Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-27
OUR BOYS
Write from
OV Err THE r E

their son. Buglar Richard H. Stuart,
VINO is with the 101st L. S. Engrs.
Comp. D, A. E. F.
In the Trenches" Feb. 10, 1918.
My dear Mother:
We are now in the trenches and
really much more comfortable than l
; thought we would be. We were very
much surprised to get mail yesterday
and we have the privilege of writing
letters here 1.-TWO a weekly which Is
unusual. The bullets are whistlinS
round US, and air battles are very fire.
quent. The country hereabouts is
entirely laid waste and we find the
bodies of dead Germans. and she'll
holes, in some cases big enough to
put house into; in fact, there is
death, devastation and destruction
everywhere. War is certainly ter
ribe thing, but l have seen and
learned things since have been at
the front which are going to be yalu-
able to me in years to come. Do not
worry unnecessarily about me, some
times think the folks back home
worry about us a whole lot more than
we worry ourselves. but it seems to
be a game Of luck all the way
through with the chances SO to 100 in
our favor. Everything seems to point
now to the early termination of the
! war.
| Now for little news of which I am
very proud: I was in the first detail
of the first company to be under fire
in fact believe l was the fourth
man in the Engineering Corps of the
National Guard OF the U. S. to go into
the trenches.
i will write you at least once a
fweek to assure you that I am all
right. Am home now in an immense
cave several feet underground which
makes absolute protection against
shell fire and partial protection
against gas raids and other forms of
modern warfare. Love to all.
Your loving son, DICK.
! Letter No. is:
IN the Trenches" Feb. 26, 1918.
! Ny dear Mother:
We are still at the front and thus
far have escaped injury so think the
rest. of our %hitch" this time will be
O. *. We look at it this way-If the
Boche have a shell over there tagged
with our name at Berlin we will get
| it. but if not we will be home some
time. I received a bundle of papers
and magazines the other day and
suspect that Aunt Ada sent the copies
Of the Worlds Work, please thank her
I for me and tell her I will write when
l return to the rest camp as we are
only allowed letter home each week.
! We have heard Of the severe cold
weather in the states. also the coal
situation and it's latest results. the
closing down Of mills. ! should say
you We're having your taste of war
there the same as we are only that
we are kept jumping around lodging
| bullets while you have to jump
around to keep warm.
Allen Milliken was Just over here
and wishes to be remembered 10 YOU
all.
| We have put up some very heavy
artillery firing since we have been
here and of course the Boche has re-
, turned the compliment. 1t seems
that everybody has the feeling that
everything and everybody should be
destroyed. | wish it were possible
for us to take pictures of what we see
up here because in after years
would like to have 4 picture Of the
devastated country around here and
pictures of the boys doing work that
they have never done before and will
never be called upon to do again.
On Sunday we had a real treat-a
bath-but we had to walk several
miles to get it and then we had very
nice talk by the Regimental Chaplain
who came up to the front for that
| day.
The worst part of the life is living
in a cave so much Of the time where
the air Is of course bad, but l sup
pose that is better than staying out
in the open all the time where the
shells can get at you.
Will write again next week. Love
to all. Your loving son,
DICK.