The Dermott news., 1918-10-24
From Somewhere in
 France"

! MTs. JOHHsOD DtTt the llTel Ol lne week
 Somewhere in France 9-ls-lS.
 My dear Wife
 l have been trying to get chance to write to you for several days past, on the move so couldn't do 30. had to cut my last letter short. and may have to abbreviate this one. so as to get it in the mail before we leave We left the town in which we were billeted where l wrote you last about O clock in the afternoon and marched about siN miles 10 another town where we had supper (bully beef and hardtack) and found an enormous number of French trucks lined up along the road waiting for us. After we had eaten out with no idea as to where we were going or how long it would take us to get there. After riding all night We were unloaded the next morn ing about $ o clock at another town and the battalion 1 was with was for tunate enough to be billeted in the town while the other two had to bivouac in the woods. Our ration wagons were not able to keep up with us. in fact 1t did not arrive until the next day The town however was rather large and l1 E, from the inhabitants After we had loaded into the trucks and were wait ing to start, long line of German prisoners passed us on their way to prison camp; they had been marching since l that morning: II was then about < at night and they sure were all in; most of them were mere boys and couldn't help feeling sorry for them they looked so tired and worn out. The guards told us there were 5000 of them including Colonel and his en tire staff
 must tell you about vsiting an Amer ican aviation camp, the doctor Tn charge was formerly from Hot Springs; he took me all over camp and showed me plane that had come in the night be fore with 29 bullet holes in 1t, the avia- tor was unhurt though and everyone thought il miracle that he escaped We expected to move out last night to take our places Tn the front line but at the last minute after We were all packed and ready to start the order was changed and We are still here; guess We will TO tonight though for the Colonel has gone up this morning to look over the position We are to ot- cupy We are now hivouaced in a wood surrounding m old chateau. which Was partially destroyed by the Germans in l9l4, on our way here We passed through fairly large town that was almost completely wrecked by artillery fire, wish could have seen the town hv daylight but guess We will see many more like t now that We are practically on the front line. We saw cur first German aeropane yesterday afternoon, our attention was urst at tracted by artillery fire that seemed unusually close and on investigation found that they were firing at an aero plane that was almost directly over our heads We had previously heard the that We pay very little attention to them 1: was certainly interesting to watch the smoke of the bursting shells all around the plane and to wonder if they were going to get II. The plane was evidently sent out to look us over for it very leisurely sailed over camp unmndfu of the shells which were bursting all around it. II Is needless to say that there was quite lot of eN- citement throughout camp and every body was wondering II the stranger was going to drop bombs on us just as the the excitement WAS at its height an Allied plane appeared on the scene and opened fire on the Boehe with hls machine gun and the Roche very promptly put on all speed and beat 1t for the German lines as fast as he could 20.
 There has been a heavy artillery lire all along the line directly in front eff us which started last night about ten. don { know whether t Is our guns or the Germans but whoever it IS they have certainly been burning some pow der believe told you about having to salvage my cot, weIll finally had Go drop my mattress. -a all l have to sleep on now k my blankets. however l have siz of them SD rue~. will be alright have been sleeping under an old shed the l4-t two nights and the rats hsed Co have carried me away was awakened several tunes by them running over my face guess ! Will have To get use tn that though.