The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-10-25
LETTERS FROM THE
BOYS IN ARMY CAMP

Mr.. and Mrs. Ernest Yarwood re-
ceived the following letter from their
son, Corporal Alfred Yarwood, Some
where in France.
France September 80, 191S.-Dear
Mother, Dad and Sis: No ! haven't
disappeared altogether, but it is sure
hard proposition to find time to
write and it is another task to find
something to write about as every
thing a fellow wants to write he is
forbidden, but then I'll have all the
more to tell when l get home.
Believe me l have sure seen some
interesting things since i have been
over here. !; One has no idea what a
big proposition this war is until he
sees some of it himself l can see
now why they are. selling Liberty
Bonds at home.
| have seen good deal of France
since crossing the briny deep and
although it is pretty country, II
wouldn't trade a square mile of Min
nesota for the whole country.
They have pretty fair railroads
over here. That is they have extra
fine tracks and roadbeds and their
passenger trains make fast time, but
their methods of hitting the ball don't
seem to come up to the Yanks way.
They use box cars that are about the
size of an American express wagon
and none of them are equipped with
airbrakes Tell Bert he ought to get.
a job switching over here | saw them
push car uD to an engine once to
make a coupling instead of going
after it. They haul about thirty or.
forty of these "dinkieS" to a train
The whistles on the engine sound like
peanut rooster, and they have q.
roof on the car about as big as a
shingIe. 1t sure was Il good sight.
when we got onto American railroads
with good old U. S. engines and a
real whistle.
! How is everyone anyway? Be sure.
to keep well. ! am feeling fine.
Haven't been sick bit yet and
don't think there is any chance OF
my getting. sick, do you? Look where
| am from.
j Don't worry if you don't hear from
me quite as often as you did because
if l wasn't all right you would hear
about it.
! I guess we will all be home before
long the way the Yanks are giving
it to the Germans and it can't be too
soon for me.
/ am rather anxious to hear how
everything is going back home. Take
good care of yourselves and tell Sis
to be good and I'll bring her Ger
man helmet.
Il To of
Corporal Alfred l.. Yarwood, Co. l.,
54th Pioneer infantry, American E.
Forces, Via New York City,
! Mr.. and Mrs c. L. Wigen received
a letter from heir son Bert l.. tel
ling of being wounded while IN ac-
ton with the 151st Field Artillery
Part of letter relates as follows and
was written on September "a:
Dear Parents and All: l suppose
you folks are busy reading the news
of the war these days? Well, the
allies are doing very good now. All
we have got to do is to hold the lines
and then, old "Fritzy" will have to go
some If they then don't look out ne
/ will have the whole world against
him. l wish you could see some of
the things that we see on the lines;
it sure is wonderful. You ought to
see when our guns are all in opera
tion and many other things along
this line. / can't begin to explain it
to you on paper the way l want to,
but it sure is great. Do hope that the
day will come when l can tell you all
about it. i.
The drive that l was on last,
went over the top with the infantry,
so | witnessed something / never had
seen before or went through either.
/ guess | was a little too fast for the
job that / had at this time; if | had
waited a half hour longer l would
not perhaps have been in the hospi-
tai at the present time. | was out
on business for the Battery at the
time that met with this misfortune,
but wiz gladly do it as many times
more as they want me to do So
There were four of us that were do
ing this particular duty, but just the
lieutenant and myself were wounded.
The lieutenant was hit on the knee
and | was hit in the chest on my left
side. But as everything was, l was
considered lucky, although | must
not say very much in regard to this
affair. Have been in the hospital
for about two weeks, but expect ]
will be here for another four weeks.
The evacuation hospital and Red Cross
workers treated us very nicely; in
fact we are well treated by all that
I'VE meet.
With best regards to all who in
, CURES about me. From your loving
son and brother, Bert.
/