Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-12-27
End War IN Year:
Spend Years Winding
Up Hun Borbed Wire

II took the Yanks only one year 10
turn the tide to victory in the grea'
world war, but IL VIII require severa
1 years OF the douxhboys' time TO wind
up the barbed wire used to protec,
Hun trenches. This Is the impression
OF Private Ralph +. Clemens. son OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Barney Clemens. OF AL
bion, serving with the American ex-
peditionary forces in France. Clemens
q member OF the Twenty sixth balloon
company, writing to his mother under
date Of Nov 81, finds that a soldiers
work In not ended when the armistice
Is signed.
Stationed In a French town wrested
from the Huns In the closing days pf
the war. in a section occupied by the
enemy for four years. young Clemens
contemplates the situation with feel
ing that he may remain abroad Tor
some years to come II all the wire used
for defensive purposes is TO be re-
moved
Clemens wrote the day before
THANKSGIVING, and a most pleasant
holiday was IN anticipation big
American style dinner and a foot
ball game between two balloon COM
pany elevens were in prospect The
team of the Twenty sixth company.
Clemens writes. had played several
games and had gone thru the season
undefeated.
aSunny France Misnorer.
Sunny France" is a mlsnomer in the
opinion of several soldier boys who
have spent several months in France
without seeing the sun more often than
once or twice a week. sunny France
never did make hit with me and
never will" writes Oberi G. Guam. oil
Battery f. Forty fourth section, c. A.
c to his mother, Mrs. Andrew Hanson.
800 South First avenue. Here It's
rain today, mist tonight, and five TO
one it's sure 10 be both tomorrow.
Guam is stationed thirty-two miles
rrst of Toul in small town which
la. not even the distinction OF appear
ing on the map. "Toul", says Guam,
rs A pretty gay little town. but Mar
shalltewn. Iowa, L. s. A. will be gay
enough for me-
Thanksgiving day was 4 sad day Tor
The batterymen. who were called to at
'end the funeral of comrade OF Bat
.sry F. accidentally killed in falling
rrder big gun which had been moved
from its emplacement.
Hears Last Guns Fired.
Sergeant Eldon Z. Cole. of Company
A. 31Sth field signal battalion. in
letter 10 II. g Upton. also refers TO
the climatic conditions of sunny
France" Insert rainy for sunny. ne
writes. and You'll rave it
Three weeks after leaving Iowa Cole
and his comrades were in E.1 gland. and
shortly after were sen; o France. The
only incident which excited the inter-
est of the soldiers on the way over was
the sighting Of whale.
Cole mentions seeing Justus Schmidt,
Of this city. quite often, the two Mar
shalltcwn BOYS being billeted in the
same village. Speaking oc French VII
lage characteristics, Cole says:
IAN the houses are built OF stone.
no wood houses and no fences. and all
the houses >are grouped into villages.
There are all means Of transportation
with very few cars and horses, the
principal means of transport being bi-
cycles and oxen saw an Oiu ouN~
who had a milk COW end a horse
hitched to a wagon The people live
in one part of the house and the barn
is in the same building. with the man
rre pile in front instead OF grass
plot.
II had the pleasure If hearing the
last guns of inc war fired, on a date
which future generations must mem
orize. The weather is damp and rainy
here. in fact. today is the first clear
daY we have had for about three
weeks"
Oakley shahan Promoted.
o. Oakley Shahan. son OF Mr., ana
Mrs. John r. Shahan, 5N2 North Sec
ond street stltiored in he PhiiipPine
islands, with coast artillery resl-
ment has written his mother telling
Of his promo ion from corporal to ser
geant. At the time the letter was
written. Nov. Is. Shahan rad not heard
- n ~ a