The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1918-12-26
NEWS OF OUR SOLDIER
BOYS
Interesting Letters from Our
Boys at Home Camps
and Abroad.
From Rein Jackson.

Nevers, France, Nov. 24-Deal
Dad: Here | am trying to write
letter that will come up to stand
ard good enough to be called dads
Xmas Letter. There isn't to be a
censorship ban on anything and you
can bet I'll just about tell it all.
1t will be about a year ago from
the time you are reading this that we
landed in England to spend week in
what was termed "Rest Camp" You
could get all the rest you wanted if
you were good enough at lodging
drill, but the "eatsv problem was the
one that was bothering me. / spent
all the money / had left at Y. M.
c. A. canteen there was in the camp
and when that was gone I tried eating
the English rations, but the British
Tommy doesn't eat as well as the
Yank; there isn't as much of it and it
isn't as good. But in spite of all the
unpleasant things we experienced
there Pm glad we came through Eng
land because the country there is aw-
fully pretty, and just the fact that
we were there is little something
worth while
1t was on Xmas day that we hit
Liverpool, but we didn't get off the
boat until the next day. Pll never for
get that Xmas dinner, because of the
absence of it. December Both about
D. m. we boarded an old cattle boat in
South Hampden harbor, expecting to
leave that night for France. The
boat was one that had been taken
from the Germans and had been used
for transporting horses and mules
across the channel until they decided
to take soldiers across in it. We did
not leave that night,so we had to spend
two nights on that thing where there
wasn't room to even stretch my legs.
The first night | didn't sleep much,
but the next night I was so tired and
sleepy that l wouldn't have cared If
the boat had gone to the bottom. 1t
was an awful rough trip, most every
one was sick, but like l said l was
too sleepy and only woke up once to
find the boat rocking so hard that
my head was being bumped against
the wall. Say, but that old sea was
rough. Some of the men who were
on guard out on the decks said that
the water splashed away up over the
sides of the ship. Next morning we
were lying quietly at anchor in the
harbor at LIE Havre. 1t was awfully |
cold and the cliff with several light
houses along it's edge seemed to throw
back cold grayness that made me
feel twice as cold.
I'll never forget that long, long
hike from the docks to the second
@'Rest Camp" of our European ex-
periences. 1t was just about the same
as the first camp we had had in Eng
land. l had a man in my squad Iwas
a corporal them who had been sick
all the time he had been in NJ com
pany and the trip across had not been &
the easiest for him. Other men in
the squad carried his equipment and
half dragged him for the four-mile
hike up the hill to the camp After
two days stay in this camp we hiked
back the four miles and boarded the
train for some place, which happened
to be Nevers. The ride to Nevers
was no pleasant journey for the trip
was made in box cars and the doors
Of many of them had been smashed
off. This was in January, you know,
so you can imagine it was cold. I'll
never forget the time we had that
down in the freight yards
.rying to roll up our packs, for we
lad had to use our blankets to keep
rom freezing. My hands were so e
old couldn't use my fingers and the Q
,nds of my blanket straps just would n
,ot find the buckles. But somehow we t
It last were ready and 10 minutes Il
march brought US to our new quarters,
french barracks, the first barracks we
lad had since the time we were in n
vancouver Barracks, and that was
My for week. These French bar Il
acks are stone structures, each fou e
tories high and capable of holding
200 men. Each camp will have
bout four of these buildings and most
very town of any size has its Ca 10
erne,' which is the French word IN
,esning barracks. v
Maybe you think this place didn't Il
,ok good after all the rest camp ex- +
eriences We had had in the few S.
-eeks just before. Indeed, it has "
cen home and some of the first men S.
} come here are still here and doing til
V guard duty Of the camp. The 18th nj