Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-22
PLAIN HILL BOY WAS
 IN THICK OF FIGHT

Mir and Mrs. c. A. Fellows of Plain Hill have received letters from their son, Imbert, who is in H.. G. Company, 3Sth Infantry, France. Incidentally, he mentions that he got" his Boche.
 July 1S-I suppose you're rather wor- ried at not having heard from me since that big drive the Germans attempted. We were about half a mile from the German lines when it started They had been u3usually quiet for the last two weeks only an occasional shell coming over. Another fellow and l went on duty at midnight and worked till 4 a. m. Our guns had been fir ing heavily till about 11.35. Then they stopped firing and everything was quiet. We were on a signal station in a room on the top floor of an old tele- scope factory on the outskirts of small village and across the creek from Q fair sized town. Suddenly about 12.30 the whole horizon burst into Hams and then the shells began to arrive. This was really our first baptism of fire for although we've been up here for a month and half we haven't been in anything like that. It was 9 veritable hell for the next ten hours. We eX- pected any moment that q shell would rip through the roof Loose
 
 The walls and buildings on all sides were shattered but our building es- capped any direct hit
 We were in gas from to f. They shelled everything for five or six miles behind the liccs. The French troops on our right said it was the worst bar rage of artillery fire that they had ever been in. Some engineers here that were on the British front last March said | that it was the worst the Germans 1 have ever given. We were fairly well | cut up but we sure showed the BoChe what Americans can do By now we have regained what little ground we | lost and are pushing them back. The | ground around is pitted with shell | holes in some places they average 1 three or four to the square rod and more. The fellow that was with me on duty that night was badly wound ed the next day. The building VIC were in that night was the only one around that didn't get three or foul hits.
 July 26-We are still up here and go. ing fine. We have the Huns on tn, run at last. Monday morning we cross | ed the river and all day Monday wt were having skirInishes and fights dispIacing them from the woods ant l hills. We captured lots of prisoner: and the woods are full of German guns and equipment that we captured and that they left behind. They arr still going and so are we. but l don know how far they will go before the! stop and make another stand
 Believe me, this is some regimen I'm in. The French have awarded us two CroiX de Guerre war crosses
 that go to the regimental flag. w get decorated with cords and tassels One cross is for last Monday and on
 for a week ago Monday. Since tn
 start of the war only about thirty reg
 iments have been given the Cross an
 only one before has gotten two. W
 fought two battles without any relic
 and are still up here although we ar
 in support st present. ] got m
 Boche in charging a machine gun.
 I've been in. rife fire, machine gu
 fire, shells bombs gas, been fired 9
 from aeroplanes, and I certainly be
 lieve that the Lord is with Tls. 1 hay had some narrow escapes but 9 nis
 is IS good as a mile. I believe that th
 end of the war IS drawing near bU it may not come this year.