Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-30
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
 A Tough Experience in France.

tcugn ExPerIence lH FFanSes
 James Service of Boswell avenue has received a letter written by his grandson, First Lieut.. Dr. James Ser vice Knowles, M D. Dr. Knowles has spent many summers in Norwich and his friends will be glad to hear of his thrilling experience in France. The letter follows:
 "Jaulny, France, 20 miles northeast of
 Toul (near St. Mihiel)
 Sunday, Nov. P, 1918. Dear Mother;-
 Another beautiful day, seems queer what nice weather we have since the war closed. Perfect moonlight nights and clear, sunshiny weather Have re- ceived all your letters so far. So you could not figure out Wheaton's car? It was a Metz" Savvy? We are just 12 kilofneters from there. A liilometer is f1ve-eighths of a mile.
 We landed at Brest, now read the capital letter of each of those names. We came over on the U. s. s. Mat sonia, down almost to Cuba, then across and up the Bay of B.scay and 10 the coast of Brittany. Then via train through St. Briene, Versailles, | Paris, to Chaligny (Mosele section) then marched 40 miles to the front, through .Bois 1e Veke, Foul, to Berne- court. Then the St. Mihiel drive start | ed. Who can describe the hell of that time? Tell Miss McHenry I wished l 1 had spent more time on her compost tions so that I could write an inter | esting letter. Artillery hub to hub. nights, terrific volcano days under 1 ground or lying in a shell and gas- swept wood; and through it all I es= l caped. One shell, a big fellow, landed within 30 feet of me. knocked me un- conscious and filled my skin with sand, 1 but I was Q. K. in two hours. Three men killed and 20 wounded.
 We went right into action, although I did not tell you at the time. I was 1 detached and sent up as a battalion surgeon, right up in the first line, and oh, those long nights, our own shells 1 whining over and the Roche arrivals rifle and machine gun fire, hand gre nades and mines and the almost beau- tiful star shells 10 light up the field of death. Only those who have beer here can describe the horrors an6 beauty. The battle of Vilcey, Faye en-Haye, Thiacourt, Pagny. Preny Ridge, which our boys took thret times and at terrible cost. One com pany of 250 came back with 10. The No Mans Land covered with our owr O. D. and the Roche sea green, the terrible odors, the horror of gas at tacks and through it all the cheerful ness of our linen.
 We were two weeks in historic Pont
 a-Mousson. This poor town was shell ed day and night. I have quite a fev
 souvenirs from here. almost lost my
 life in getting them. went into a build
 ing, when along came a souvenir iron
 Metz and blew out the whole side
 made quick time in getting downstairs
 This town also had real honest t
 goodness bathtubs, went down later t take a bath and came out dressed il
 chills-another shell had arrived Mon
 tauville was another hot place. The,
 shelled us one night from 530 D. n
 until a. m. blew the town off tn
 map and almost blew the compan.
 likewise. My clothes were ruined her
 by shrapnel, one piece came throug
 my pack and landed in my overcoa
 pocket.
 The Verdun drive was wonderful : Pen cannot describe it. We were S near the Boche that we had to oraW on our hands and knees to keep out c
 sight of their machine gunners. Som
 of the more venturesome boys raise their heads, then lowered them for 1 ever.
 We knew nothing of the war new except rumors. Saturday, Nov. 9tl . we went to Jaulny and lost our way :. sergeant, five men and I. We got be , yond our lines, then our barrage start :, ed, likewise the Boche. We crawle
 into a shell crater and remained ther, |, sans food, sans water, but not san !, cooties. Every minute we expected { :, be our last, shells to right and left ( us, back and front of us, under tw f,~oi 1 40 Iao l daring to move forward We stave
 here until Il a. m, Monday, Nov. lit , We had heard the rumors of the arm istice and how those long hours drag
 ged, the fire grew more and more ir7 1 tense. we alternately cursed and pray I ed, cursed because our ammunitio was almost gone and we had no wa 1 of protecting ourselves. Then at o'clock the firing suddenly ceased; W 7. | at first could not believe it, our ow ' company had given us up for 1ost | then the distant strains of The Ste o Spangled Banner; what a heaven music-it was like a dream! Cou'
 this be real or was it just a big stag
 setting and weren't we after all ju c play actors? 4 glance to right ar n left, no, this was real. Our own ar I the Roche dead covered the field e7 Q cry inch churned up by shell fire. TT n noisy valley of death was now smokt . wreathed and quiet, only the cheers S our boys and the guttural tones of u
 Germans, coming down to shake hant
 and swap souvenirs.
 How we ever escaped that inferno
 hell and lived to see the dawn
 peace, only He who reigns supren S can tell. Many the sad incidents: ol e young married lieutenant said me b.
 fore the battle started: "We '. Knowles, would hate to be killt $. now. seeing that peace is so near, al
 my wife and baby waiting for me a We'll, said felt the same way, on = had not any wife or children. Mol
 day we buried this brave officer.
 So many incidents happened it W 7' take months to describe them, but V = were at the front and over the {,
 and into the hottest of it since Ser J. Eth. sent, a Heinie helmet, bullet n shrapnel, etc, to you in Septembt
 Will hang on to the rest, as I a l- afraid it will be lost in the mall. V Ie will either be home in a few weeks
 here for some time. We are at ore i. ent at Jaulny (between Metz al q TouD for a rest and to reorganize O "a company.
 o Love to all JIM. Ambulance Go. No. 3e, The Bloc, u Seventh. American Popstoffice 79S. ,r Dr. Knowles was in Motor Afnb IS lance company No. 36, Seventh Div
 sion, A. P. o. No. 793.