Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-04-25
Letter FROM Glenn Swan
Somewhere in France.
Feb : 1913

YOU get all the letters | send for
they are few enough at the best.
Am sending this one through the
Base Censor. BY doing this the
letter does not have to be censor
ed by the company officers and is
preferable in several ways. one
does not feel quite so sclt-consci-
Gus in writing. We can each get a
blue envelope" once IA week and
send a number of letters i'm ii to
The Base Censor. III is evening and
! am writing letters up in my bill
let. II is a warm. quiet. and cloudy
evening, just suited to air raids.
A powerful searchlight has been
playing over the clouds all even
mg. SO maybe one is expected We
have seen or heard none. hut there
have been visits OF hostile air
crafts to this section. Lately. we
have been able TO hear the cannon
at the front. 1t was one stcadk
roar few mornings ago. An old
Frenchman told me that during
the heavy bombardment at Yer
dun the doors and windows rat
tied in the town here. We prohab
~ shall not be able to sleep for a
week or so when we go to the front
On account of the noise. If YOU
MT tn oh.
Gons we will find when we go to
the front read Employs over the
Top, a fine description of the
actual trench warfare by an Am
e:ican sho enlisted in The English
arm 1915. OF course Empcy.
wa- .ic Infantry. and in
the Engineers so our Work is
somewhat different from that do
scrihed iii - book We dig trcn-
ches or Supervise the digging of
tho trenches and making of barb
ed wire cn:anglementS by the In
fantfv The Engineers doall kinds
Of construction work requiring
skill and special tools. Our work
Ia much less dangerous than that
Of the Infantry for we do not fight
except in case of an emergency.
but there is always danger from
German shells, etc. If we happen
TO run into a German offensive we
will have plenty OF fighting to do
perhaps. After il certain period all
the front we will probably go back
70 our base for rest and further
drill. Our first visit to the scene
of action will be largely for the
purpose of learning our engineer
ing work for we have NOT the ma
terlals here To learn everything
with. am Very We'll satisfied with
the organization am with. The
men are fine bunch. older and
more mature than the liGth. /
certainly feel lucky to gel into
the Engineers. The work is highly
interesting. When one gets out he
ought to be able to build most
anything. We are learning how TO
build bridges, adjust knots and
fashings that have always been
Greek To me-. but am getting
along famously With them.
Saturday, Feb. Q.
This is one OF our rare spring
days. Began With a driZzlc and
lowering skies, but changed to
May like warmth and brightness
about noon. We just had inspcc-
tion and got paid. The general of
thls division Will be over amy time
to inspect our billets. am out in
the orchard now so | NAV miss
seeing him. Am sitting on a stone
wall which has apparently broken
down under the weight of The cen
turtles and has become so thicklv
covered with MOSES. II makes a
most comfortable seat. This morn
ing discovered bed of SNOW
drops in bloom in our hack yard,
also few pansirs. Our weather
now is quite like that of southern
California in winter.
Yesterday was out with five or
six on wood detail" All we had
to do was to ride out to the woods
and load six wagons with wood. 1t
was most pleasant day. Most of
the time we had nothing to do and
wandered about enjoying scenery.
10 the east OF the woods which oc-
cupies the crest Of a range of the
Nosges we looked up a beautiful
valley dotted with groups OF red
tiled ROOFS. Somewhere i'm an old
orchard down The mountain side.
q robin sang merrily There were
q number OF French soldiers cut
ting wood in the forest. They look
like lot of blue jays in their
bright uniforms. The peasants
we're blowing and hocing cir
.ields and everywhere was the at
mosphere of spring. In this forest
there arc very old and very
large trees. One no.doubt was
nourisKhg when Charlemange
ruled in Gaul in tho eighth centu-
ny.
1T requires a good deal of tree
surgery to keep it together. The