy.
They pile right down any where and
sleep. Il is pretty interesting place
when a big bunch of soldiers are here.
The whole hut will be crowded; the
floor covered with those trying to
sleep; another group will be playing
the piano and singing, others playing
the phonograph, and a big group will
DE crowded around the counter buy
ing cigarettes, and all trying to be
waited on at once and asking me a
hundred questions at the same time,
all of which makes my work exciting
and interesting.
You might think | knew all about
the movements of the army and how
long the war is going 10 last, and how
it will end, from the questions sold
iers ask me. One question all ask is,
How far are we from Paris, and how
far from the frOnt?" 1t is easy to
answer tueSe QueollOuSt DuL Luen tleN
want to know how they can get out
OF here and go into Paris. You know
the officers il charge of the American
army will not let our boys go to Paris
unless they have business there; but
every one wants to take a trip there
when he is here. because it is so near.
and l can't blame them, either.
On the Fourth of July there were
several thousand Of our soldiers par
AIDED in Paris, and after the parade
they were at liberty to go where they
pleased, and the city was full Of them. /
Then the next day all of them were
to report to headquarters to return to
their camp, but many Of them failed to
report and took two or three days' /
Then they were round !
ed up and the military police brought
them out here in groups of forty and I
fifty 10 be sent on to their divisions. /
Il was the first time these boys were |
ever In Paris, and they were willing 4
20 take the punishment in order to re- /
main few days longer.
Well, mother, suppose that you
are reading in the papers about the
German offensive on again. It has .
been on how for two days and a large
number Of the American and French