Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-21
OUR R BOYS
~ Write from =
OVER THERE

recently been received from Lieut..
Wilbur Z. Berry. Jr.. by his parents.
Rev. w. F.. Berry, Superintendent of
the Civic League of Maine. and Mrs.
Berry, of North Nassalboro. The
letter was written after Lieut.. Berry
had been Tor month in a British Ar
tillery School.
February 10. 1918.
France.
Ny very dear Mother
| have been neglectful of my cores
pondence % YOU for the last three
weeks. II ave been on the move al
most every minute of that time. l
mean really travelling. And most of
the time have been very busy. Spent
four very pleasant days in Paris and
also spent {. good deal of money l
did not intend to spend so much time
there but had to stay until | could get
orders ana locate my regiment 1t
seems wonderful how such large bodies
of troops can be moved from place to
place and almost no one knows where
they are going. l had a great deal of
trouble to find out where in the world
was to locate them. After waiting in
Paris four days. | got an order telling
me where TO go and find out the place
TO so from there. From this place
was told another place to go and get
further orders. Finally after many
such orders and travelling all over
France | came upon my regiment |
don't see how they conceal such move
ments. and not even our colonies know
where in he world we are going.
| had a very happy time in Paris.
The very st day in Paris my orderly
got arrested for not having a pass.
had quite 4 bit of difficulty in getting
him out again. so you see they are
quite Watchful and military over here
Funny. isn't il? If | had known how
much he was going to cost me here in
Paris the next four days. think |
would have left him in the Jail until
got orders" to leave. Am not going
to tell you much about Paris or my
trip there, as YOU know much more
about that city than | do. Don't think
missed seeing much there. was
quite thorough in my inspection of the
city. saw the terrible effects of a
bombing raid of the night before ar
rived there. | saw the German planes
returning from that direction in the
morning and think they must have
been the attacking planes.
We are on the front as you know by
this time. am one of the officers at
the echelor That's big word. isn't
it? | didn't know what it meant un-
til | went to the British Artillery
School so I'm going to tell you. 1t
refers to he wagon line. The wagon
line is about four miles from the gun
position. It is a relatively safe posi-
ton az the wagon line and the only
danger is from air raids, although we
are within gun range and are shelled
occasionally, the dangerous part of my
job is the taking up of supplies to the
gun positi) This has to be done at
night. of course, and the roads over
which we Rave to go are shelled al
most every night. | have made three
trips to the position from the echelor
and each time we have skipped be-
tween a Few shells very successfully
The Smelling has been very light and
almost negligible according to the
French. but each time | have been up
one or nose shells have barely missed
US. the nearest bursting about forty
Yards away. | have learned already to
distinguish between the Austrian and
the German shells. the Austrian shell
gives absolutely no warning until they
burst, and the German she'll is often
heard whiStlng on its way. | have
seen a number of very interesting air
fights between the British and Boche
planes. Only yesterday l saw Boche
plane alta, k and set on fire a French
observation balloon and saw the bal
loon fall in flames to the ground.
| am anxious to be put on the gun
position. 1t is much more interesting
and exciting there. The men live in
most elaborate bomb proof caves and
have very comfortable quarters, much
more comfortable than mine here.
They are fed on the fat Of the land,
while we 10 all the work and carry all
the provisions to them. They are
eating ana drinking and smok
ing down in these caves, and
iHS -Hc JoHItSl tiiie VI tllelI
lives. I wish | could tell you
something OF the war as | see it. OF
course, | Fan say very little about it.
I am able to talk with many officers
and get many opinions since l, myself.
have become an officer. You at home
do not see or hear of things that we
are able to get here. and many things
will have to remain untold until after
the war is over.
My health is fine. was never better.
| can stand almost any hardship
without troubling me much. The cold
and dampaess do not bother me as
they used to. My room has very
damp dirt floor, | have no stove. /
often sleep in my wet clothes. The
rats are so thick here they fight and
run about over the floor every night.
They often run over my bed and
don't mind them a bit. / have eaten
horsemeat and hard tack many times
already and expect to eat them many
times again. The war is terrible and
we don't mind that. either that is the
spirit of and feeling of almost every
soldier | have seen. Have been
city after city and town after
town that is absolutely destroyed by
gun IRE. have seen some Of the
beautiful cathedrals that have been