The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-12-05
Letters from Over Seas.

Mrs. j. L. Colby of this city has re-
ceived two letters one of Oct. 9th and
another of Nov. 4th from her son, Pri-
vate Winfield v. Colby of 1O3 F. A. Bat
terry E., Goth Division, 51st Brigade, who
went from Boxford, Mass, with the
Connecticut State Guards, shortly after
enlisting, to France and has shared in
the wonderful work of that grand Goth
Division with the exception of the two
and one-half months he was in the hos
pital. In his letter of November 4th he
is allowed for the first time to write home
in regard to his injuries. He says a shell
landed pretty near him and threw him
distance of about five feet. He could
not hear sound for about six weeks, but
is feeling fine now. He says it looks now
as if the war would be over shortly. He
cautions home folks to be careful and not
get the Spanish influenza. He wants
only chocolates and razor in his Christ
mas box as he realizes they can have
only a small box. He saw Fred Went
worth of Belfast at one of the replace
ment camps. He speaks in the highest
terms of the doctors and nurses at the
Red Cross hospitals. The questions in
regard to home relatives and friends indi-
cate that he is keeping those interests
near and dear to him. In closing he says,
81 will be glad when can see the States
once more. France is pretty and good
country, but like the States the best"
Mrs. Walter S. Darby and Mrs. Mertie
F. Thompson of this city have received
letters from their brother, Corp. Earl L.
Foster, concerning whom they were very
anxious. He says under date of Nov.
9th that he is feeling fine after returning
from twenty-four days service in the
lines, with bad weather most of the time
and no chance to write. He says the
only shelter they had during that time
were the holes dug in the earth cover
with their shelter halves. Things were
lively as they were under heavy she'll
FIRE, but they made ground and held it.
He was glad for once to be out of even
the sound of the big guns. A few of
them came out without even scratch
and he thanks God that he was one of
them. He was delighted to find lot of
letters and several Journals. The day
he received his mail he was sitting in a
shell hole on an ammunition box with his
feet in about two inches of water, but
forgot his surroundings in reading news
from home He mentions receiving a
handsome post card that left Maine last
May and travelled back, to Belfast and
again mailed,re ching him in November.
Mrs. Alex. N. Snow of East Belfast
has received two letters from her son, Ed
ward W. Shelton, a Bowdoin graduate,
who enlisted in the Aviation Corps, stud
led at Cornell University and has trained
in California, Texas, Michigan and left
for over seas from Long Island, N. Y. He
writes from Paris on the way to the front
and instead of the usual stationery of the
Y. M. C. A, ETC., his bears the following
imprint: The New England Bureau of
Harvard, Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams,
Bowdoin, Brown, the American Univer-
sity Union in Europe He speaks en-
Enthusiastically of the city and its many
attractions, that with friends he had at
tended the Zig-Zag and heard That's at
Grand Opera. The Place de la Concorde
was of unusual interest as it was filled
with captured German airplanes, cannon,
and other war materials. He had Just
arrived from Clermont Serrand and was
unartered at the London Place. On the
trip one of the two sleeping compart-
ments on the train was occupied by the
party. Under date of Nov. 10th, he
writes from the headquarters of Squad
ron goth of A. E. 1st Day Bombardment
Group. He says the war appears to be
over, but If it is not they are ready to go
over the lines into Germany. He men,
tions the different equipments of service
planes, etc. They are occupying wooden
barracks and he with two others are using
stove taken from the Germans and was
happy to say they were to have apple pie
for supper. Their air drome was several
miles distant and so cunningly hidden
in the woods that it would be exceeding
lv hard to locate. They were we'll equip
ned with fur lined helmets, fur lined
coats, and were called the Teddy bears.
They used Meyrowitz goggles, had leather
gloves with long wrists and lined with
knitted gloves, sheepskin boots over their
regular boots, waterproof overcoats fur
lined and gigantic fur collar They also
had air-tight miner sleeves. The pilot
on his plane had Martin machine guns
and he as bomb thrower or gunner had
two Lewis Machine guns. They could
be operated singly or together. The out
fit was their personal property and was
kept in the best of repair, changed or in
spected by the Government. When not
engaged in raid orders their time was
their own to enjoy as they pleased. He
has sent home many interesting souvenirs
and is making the most of his trip abroad:
Henry r. Cunningham of this city,