The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-10

ilege of publishing it,. The letter
follows:
On Active Service,
Am. Expeditionary Force,
June 20, 1918.
Since | wrote you last | have been
UP on the front on an inspection tour.
1t was certainly an interesting trip to
say the least. On some of our sectors
the towns and villages are all shot
to pieces. In many places there are
absolutely no houses with roofs while
in others there may be only one or
two with perhaps a roof left over one
or two rooms. OF course the French
population has gone further back to
towns that are not so much in dan
I ger and we passed many Of them on
their way Old men and women with
, a tiny little donkey about the size OF
large dog, hitched to cart that Is
piled high with furniture and cloth
. ing. The old people trudge along
, side the cart and help to push it up
the hills. Women of all ages do all
sorts of work over here. They clean
| streets, work the railroads, handle
baggage in the depots, repair streets
and work in the factories. Those who
work around machinery wear tight
! knee boomers and bobbed hair and
. you would not recognize them as
:. girls or women until you get close t.
them. don't see how the women
stand up to such work for they work
, hard and work all the time
9 On this trip | have been right W
+. on the fighting line and, believe me
q it is no fun for the boys who have
4 to stay up there In it all the time.
a don't mean they dislike it, for they
q don't; they are all "raring to go" al
a the time. Everyone keeps his gas
:. mask around his neck all the time ant
you must wear your tin helmet all thu
W time while up there. You can hea
- the big shells whistling through tn,
air with wierd shrek and can see tn
shrapnell and auti-aircraft shell
ID bursting and few seconds later tn
pieces will begin to fall around you
When they fall too thick for comfOr
e. you hunt dugout and get there a
n. fast as you can. cts no disgrace
TX run when you are scared" | was toll
,e and I've found it to be true.
d, Right now my headquarters ar
es about Is miles behind the lines an
le. it is only occasionally that the Boct
q, ever comes over in an air raid. Las
night he was putting on show some
of- where on the front for l heard tn
d. big guns booming and then heard hi
plane over us. He dropped a coupl
OF bombs on this town but our mi
chimes were soon after him and til
70 anti-aircraft began to pop. Shrapne
~ could be heard falling on the ROO
all around for a few minutes and the
II was all over.
Did Daniel have to register IN II
recent registration or Is he still undt
Il? I'll tell you right now a boy
ly missing something if he fails to g
into the game and come to France.
lis not life of roses, but, believe m
~ wouldn't miss being in 1t II | wei
Vi as young as II and could get in. Yo
NY cannot imagine how cool it is ov'
here. Now have on medium weig
'u' underwear, flannel shirt and heaN
III wool aviator's sweater and am fair
" comfortable.
| have been flying at high altitude
- lately and, believe me, it is cold
w there. Highest | have been WI
4 800 meters-that is about thr'
A"' miles. My cheek is now peeling whel
II was first bitten. / wouldn't iii
to be put on regular work that r
i"' auired me to make fights in my Ct
pacity for | would rather fly my ow
'n' machine than to depend on anoth'
~ man and that, of course, | cannot
~ for am not pilot.
IN
,on | met a pilot down in Tours, WI
,,r lives in Tampa. His name is Pa
rick. Very nice young chap and
~, had quite chat with him.
I'd At present | am with an aviatit
group and am billeted with the so
the squadron.
Ugh I l am beginning to De quile WORTH
hty about my mail for haven't receive
md word since | have been over her
tho now three months. | am anxious
acn hear from home. / suppose Wh'
letters do finally begin to arrive |
I'M get about a dozen all at once al
that will call for a holiday so tn
for | may read them all.
to I'm getting along quite wei! WI
hat nv French; can speak quite