Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-12-16
OTTAWA BOYS HELP
FRENCH CELEBRATE
ARM|ST|CE SIGNING
WILLIAM BRADFORD WRITES
FROM OVER THERE TELLING
OF CELEBRATION AT TOURS
WHEN NEWS OF APPROACHING
PEACE BECAME KNOWN.

How the American soldiers Joined |
with the French people in Tours in Il
never To DO forgotten celebration
upon the signing of the armistice is !
told in very clever letter written
by William A. Bradford to his moth
er. Mrs. S. b. Bradford OF Lafayette
street. The letter was written in
Tours Nov. Is. and in addition To the
signing OF the armistice Bradford
tells OF being with Warren Gladfel
ter, Forest Graves OF Seneca and
Stewart McEwon on peace day.
All four men were friends at home
before entering the service, and Lieut.,
McEvoy entered last September al
Camp Dodge, Iowa. The following
north Private Bradford entered
Camp Funston. Kansas. and this
spring Gladfelter and Private Graves
were sent to Bradley Polytechnic In.
stitute at Peoria for their military
training Their meeting in France l.
only one more OF the fortunes Of war
In his own inimitable way Bradford
tells OF the peace celebration, saying
in part:
well, mother, from this side II
looks as ii the old war was about
oven. all except the shouting (ths
shouting hits us back here in the
services Of supply in the shape of ad
ditional hard work.. However We
must not be too confident as peace
terms are not signed yet but the
terms Of the armistice make it prac
tically impossible for Germany to con
tinue the struggle, and combined
with the armistice, the abdication OF
the military powers sure makes ii
look good for An early peace.
1T was just week ago today that
the armistice was signed, and believe
me- mother, there sure was one gran0
little celebration here in Tours. !
suppose YOU had celebration a,
home, but however grand an occasion
1t was at home, am glad that was
here to see these French people cele
brate what they had at one time
given up as impossible--a victory OF
arms. might just as well tell you
the whole story The news of the
signing Of the armistice came mr.
these headquarters early in the morn
ing. About 3 clock in the afternoon
an Invitation was brought around
from the mayor of Tours asking al
American soldiers to help the people
properly celebrate the complete
downfall OF the enemy. No second
invitation was necessary In fact. the
ilrst was only out of courtesy, as VT
were going to have our own lttl,
celebration anyway. Well, on such Z
grand occasion as this to have mes.
On the mess hall was entirely out Of
che question. Three other fellow.
who were in the same frame OF min,
about the mess and | proceeded /,
town. Long before we got to tow
we could see the fireworks (real fire
works. and hear the guns. So tina
we wouldn't lose any valuable tim,
we decided to get our dinner first
WE went TO the Chinese Umbrell;
tthe place where Butts" and | use,
to go so often) and had feed tina
was in keeping with the occasion
WIN take just a minute from m,
story to tell you what we had to eat
First. soup (vegetable), then roas
duck (can YOU imagine that), cream
ed potatoes, cauiower, lettuce salad
fruit salad, ice cream, lots of brea
and butter and chocolate. II cel
tainly tasted good to me, you ca
bet. Of course, we paid dearly for il
but II isn't every day that an arm
istice is signed so why worry? Som
feed, wasn't it? After the dinner W
headed for the Rue Rationale 9TH
La Sale street or main drag c
Tours). Talk about a crowd Gosl
never got into such a Jam in my life
might say right here that the mai
drag is only about as wide as l.
Sale street '~Om curb to curb, so tn
traffic was surely congested.
Finally, after an awful battle, W
reached the Hotel dl Vile tow
halD and from vantage poin
watched the crowd There wer
many impromptu parades that wer
very comcal They We're usually le
by an American carrying the Frenc
flag and then in Joliet style woul
come French, English, Algerian
American-oh, every kind of soldie
imaginable-all singing at the top {
their voices. Can you imagine so
diers of many nationalities all tryin
to sing in English, oh, Boys, Wher
DO We Go from Here? It certainl
was funny. The people (the civilians
| mean were out in torce--od mel
old women and young fellows an
girls galore, would go dancing an
singing up the street. Many woul
come,-up, shake bands and say, Fine
la gllerre and then dance on up tn
street. On the corner by the y
there was what you might call
wholesale kissing bee'-this Frenc
stuff, you know, first on one chez
and then on the other. Very funn,
but worth it. Finally, the big parad
ctartnd headed NV a romnnny I