Connecticut western news., 1918-09-12

1OllOWlHR lcIleI WAS IGG6lN6u
by w. ]. Hatmaker from Harry ].
Waller, now serving in the capacity
of cook, in the army in France:
Somewhere in France
Aug. IL, 1918.
/ received your welcome letter and
very glad to hear from you. am
very we'll at present and hope you
are all the same.
The country here is beautiful and
the weather is fine too, but the sum-
mer has been rather cool and hear
it has been in New England also.
There are some long, long trails a
winding in this country all right, and
we have moved around considerable
and / have seen lot of France, and
that is one reason / have not had
time to write as we have been so
busy but think of you all very often
just the same.
We have been to the trenches
twice and we are now back for
rest again. We were in fifteen days
the first time and twenty-one days
this time. While in the trenches I
heard bombardment and there was
some celebration for a while, and
where we were we could hear the
bullets singing over head. / hap
pened to be out side and not very far
away a shell exploded and / could
hear the shrapnel cut through the
trees, and me for inside right away
because they don't care where they
shoot. In the last place we were in
l went to the front line trench just
to look around and the boys had on
old cat and two kittens as mascots
and they seemed contented at that.
1t seems rather queer but its true,
don't know how they would make out
in a gas attack as they had no masks
on.
We have a rolling kitchen but at
times we are in places where we can't
use that, so we have to use stones
with rails across them and cook in
old fashioned kettles, but we keep
the boys fed good just the same no
matter what conditions we have to
cook under and Uncle Sam is feeding
us fine. But the boys deserve it and
are getting it too.
see by the Conn. Western that
the folks at home are certainly doing
their bit and doing all they can to
help win the war and by the looks
now we will win it too. heard a
Y. M. c. A. man speak of what the
American boys are doing in a recent
battle as he saw some of the effects
of it and he said the German prison.
ers admit they were never up against
such fighters. In one piece of woods
was a nest of machine guns and the
Americans went right in regardless
of the deadly fire and drove the Ger
mans out and one fellow captured
German gun and ammunition and
used it to drive them back, and there
are hundreds of other such cases of
bravery that will come out in time.
/ would like to write whole lot more
of things / have seen and heard, but
as we are restricted of course ] can't
now. But / am living in hopes of
coming back some day then / can
tell you more than ! can write.
Well Mr.. Hatmaker / am glad
am with the boys and hope ! will be
able to do my bit and see them
trimmed to a finish, and they sure
have them on the run now.
1t is very interesting to see the
German aeroplanes come over and
then see the shells from the air craft
guns burst all around them, but
have not had the pleasure of seeing
one drop yet, but am living in hopes
of seeing one drop around the kit
chen and if he does he will be out Of
luck.
The Frenchmen are fine and
have made many friends among them
and they treat US fine.
AS / sit here writing / can hear q
gun sending messages to the Ger
mans letting them know that we are
here and as one of the artillerymen
told me what we need we have got.
There is one place where our kitchen
was that it was a good idea to have
gun handy getting us early in the
morning and a gas mask and helmet
handy all the time but a fellow gets
used to that and don't think anything
of it but you have to play safe in this
game all the time you are in the war
zone.
One place we were in we came in
contact with a few fees but nothing
serious only made us scratch little
for awhile but we got some powder
that fixed them and one fellow said a
good way to kill them was to wait
until they got about thirty yards
away and then throw a hand grenade
at them. Of course this is sure, but
they never got as far away as that
from US.
Well as it is bedtime, / will close
for this time, hoping you are all we'll
and remember me to all my friends
in Canaan. Hoping to hear from
you soon, | am as ever your friend,
Cook Harry ]. Waller
Co. f, Goth Infantry,
Amer. Ex. Forces