The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-10-02

No. 43S3y1, supply 20. % Art., " "A.
c., A. 4. +.
Sept. IL, 1918.
Dearest Mother and All
i will write you few lines today
to let you know that ! am in good
health and doing fine and hope you
are all the same. This Is fine day,
the sun is shining and it is warm.
We are having lots of experience
now and things are different than they
were nthe u. s. We cannot 90 like
wye did back there but will be back
again some day if nothing happens.
l. / have seen some of England and
the biggest part Of France and expect
TO see some of Germany before ! get
back to the u. s.. There is some
fine country over here. They raise
mostly grapes to make wine. We
Ncan have all the wine and beer we
want for the water is not much good.
I'The people treat us fine, give US wine
and grapes. They think the Ameri-
can is all o. k. It is hard to under
stand them when they talk but it is
easy to pick up. know some of the
Language. just enough to get by.
l expect to go away to truck and
auto school soon now to learn to be a
alto school soon now to learn to be a
driver.
Well, / CESS will close for this is
about all / can tell you Tell them
all said hello and wish them good
luck. Your loving son,
Claude.
Pink Simms isn't the name of any
society dude but it is the name Of a
real live Yank over there who is
where the shells coming down put one
in mind of good heavy rainstorm.
Pink says that he don't like it very
much but he is going to stick it
Ithrough until the bitter end and then
make the Germans bite off the end.
Pink writes the following epistle to
Mrs. Gertrude Clark of near Smyrna:
August 20, 1918.
Dear Friend:
l. / was much pleased to get your
letter and as | have a little time |
will endeavcr to answer it.
1t has been very quiet on this part
of the front since last month, only
some Smelling every day or night with
a little gas once in awhile; tonight
there was a little fighting but it did
not amount to much. / sure get the
blues when it is quiet. | want to
see them fight all of the time so we
can go home. / am on my second
year here now and / am tired of it.
1t had not ought to take long to fin
| ish it now for we are licking them
right along, but nearly every one
| thinks it will finish some time next
year. hate to thing of another win
ter over here. Last winter was the
worst one / ever put in. | never
saw so much mud IN my life. 1t
SHOWS all night and rains all day for
months and months over here.
was wet so much last winter that
have rheumatism regularly now al
though | never had it before / came
TO France.
There are a good many things
would like to have from over there
which / can't get here for we never
see any Y. nj. G. A. men at the front
and we are at the front all of the
sime now, but in order to get a re-
quest one must first go and see the
colonel. / only see my colonel about
once every three months as / am on
detached service with the French
army Any way a person does not
like to ask the colonel for any thing.
i guess / will have TO do without.
\ Last month we had big lombard
ment and 1000 shells fell at this
point that was during the big battle.
We had lots of gas too. which killed
everything in the valley. Where
am posted the shells didn't bother
us much. We kept right on working
any way. Well, hoping this finds
you we'll and thanking you for your
kind offer. l will close from,
Your friend,
Corporal Pink Simms,
Go. d, 18th Eng, A. p. o. 215, A. E.
F., France.