New Britain herald., 1918-08-21
NAVAL AVIATOR IS
 A VIVID WRITER
Proud Of Record Made by the
 Connecticut Men

1 station at He Tudy, Finistere, writes l an absoringly interesting letter from across the pond. In his letter he describes interesting and amusing eX- periences in Brittany. It is with much pride that he speaks of the l service of Connecticut men in France and his comments on the actions of the Yale Students in disturbing a meeting in New Haven arc quite as pointed as his contempt for the Germans. Ensign Brainard was em- p1oyed at P. & F. Corbin's when re- called from the reserve list of the navy and placed in charge of the local naval recruiting station. His letter follows:
 'U, S. Naval Air Station,
 'Jle Tudy, Finistere,
 June 4, 1918.
 Dear folks and their folks:--''
 1 know that you have been search ing the missing list for my name and it is high time l was getting on to myself and shooting a letter across the deep to you. I do not feel like writing at all this evening for I have just come in from a walk and have discovered that I have lost a mighty good fountain pen. Tomor- row morning ] shall go over the route and stand a fair show of finding it for l lay down on the beach for a time to rest and it may be there.
 You can talk about me all you want to and tell people all you wish what a poor hand I am to write but you want to come over here and get into these shoes of mine if you want to know what it means to be on the hump all the time and then some Really, it seems but yesterday that I landed here in France and I hope that it will seem but tomorrow before I shall be leaving here for the dear ones at home. Not that I am get ing weary of the job at all for l am getting so 1 rather like it and fear that I am developing that innate curiosity which seems to make the Americans SO successful here as far as l have been able to learn.
 On the sands of Brittany.
 This is such d forsaken place and it is so dead that it is a blessing that they are on my trail all the time and that I am looked to for so many little things that the others do not seem to have the patience or the
 
 I am here for and I really must say that l think a great deal of the small family of boys that have been en- trusted to me that go out over he deep looking for the curse of human ity. l know that that sounds ego tistc but it is the fact and you may shoot it from what ever angle you choose. Right near me on the iS of papers that you have so kindly sent me that are awaiting their turn for attention and I hope that I shall soon have an opportunity to bounce on them and get all the latest scandal and news. I have read some of them and I have looked at a couple that my wife has sent but the Lord only knows when I shall have a chance at the rest. It is so very kind of you to send them and they are greatly appreciated you may be sure. Tonight I had a rather anus Ing incident occur that I must tell you of. Was out for my customary evening hike along the beach which. by the way is clear unbroken stretch of veIVety sand almost four miles long. There were four young
 
 behind me as they had been to the station from nearby town to see some of the fellows here at the sta tion. I was doing my best to think up something congenial to say to one of them in French or rather to all of them. They were only kids about sixteen years old. There was a mutt of a dog that had been following me I "a ho too them when they passed me and was glad of it for I did not want to be responsible for the brute As I was half asleep in the warm sand one of the girls came back with the dog by the knap of the neck and told me in excellent English that she was sorry the purp followed me and that dogs were not allowed to enter lthe town she was headed for. It took me off my feet and I blubbered like an idiot. If she had doped it out in French and let it drive I should have been prepared for her even though my eyes were half closed but to get the dose in good English was almost too much for me
 l must say that your letters are stars, both of you, and you have no idea how welcome they are par- maps you will some day be here in thls country, shorn of knowledge of French or the French and some one Will write you a real snappy letter and then you will get the feeling I nope that you are not overburdening yourselves in the efforts and that the tlmc will soon come when I shall pet another of them. Mail is few and far between here in this neck of the woods but l think we get all that i. sent to Us excepting the packages and am sure that someone else has been having a feast on the candy