The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-01
TELLS OF MEETING
BRATTLEBORO NURSE
Swanton Soldier Writes from France to
Miss Elizabeth Robinson OF TINS
Town-Secs Air Battle.

Miss Elizabeth b. Robinson, book I
kecper for w a. Morse, has received
n letter from Sergeant Charles F.
Lanouettc Of train headquarters, l0lst |
ammunition train. American cXpedi |
tiouarv force, who was a schoolmate III
Swanton, which relates an incident
which viii be of interest to Brattleboro
people. lie has been the colonel's in.
terpreter. and is in the adiutant 5 Of
fee After describing his trip across
the Atlantic and a short stay in Eng
land he tells of the great reception the
Americans received in France and of
starting across the country Feb. Z to a
point near the battle front He writes:
We travelled for three DAYS by rail,
but there ism I much to tell about that
trip as we travelled so fast. But we
got the surprise of our young lives at
q certain large city we came through.
We were greeted by the American Red
Cross nurses, and they served US with
hot coffee. Imagine my surprise when
we found they were really American
females. They came down the line
asking if there were any boys from
such ana such a place (their home
=
between some OF them. One little
queen came along and sung out: Any
boys here from Vermont - You can
Just bet that | let out whCop and
/ went over to her, and she was from the
! little town OF Brattleboro. | wish !
/ had taken her name, but we were try
/ ing to say too much in the short time
allowed us and | had to run to get
1 back on the train, and forgot to ask
her. All | can give you for identiti-
cation is that she wore glasses. But
/ believe me it made our hearts thump
20 be able to talk to a girl in our own
native "patois.
! When we detrained we came the rest
Of the way by trucks, and we led the
life of Gypsies for three days. Gee! it
was great. We pitched our pup-tents
wherever night overlook us, and had
/ new sights and scenes every day. We
biyouacked one night at the place
where Joan q Are was born, and / Wis
tied the house and saw all the old rel
les and the monument where she was
burned at the stake. Some monument,
believe me The house had been bonn
harded in the present war, but that
only added to its beauty as Il ruin
And the last night We were on the
road we bivouaeked at the place where
the biggest and bloodiest battle of the
Marine was fought That night | slept
in a house that was a German general s
headquarters for a period of six DAYS
while the Huns held the town. There
wasn't much left of the village proper,
but / had a good night 5 rest that
nil ghaatc Tho first
time since leaving home. The old
French couple that own the place told
me many interesting stories about the
b battle. They had to beat ii i'm the mid
/ Gle nslLf night. AND. when they cams
! hack they found everything IN
| niieccs in the house Oh. it would tax,
! ,all night for me to- repeat what they
! told that night. The fields arounG
/ there was deckcd with graves which
/ 'old only too plainly Just what hap
h pcncd there.
: And now | find myself at the front
= and 1t is great life out here. Tn,
z second day we were here / saw Thu
1 best aud neatest air battle ! woult
\ wish to see. There were three Frencl
/ planes and a monster German raide
Z ia the fight. They had it out for
few moments, and during that time
; saw the most daring looping, glidini
! and Swooping ever done by an aero
y plane. Finally the Hun began to fal
- in long spirals, and when he had fallel
about a hundred feet his plane brok
- in two and he came crashing to tn
2 earth. He fell about half n mile fror
: whore | was, and though | ran over a
soon rs could leave my work, Their
!. was just the two bodies left. Every
:. thing else had been stripped by tn
!, souvenir hunters. There were tw
Huns in the machine--a major and
q lieutenant. ! think that they wei
e iarrcd little when they landed, {
ID the machine or engine dug hol