The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-11-13
WRITE .
OF O0|NGS IN THE
LAST DAYS OF WAR
HUGO FALES, OF MOTOR TRUCK
SCHOOL HAS SEEN MUCH OF
WAR DEVASTATED FRANCE
Hugo Fales, son Of Mayor and Mrs.
Elmer K. Fales, has written the fol-
lowing letter to his parents:
Motor Transport School, No. !

4
lowing letter to his parents:
Motor Transport School, No. 1
A. p. o. No. 772.
October IL, 1918.
Dear Mother and Father:
just received your letters Of Aug.
20 and Sept 10 last evening. They
were rather long about coming be-
cause they had to go out the front
and then back here to me. i think
the mail service 10 improving now
adays considerable but / can send q
letter to you muck quicker than
can receive one. We are down here
in this school now and probably will
be until the end Of the war. We are
instructing, that is to say we lecture
about three hours a day on cars then
we go on convoy for about four hours
q day.. Our lectures take il every
part of a car. We get up at $3.50
and stand revielle, we then have break
fast at z; at 7:30 we 60 out on con-
voy which lasts until dinnertime; af-
ter dinner we lecture for three hours
and stand retreat at $3.50. In this
school there are feSsr departments;
first we have men learning to drive;
second, men training for non-coms.
or non-coms training for officers and
officers training for higher rank.
We have two of the French instruc-
tors that were instructors at the
officers school that Lattended in July
SO have completed all of this course.
l was asked the other day to put in
my application for commission so
some Of these days l expect COM
mission. 1t takes some time for it
to be signed at Washington so it will
probably-be quite little while before
it comes through but they tell me
they are rushing it SO ! have some
thing to lock forward to.
l had a note from Chas. Ross the
other day. He is now in France, and
another from John Crell. / must
write both of them.
| Intended to enclose clipping in
my last letter of an experience that
Lit. Sturgis and myself had at the
front in the big retreat last summer.
This article was published in the Stars
e. Strips, an American army paper in
regard to our company. 1t is true
and will always be fresh in my mem
ory. | received the Banner and
note the Banner has the impression
that / am taking Iife easy; well that
is so now but it was cite the con-
trary while | was at the front. /
lost Al pounds while there; that
sounds as if / had been working a
little don't it. The reason / like to
get back to the front is this: There is
lots doing- something new every min
ute and plenty of excitement; it does
not give fellow any time to do any
thing but work and sleep, therefore
time passes much faster.
Ferguson sure has the American
spirit and there are sure a lot OF
others over here of the same type.
l have seen some of the largest
guns in acti n and they are wonders
full. really don't see how some of
these fellows get the idea Of getting
married before they get over her
because it is much harder on both Of
them. There are lot Of them over
here in the same boat. Must close
for this time.
From your affectionate son,
Hugo.
p. ST. am enclosing a coupon
for Christmas package. Don't buy
out the store.
The following is the enclosed clip
ping referred to above:
Lieutenant Robinson's outfit of
trucks has for it's insignia an Indian
head. There was a time when this
befeathered red-man on the tail gates
bringing to mind the dash and ro-
nance of the plains and the fiery ac-
ton of the cinema, seemed rather to
belle these numbering Unconditional
trucks. while the drivers, who had
come to France with their own no.
tions as to what war was like, had
their enthusiasm bit deadened when
their part in the great game seemed
to consist of screwing up inaccessible
grease cups and waiting for corvees
at loading parks to finish their soupe.
Lying on their backs squirting the
grease guns while large flakes OF oily
mud fell into their eyes and driving
for days and nights without stop or
sleep throu1Sl hot singing dust
clouds caused their hauffeur-dough-
boys to think that their life was far,
far removed from romance.
But not now. Now even that sec
ton of transplanted New York East
Side taxi drivers is satisfied, for this
new style has brought the M. T. G.
into its own.
In the old days, for example, the
truck took ammunition to a dump
where it was transferred in the night
by small horse vehicles to the field
artillery. During these speedy two
months, though, trucks have been
hauling ammunition straight to the
guns--in the day time--the guns wait
ing at times and not giving the shells
time to touch the ground before they
were in the 'breeches. The pieces
have been moving so quickly that Of
ten the ammunition has been taken
to new positions in advance before
the guns themselves got there
This pace, which makes the foot
soldiers pant to keep up with it, has
been too fast even for the horse. Soix-
ante-quinze guns are carried by the
trucks and then other trucks and
omnibuses Bring up the horses.
To make still more speed, drivers
have been leading and unloading their
own trucks as well as driving. One
section serving with the French in
the Montdidier region claims rec
ord for unloading soixante-quinze
m, IL