The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-06-08
MOTHERS DAY LETTERS FROM FRANCE
FROM THOMAS ALLAN BOX. JR.

FROM THOMAS ALLAN BOX, JR.
Dear Mother:
y Let me see where shall begin.
First, ! must confess to you that I
haven't written you really truly let
ter since came back to the Squad
ron. am going to try to make up
vfor my inexcusable omissions during
shat time. Tomorrow thousands of
sacks Of mail specially marked Moth
.ers' Mail" will have right Of way over
everything except the necessary APP
paratus for killing men scientifically
and mechanically, by order Of General
Pershing.
q, l Was away from the Squadron for
) about six weeks in all, going first to
the School Of Aerial Gunnery, from
which place wrote you at length.
When the push startedEI was given or
ders to 60 to Paris and report at
headquarters, which l did. Eight Of
us slept in one compartment built
to accommodate four sitting. We did
sleep too, although we were a sticky
mass of legs and arms. We were
held in reserve in Paris for the de-
tense of Paris spuadrons. Fortunate
ly we were not needed. We had sew
eral air raids, during the ten days
and the Hun ''long ranged" us con-
stantly, doing very little damage, ev-
serything considered After about ten
days of this my leave. came through,
1t was some sort of a fluke because
all leaves had been stopped. Anyway
! took advantage of it and HE'D my
self to Nice in company with one Ed.
Hastings, Stanford man who is in
my squadron. The trip was a won
der. In the first place we had to
.exercize> our prerogatives as soldiers
to get accommodations on the train.
People were leaving Paris by the tens
of thousands. I saw some Of the most
heart-rending sights ever expect to
witness in connection with the trans
fer Of refugees while at that station.
Red Cross trucks loaded to overflow
ing with broken humanity, only the
"'too old" and the "too young" with
them were their bits of personal be-
longings and portable household eff
fects. The Red Cross certainly arose
to the occasion in handling them and
furnished them with every available
comfort. But to return to the trend
Of my tale about : ten o'clock next
morning we arrived in Marseilles,
which Is typical port city, boasting
of every known nationality of human,
from the men of the east and north
ern Africa. To walk along the docks
one would think they >Were in for
,eign country.
I The trip along the coast to Nice is
certainly among the most desirable
railway journeys to be taken any
where You skirt the beach almost
all the way, lodging in and out OF
deep cuts and tunnels continually. The
red cliffs reminded me of the ella
River cliffs in New Mexico. All
bridges were guarded and camoufaged
in such manner as to render them
invisible from the sea.
We arrived at Nice In a pouring rain
which continued most of the time we
had to spend there. 1t did not pre-
vent us from enjoying the luxuries of
late sleeping, breakfast in bed and a
most delightful bath, which is all one
needs to have q. -successful leave.
When we pulled into the station
there were two Red Cross trains, one
with French and English wounded
from Italy, another with refugees. The
soldier wounded were as happy and
car(free as larks apparently. They
had their heads stuck out OF every
Available opening and were singing
.,L II, AosV fhoir hon6o
Some of the refugees were very old
and had to be taken out on stretchers
so palsied were they as result 81
the frightful experiences they had
gone through. C2n you imagine grand
father and grandmother awakened in
the middle Of the night, told that they
must evacuate within ten minutes
probably travelling for a day and a
night packed like sardines in cattle
car? h. d,
have written post card letter OF
my stay at Nice which am sending
in another envelope. :
am thankful that we are no longer
training observers. We are not doing
any real work over the front yet, SIM
ply because we haven't full quota
of machines. My idea about the let
tiers was that you might in time get,
together some sort of book (paper
cover) which are so numerous in
England just now, using my letters in
any way you saw fit.
/ have run away with myself.
haven't l, Mother, because l started
in to give you events of interest in
Chronological order. So! When l re-
turned to Paris got orders to report
back to my squadron, which did: At
ter an all night trip with the train, in
absolute darkness arrived at our sta
ton" at l 80 and proceeded to hoof the
nine kilometers to camp, arriving just
in time to get an early morning cup
of coffee. l hardly knew the place.
All the hangers had been moved back
so the front was bush with the woods.
We had two new living shacks and
peach of a new mess shack. We made
ourselves generally disagreeable by
awakening all the boys for an early
breakfast. AS they stuck their heads
out into the chilly morning air, 1t
was hard for them to be cordial
For breakfast at the new mess we
had ham and eggs, oatmeal and toast
and butter and real sugar in our col
fee. Bread cards were not asked for
and it was the first butter and sugar
since left the squadron, for civilian
France is not allowed butter and must
use a petroleum product in place OF
sugar.
Then 1 got my mail and such