New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-07-30
i. 5. FAR AHEAD
Of sunny FRANCE
Sergeant Harry Kenmfrer Appre-
CiatGS America More Than Eyer

france has written a letter to MS
uncle N this city, telling him of his
experiences IN the army and his ideas
gleaned from six months service IT,
rance. He writes that he likes army
life, Is now enjoying ideal weather
after several months of nothing but
.rain and mud, but will be glad to get
back to the y. S. \ when the war is
over. Sergeant Kemmerer adds that
the United States is SO far ahead of
any other country that the old world
will never be able to catch up. Fol
lowing is the letter,
Somewhere in France,
June 10. 1915
Dear Uncle John:
Am writing this letter at the sug-
Gestion of mother. Conditions being
. favorable at the present time. here
goes.
This Is q, great country If you like
1t, but ! don't. Just about q hundred
years behind the times and then some.
They still have their little jackass
hitched to carts to come into town to
do their trading, wear wooden shoes.
dump garbage in the streets Chat IS
when we don't see the1n) and a, great
many other things too numerous to
mention and which are characteristic
Of the o!den days at home.
Being a railroad man I am going 10
tell you about our railroads. We have
some fast railroads over here but the
majority of them are the classiest little
things you ever saw. For passenger
service they have little coaches that
. can accommodate about twenty peo-
pie and are pulled by a little donkey
engine. Each of the brakes are
equipped with q little whistle that
sounds like q small fish horn. When
they come to a station and stop to IN
load passengers and before they can
start off again they have to hold g
consultation with the mayor, chief OF
police and any other local notables III
the burg. Finally each of the brakes
vtcots with his fish horn and the engi-
nser answers with foot from the en-
CINE and We are under way again at
the rate of two or three miles an hour.
Speaking again of the town notables
and especially of the chief of police:
He is always dressed up like a new
saloon, with enough braid, etc, TO
supply the whole army. He sure is
some guy.
When we landed in France, that was
last January, we went up to bar
racks for a week until our supplies
were all unloaded from the ship and
then we started for our camp. When
we got to the railroad yards there
was q long line OF these little coaches
and a. bunch of box cars about the
same size On all these box cars there
vas a sign which read 40 hommes, 8
ehevaux. and when translated means
80 men or horses. We were lucky
and drew the coaches and not the box
cars. AS IT was, though, we nearly
froZe. They don't know what heat
in a IT some
trip
For the first few months it was hell
here Nothing but rain every day in
the week. It changed in May how
ever and we sure are having some
wonderful weather here now, It's an
awful country when 1t rains. Talk
about mud. I've seen some mud in
my day, but the mud in France has
get everything stopped. You eat it.
you sleep in it, you drink it. and you
do everything with it. It's fine over
here now.
I am feeling fine and wouldn't have
missed this great opportunity for the
world. Any fellow that isn't in this
big game will sure regret 1t. They
claim it's dangerous. Maybe it is but
life is a dangerous game, too. Mother
often writes and says she wishes I was
up at Camp Devens and still in the
States. I don't. The 23d of this
month is my first year In the army
and I don't regret a minute of It. I
wouldn't exchange places with any
man still in the States for any mount.
The Fourth of July I get my first
service stripe which means six months
service in France. That is something
worth while, and also something that
the army Of the rear, namely in the
U. s don't get.
As no doubt you see by the papers,
abe Yanks are sure giving the Ger
mans hell. Why shouldn't they. they
are the gamest bunch in the world
There isn't one man in the a. z. F.
that wont swear he can kill six Huns,
any time or any place. Believe me,
they can do IT. too. 1t sure makes "A
and be over here with them, and not
be q curbstone hero. What are good
jobs and money to a game such as
this
Am glad you are well. Mother keeps
ms informed as to how everybody il
and as to the local news 1t sure Is
100 bad about Uncle Mat dying. and
Just At the time when he should be en-
5oying the fruits of his years of Ia
Dor
II things keep up we will be hons
next year, that is at the rate they are
going at it now. Believe me, I won t
be sorry either. If every fellow that
is over here won't think more of the
old u S. A. than he did before he
came over here he will not have got
ten any benefit out of the trip. The
States never looked better to me than
they do at the present time. Not that
7 an homesick or sick of this game,
but We are so far ahead of these PEG